Nora West was born in England and was educated privately from the tender age of eight. She did get to Art School – obtaining degrees in Textiles from Goldsmiths College, London, and later in Art & Design in NZ. She married a New Zealander and they raised their four children in Gloucestershire; the family moved to Auckland in 1982. Nora has lived between Auckland and Waiheke Island since then, lecturing in Community Arts at Unitec and Whitecliffe, managing an art gallery, working in the prison and mental health sectors, and active in women's and environmental issues. She now has six mokopuna and has settled permanently on Waiheke Island, where she helps run a recycled crafts collective called Upcycle. She drives an elderly EV, keeps free-range bantams, composts, and sings with Sister Shout a cappella choir.