Author Nicole Waggnor shares her inspirational story at Neighbors Along the Line

Author Nicole Waggoner was born to a young single unemployed mother in a rural cotton town in Texas. With equal parts luck and determination, she was able to attend college. She’s now award-winning teacher of upper-level English and Literary Criticism courses and has received particular acclaim for her intensive study symposiums.

As such, Nicole is passionate about spreading the word around the key role of literacy and education in breaking out of the poverty cycle.

In this talk, Nicole will share her experience doing just that — and how it all began with a copy of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree which she received as a gift as a child. She’ll explain how ultimately, these events inspired a main character in her debut novel, Center Ring, releasing in May 2016, based on “a composite of my own experiences, and on those of others who keep trying to break the cycle and to navigate life on the other side.”

Nicole believes that even the simplest of gestures can change the course of lives.

About Nicole:

Nicole Waggoner’s debut novel, Center Ring (She Writes Press, May 2016), focuses on five women trying to find balance in the tightrope act of life. Its characters reflect a poignant image of the daily lives of modern women. An award-winning teacher of upper-level English and Literary Criticism courses, Nicole has workshopped fiction writing and criticism with countless students and received particular acclaim for her intensive study symposiums, including Fitzgerald’s World: A Labyrinth of Gilded Cages, Timed Writing Hacks for Anxious Test Takers, and Essential French for Travel. Nicole lives with her biggest fans — her husband and two children — in Norman, Oklahoma.