The short version

Nicole Zelniker (she/they) is the author of several books, including FROM WHERE WE ARE and WE ARE MADE OF SCARS & STARLIGHT, which have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, and the young adult novel ALL I KNOW SO FAR. In their free time, Nicole enjoys re-reading their favorite books, talking about the intersection of queerness and disability on the internet, and bothering her upsettingly cute tabby cat, Artemis. Keep up with them at substack.com/@nicolezelniker.

The longer version

Nicole Zelniker (she/they) is the author of several books, including FROM WHERE WE ARE and WE ARE MADE OF SCARS & STARLIGHT, which have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, and the young adult novel ALL I KNOW SO FAR.

Nicole has published several short stories in literary magazines such as The Nassau Review, LEON Literary Review, and Assignment Magazine. They have been published in several anthologies, including Nothing Without Us, 101 Proof Horror, Queer Shivers, and volumes three and four of S/He Speaks. Her novelette, INK & SKIN, was published with Roi Fainéant Press in July 2023.

Her essays can be found in The Nasiona, Uncomfortable Revolution, and Queerolina. You can read excerpts from her first book, Mixed, on The Nasiona and The Scrib’s websites. She is the 2025 winner of the Genrepunk Award for Disabled Creatives for Sliding Scale, which was published in FLARE. They have also had several pieces of poetry published in literary magazines such as Aphelion, Sheila-Na-Gig, Gravitas, Thimble, The Tiger Moth Review, Juke Joint, Coffin Bell, and Fearsome Critters. Her prose poem, Tikkun Olam, was published in Queer Rage, a charity anthology.

In addition to an author of prose and poetry, Nicole is also a recovering journalist. Nicole has written for multiple publications, including USA Today, The Pulitzer Prizes, Capital & Main, and School Stories among others. In 2021, Nicole wrote for Triad City Beat, where they covered timely Q&As, abortion in the Triad, and COVID policies across North Carolina.

Nicole is also the founder of Knee Brace Press, a literary magazine dedicated to telling stories about chronic illness, disability, mental health, and neurodivergence. In their free time, Nicole enjoys re-reading their favorite books, talking about the intersection of queerness and disability on the internet, and bothering her upsettingly cute tabby cat, Artemis. Keep up with them on Substack at substack.com/@nicolezelniker, on TikTok at @/nicolewritesbooks, and everywhere else at @/nicolezelniker.