Hello, I’m Nici
Freelance writer, editor and workshop leader
I’m a short story writer, editor and mum of one. I edits works of fiction, memoir and arts journalism and my short stories have been published in places such as Dark Ink Press, shortlisted for the Willesden Herald short story prize and Highly Commended for the Bridport Prize 2019. I have an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester, studying under authors Geoff Ryman and Colm Toibin. There’s more! I’m also a freelance writer at Lost for Words and run a small publishing press called Boudicca Press.
When I set up Mummy Writes in December 2019 through Natwest’s Back Her Business campaign it was just a gem of an idea. I’d just finished my first maternity leave and was feeling drained and out of sorts, craving something to make me feel creative and to challenge my intellect. Mummy Writes was inspired by what I was would have wanted to participate in on my maternity leave.
About the workshops
- Bring your baby
- Breast and bottle feeding welcome
- For first time writers or those looking to get back into writing
- For mums fresh on maternity leave and mums in all sense of the word including carers
- Bring your tired brain and body as you are
- Workshops designed for low concentration and energy
- Join in if you want, or just turn up to write
ABOUT MUMMY WRITES
Mummy Writes baby-friendly workshops explore the basics of writing fiction, with plenty of time for writing. They are designed with parents in mind to provide a safe space to embrace the chaos of parenthood and all it involves, while parents take a moment to stretch their tired brains and explore something new.
The project was set up by Nici West in 2019 and funded via NatWest’s Back Her Business campaign to support female led-businesses. Having experienced parental leave herself, Nici soon discovered that becoming a new parent can be an isolating, intense and tough experience, despite the joys that come along with parenthood. She wanted to be able to offer parents a way to learn a new skill (rather than just an exercise class!) inspire creativity and provide some intellectual stimulus, at what can be one of the most challenging and alienating times of life. Mummy Writes baby-friendly writing workshops aim to not only provide a creative and intellectual challenge for parents, but to help them process experiences, and find new self-confidence and identity through creative exploration.
Mummy Writes 