Janice Nimura F’87: Telling True Stories That Explain the World
Award-winning author and college professor, Janice Nimura, discusses her passion for creative nonfiction and shares how TMS impacted the trajectory of her writing career.
Janice P. Nimura is a Yale and Columbia graduate, award-winning author and Standing Professor in the College of the Environment at Wesleyan University. Her books thread a common theme of trailblazing women and have received recognition from major news leaders, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, Smithsonian, and the Los Angeles Times.
Janice returned to campus in February of 2025 to share her work and experience with students. Here, she sits down with Jay Duncan to discuss how TMS impacted her writing career. Written by Jay Duncan, S’25
“I had always thought I was going to be pre-med and go to medical school, but the experience of studying English here—both reading and writing—changed the way I understood literature. ”
As a Spring 2025 student, I was excited to interview Janice P. Nimura, a Fall '87 alum and the author of The Doctors Blackwell, a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist for biography. Janice offered me her perspective on how attending TMS was crucial to her career as a writer. During her two-day February visit to campus, she shared her experiences and insights with our English classes, offering a thoughtful discussion on women nature writers, with a focus on Mary Treat, Rachel Carson, and Camille Dungy.
When asked how TMS shaped her college and professional career, Janice reflected on the lasting impact the school had on her intellectual development. "I think that TMS might have had a great deal to do with it because of the way we read and wrote here," she explained. Coming from a small girls' school where English was often taught through the lens of structured, five-paragraph essays, Janice found the more exploratory and conversational approach at TMS to be a transformative experience. This shift sparked her passion for creative nonfiction, allowing her to see English as something to be loved, not just respected.
Janice, F’87, and her son David Nimura, F’19.
Janice went on to explain that TMS not only changed her approach to writing, but also influenced her path in college. “I had always thought I was going to be pre-med and go to medical school," she shared, "but the experience of studying English here—both reading and writing—changed the way I understood literature.” As a result, she quickly gravitated toward the English department at Yale, where she ultimately became an English major. It was the kind of education that encouraged her to deeply engage with texts and connect with others who shared that passion. That intellectual community, Janice noted, had a lasting effect on her work and professional life.
Throughout her career, Janice’s time at TMS continued to resonate. Her experience with writing nonfiction at the Mountain School sparked a lifelong interest in telling true stories in a way that explains the world, rather than fictionalizing it. In her current work, including The Doctors Blackwell, she combines her love of storytelling with the precision of nonfiction to offer readers a deeper understanding of historical and cultural figures. The approach to writing she honed at TMS, particularly through the process of journaling and engaging with the world around her, became the foundation for her successful career as a writer.
Reflecting on her career trajectory, Janice credits her time at TMS for helping her find her voice as a writer. "TMS was my yeast," she said, describing how it gave her the initial push to rise, grow, and ultimately forge her path in the world of literature. Though she initially thought she might become a doctor, her experience at the Mountain School planted the seed for a career in writing that would allow her to explore the intersection of history, science, and personal narrative.
After living in Japan for a few years, Janice returned to live in her home state, New York. Her professional career has evolved from working in publishing and writing book reviews, to writing books and teaching a writing seminar in the College of the Environment at Wesleyan University; “The course is a direct descendant of TMS English, complete with journals and a journal report.” Janice’s books thread a common theme of trailblazing women: the first one (Daughters of the Samurai) about three small girls sent from Japan to America in the 1870s, the second (The Doctors Blackwell) on the Blackwell sisters, who were the first and third women to receive medical degrees in the U.S., circa 1850. Her newest book project is on Rachel Carson and the women who came before her in the 19th century as generators of wonder in the natural world; “This new book project is a kind of homecoming to TMS themes.”
Although much has changed at TMS since Janice’s time as a student, she believes the essence of the place remains unchanged. In her metaphor of Jason’s Ship, the Argo, she captured the paradox of transformation: “By the time they reached the end of their voyage, every plank in the boat had been replaced. Is it still the same boat? Yes, but every piece of it has changed.” Just as the ship may have been replaced plank by plank, Janice recognized that the campus, too, has transformed over the years, with new buildings and structures rising where the old ones once stood. Still, the feeling, the "special sauce" that makes TMS so unique, has remained intact. The energy of the place, the magic, the bond between students and teachers alike, persists—unchanged and timeless.