Nicole Fitzgerald
The School of Creative Writing is pleased to congratulate Nicole Fitzgerald, MFA. Nicole’s thesis is a memoir entitled A Cloud Collector.
Nicole Fitzgerald’s writing grew up in the mountains of Whistler, BC where she worked as a journalist in print, television and documentary film for two decades. Her love of nature combined with motherhood and a pandemic led to the inspiration behind her memoir, A Cloud Collector. During her time in the MFA program, she also wrote a middle grade novel, The Rain Folk, and a picture book, Under One Sky. Nicole and her daughter now camp 100 days of the year. When not on the road, Nicole spent three years with the New Shoots program, teaching creative writing at Point Grey and Templeton secondary schools as well as the Vancouver Public Library.
A Cloud Collector is a memoir following the different skies a mother and child travel while navigating the uncertainty of a changing climate with the help of a 17-foot travel trailer. The daughter is deemed at risk by doctors during the pandemic and subsequent wildfire and virus seasons to come, forcing the mother to find a creative way through. A chance encounter at an RV dealership leads to the purchase of a trailer the mother is in no way equipped to drive. The two will camp 100 days of the year collecting clouds and bird song to better understand their place in the world. A natural world the daughter will come to love and fight for.
Contact
Request more information about Nicole’s thesis project using our 2026 Graduate Showcase Contact Form.