Howard Alum Releases Memoir

Prior to the release of her memoir, Dear Nikki, Shannon Ousley was a student at her third college, Howard University. After years of concealing pain from the past, her problems became too much during the summer, after her sophomore year.  Alone and confused, she did not know how to heal from the troubled past, that continuously haunted her. A writing exercise that started out as a joke was the remedy that mended her open wounds. 

Ousley found a passion in transforming her thoughts and emotions into words. Subsequently, her first chronicle, Dear Nikki, was created and published at the age of 22. 

 Dear Nikki describes her life experiences while growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland. Through her journal, she writes to her deceased sister, Nikki, who died in a car accident when she was a senior in high school. Ousley tells Nikki about having to take care of her siblings as their sick mother slowly passed away. 

Ousley said she felt like everything had died inside her as she remembered her time spent at Howard University. "I was trying my best to keep up with everything, but it wasn't adding up," Ousley stated.

She saw herself changing, but could not find an answer to why she was now bitter, mean and upset. She didn't recognize the person she had become.  Ousley said she needed to go home, and she did.

While in Atlanta with a friend, she stated, "I opened my laptop and wrote a childhood memory. 25 lines in two minutes. It started out as a joke. [But afterward], I felt like I had shed everything. My heart was free."

She soon returned to Cleveland and began to write to Nikki. "I truly enjoyed the process. Writing gave me clarity", Ousley said. 25 lines turned into more than 200 pages, revealing how insane and voiceless she felt after the death of her mother and ultimately finding peace within herself. 

She said she may write another novel because of her newfound love of writing. Some of her favorite authors include Jack Kerouac and Emerson.  

Ousley wants her readers to realize that everyone has challenges in life that are personal to them. However, life is about progression and it is important to look forward and move on. 

Although, Ousley has future plans of returning to Howard to complete her studies in English and Spanish, she is currently focused on Dear Nikki.

The memoir is available for purchase on Amazon.com.