Writer

Nia Williams

About

Nia Williams is a writer, wildlife rehabber, and veterinary technician. Her writing—spanning from comedic screenplays to non-fiction essays—explores the nexus between human, animal, and environmental well-being.

Nia’s literary journey began during her undergraduate studies at Duke, where she switched from a Biology major to a Visual and Media Studies major, and concentrated on environmental-centered art. For the next two years, she studied in New York, Los Angeles, and France – receiving a StudioDuke apprenticeship with Black-ish co-executive producer, Robb Chavis; numerous film and writing grants; an NYU Tisch film festival screening; and her department’s highest award for her undergraduate thesis, a multi-media Solarpunk exhibition titled, “Hope is the Thing with the Feathers.”

After graduating from Duke, she moved to NYC to receive her M.A. in Animal and Environmental Studies at NYU, where she focused her studies on the most marginalized people and animals. She also began working as a wildlife rehabber at the Wild Bird Fund and fell in love with clinical medicine. Following a winding odyssey through science and art, she now considers herself a writer and pre-veterinary student who examines and addresses our socioeconomic system’s impact on non-human life.

As a Safina Center Junior Fellow, she is teaming up with her writing professor and Safina Center Writer-in-Residence, Paul Greenberg, to investigate stories related to agriculture, water, and wildlife. She is strongly motivated by her family’s history in urban farming and agriculture, and seeks to spotlight Black folks’ stories in particular. Outside of writing, you can find Nia birding in a local park(ing lot), hanging out at Yemeni cafes with friends, and anxiously awaiting vet school decisions. Ultimately, in combining her love of creative expression and of medicine, she hopes to build community and educate others on the relation they share with the rest of the living world—one word and one patient at a time.