“In this post-Roe era, it’s a joy to meet a narrator who is unapologetically feminist! Mona’s story is about ordinary words that have extraordinary complexity and consequences. How does language narrow—or open up—the actual possibilities in our lives? Nicole Nelson writes with compassion and humor about gender, ambition, academia, and the politics of care.” — Leni Zumas, author of Red Clocks
“Amidst tragic loss and injustice, Family Language affirms the power, the reparative work of showing up for one another. It asserts, language can heal, alchemize, and hold us. Nelson has created a salve, order among chaos. Tender, heart opening, and life affirming.” — A.M. Sosa, author of And I’ll Take Out Your Eyes
Nicole Nelson is a fiction writer and linguist who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. After earning a PhD in linguistics at Rutgers, Nicole taught at various universities, including UCLA, UC Irvine, and Cal State Los Angeles. She later pivoted from academia to creative writing and earned an MFA in fiction. Language, feminism, and motherhood are central themes in many of her stories.
For several years, she was a co-host on the podcast “Writers on Writing,” where she interviewed dozens of authors of literary fiction. Her own writing has received fellowship support from the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska.
When she is not working with words, Nicole enjoys playing flute and piccolo in a community orchestra. She currently lives in Southern California with her family.
Substack: Sentence Appreciation — Literature through a Linguistic Lens
Nicole Nelson 