Nicola Spendlove

Biography

Nicola is a writer, award-winning performer, and facilitator whose practice is grounded in listening: to the body, to memory, and to the quiet place where voice begins.

Originally trained as an occupational therapist, her journey has unfolded through creativity, community, and care, shaped by years of supporting people through change, loss, and becoming. In Ireland and internationally, she is guided by a strong belief that writing is not something we create from scratch, but something we return to.

She is drawn to life’s thresholds: grief, transition, reinvention, and the moments when the self has learned to go quiet in order to survive. Through writing, Nicola invites participants to gently come back to themselves, not to fix or improve, but to witness and belong.

As an award-winning performer, she brings a refined sensitivity to voice, rhythm, and emotional truth. Her facilitation is embodied and spacious, allowing words to arrive without force. There is no pressure to perform, only an invitation to be present.

Alongside her creative work, Nicola holds leadership roles in public life, working at the intersection of health, creativity, and community wellbeing. This dual perspective, holding both the intimate and the systemic, allows her to meet writers with compassion, clarity, and care.