You want to know about Nicki?

I was born in Hereford, UK in 1969. A quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet, written by a teacher in my autograph book on the event of leaving primary school, made quite an impression:

"To thine own self be true
Thou can'st not then be false to any man."

There are (at least) 2 reasons for this:

1. From the age of 11, I had an inkling that I wanted to do an English degree.

2. As a young teenager, I was increasingly attracted to women, and from the age of 16 began the process of coming out as a lesbian to myself, my friends and family.

Much of my research and published writings have focused on coming out stories, lesbian fiction and representations of lesbians in popular culture.

The diaries and poems I wrote as a teenager sparked my enduring interest in autobiographical story-telling and the ways in which reading/writing can become routes for exploring/building identity. I almost went further down the "academic" pathway exploring this theme, but I remain certain that one of the best decisions I ever made was to give up a PhD after 2 years of study. This taught me: follow your instincts and never be afraid to recreate yourself.

Another theme which runs through my online writing is that I enjoy constructing poetry with magnetic word tiles. Between November 2000 and February 2001 I held a "writer's attachment" with the online writing centre trAce. I kept an online journal describing my progress (which includes some magnetism). Read my Journal with a road movie theme ... and particularly if you're a fan of Thelma & Louise. Plus don't forget to browse a while in the Magnetic Library which began as part of this Journal.

I have lived in Nottingham for 12 years. Between 1995 and 2004 I worked in the voluntary sector for a number of women's and health-related projects. Currently, I work as Information Officer in the Development and Alumni Office at Nottingham Trent University.

You can discover a lot more by looking through this site, or you can read my blog, Out on a dike. Mostly, I can be found over at Woman-Stirred with my inspiring and creative friends.