Sheila Nelson

There’s an old adage that to be a good writer, one must be a good reader. For Sheila Nelson, that skill came early and never left. “I began reading by age 3, and my mom laughingly recalled how I was the only child who asked to get back into my playpen while most children were clamoring to get out. That’s where I kept my books.” At any given time, she is likely to have a couple dozen library books checked out.
By 5th grade, Sheila had written poems, stories and a Christmas play which the class performed. She had a weekly column in the local newspaper for a few years and writes press releases and materials for Daughters of the American Revolution, Chambers of Commerce and other organizations. It was enrolling in and traveling to William & Mary that solidified her deep love for the mountains of Southwest Virginia and her hometown of Pulaski.
Sheila loves American history, genealogy, the Bible, volunteering at LewisGale Hospital-Pulaski, well-run meetings, cats, plays, luncheons and tea with a variety of groups. Oh, and NRV Magazine assignments. “I try to discover something new every day. I never know what Joanne will assign me next, and I learn something from researching, interviewing and writing every article.”
Despite exploring different areas of the world, Sheila feels only truly at home right here in the New River Valley. She resides in the house her great-grandfather built and where her mother was born. “My roots are in these mountains and the small town environment to which I always have happily returned.”