DWR Award Memoir Finalist Nicole Ribbens
This week’s Writer Wednesday is Nicole Ribbens from Grand Rapids, Michigan!
Nicole is a proud Detroit native. She studied writing and research in art history at Oakland University, exploring religious eschatology and its relation to the nuclear experience. After becoming a mother and navigating a new role as a medical advocate, she set her studies on cardiology and congenital heart disease. She established a career in nonprofit fund development and community outreach.
As her career interests shifted from research and development to personal reflection through writing, she resigned from her marketing and development role in nonprofit work to pursue a career in writing.
Nicole took 3rd place in the memoir category at the 2022 DWR Awards! Learn more about her below!
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
I like that there are a lot of rules in writing, and you can follow all of them or none of them to create something that’s your own.
What does your writing workspace look like?
I have an office I share with my husband where my writing is *supposed* to happen. But I find myself writing when I feel inspired, which is sometimes in notes on my phone in the middle of the night, or at the local library while my son is at school or covered in blankets in the living room after a long day.
What did you enjoy most about writing your memoir?
Writing my memoir gave me the chance to reflect on some major life events and to honor those emotions. It was hard and necessary work, and I am better for it.
What is your favorite non-writing hobby?
When I am not writing, you can find me with my two sons in our yard growing flowers and playing in the dirt.
What is your favorite piece of writing advice?
“If it’s possible to cut a word out always cut it out ” — George Orwell
What writing projects are you currently working on?
I am finishing up my first memoir titled “Born Blue” about motherhood and my son born with congenital heart disease.
Follow her on Instagram at @nicoleribbens.