Nicole Walker

Nicole Walker teaches creative writing at Northern Arizona University and is the author of numerous books on topics ranging from the modern food industry to climate change. Most recently she is the author of "How to Plant a Billion Trees," a memoir about her survival of sexual abuse. In this work, Walker explores our capacity to rebuild and grow a community, especially by giving air to hard to stomach stories. She also recently published "Writing the Hard Stuff," a guide for authors wanting to dig into difficult stories in their writing.

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Awards: National Endowment for the Arts

Communities: Arizona Author

Workshop: Writing the Hard Stuff

Nicole Walker, author of "Writing the Hard Stuff," will discuss how to turn difficult and personal histories into compelling and meaningful stories. Drawing from her experience teaching students, Walker offers methods to write the hard stuff effectively.

Integrated Learning Center Room 125AB (Seats 40, Wheelchair accessible)  
Sat, Mar 14, 10:00 am - 10:55 am
Memoir / Essays / Creative Nonfiction

Panelist: Nicole Walker

Storytelling as a Source of Healing

How does a writer rebuild a shattered life? Join Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Nicole Walker and Atash Yaghmaian as they delve into the restorative power of storytelling in the face of grief and trauma.

Koffler Room 218 (Seats 142, Wheelchair accessible)  
Sat, Mar 14, 1:00 pm - 1:55 pm
Memoir / Essays / Creative Nonfiction
Signing area: Sales & Signing Koffler/Commons (following presentation)

Panelists: Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Nicole Walker, Atash Yaghmaian
Moderator: Stuart Horwitz

Rewriting the Story

Join authors Aiden Arata, Caroline Paul and Maris Kreizman for a dynamic discussion on truth, identity and resilience. These three writers dig into what it takes to stop letting old stories or outside pressures define you and how to rewrite your life on your own terms.

Student Union Santa Rita (Seats 110)  
Sun, Mar 15, 11:30 am - 12:25 pm
Memoir / Essays / Creative Nonfiction
Signing area: UA Campus Store Book Sales (Mall) (following presentation)  

Panelists: Aiden Arata, Maris Kreizman, Caroline Paul
Moderator: Nicole Walker

Books:

How to Plant a Billion Trees

A Memoir of Childhood Trauma and the Healing Power of Nature
Memoir / Essays / Creative Nonfiction
Bloomsbury Academic
February 2026
ISBN 9798216278870
232 pages
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Writing the Hard Stuff

Turning Difficult Subjects Into Meaningful Prose
Memoir / Essays / Creative Nonfiction
Bloomsbury Academic
November 2025
ISBN 9781350518650
176 pages
Buy now