'The darker the night, the brighter the stars.' - Dostoevsky. Nigel was born in autumn 1959. His life has been 'colourful' or 'chequered' depending on whom you ask. His GP of some decades has said 'writing and studying are your therapy, Nigel. They are what saved you.' He left home for the counterculture as a child and was subsequently placed in the 'Care' of the County Council but was soon transferred to the psychiatric system where he has been since in one manifestation or another. However, in 1988 he began studying at the Open University where his first undergraduate degree was in Political and Social Science, he received a 2:1 and his biological parents attended the graduation, his father saying: 'This is the greatest day of my life.' However, he would then experience a close call after a toxic state caused by prescribed medication. This set him upon another path academically, although he had written creatively from a very early age. Consequently, he gained a BA in Humanities with Creative Writing 2:1. Then a Master of Arts in English with Merit and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing with Merit last academic year.