Nina (Archbold) Welch moved to San Clemente  in 1970 and raised two sons (Brian and Matthew) as a single parent. When both boys were grown and self-sufficient, it was her turn. She relocated to Arizona in 1991 to pursue her education. As a non-traditional student at the University of Arizona, she earned a degree in Media Arts with a minor in English. Graduating Cum Laude, in 2001, she received the Outstanding Senior Award. Following graduation, she worked as Marketing Coordinator for the Tucson Arts District, and she also did marketing for the Arizona International Film Festival. She currently screens films in competition for the yearly festival.

 

In 2006, she moved back to California and was hired in the field of her studies as Fine Arts Public Information Officer at Saddleback College. She retired in 2017 and enjoys her time as a writer of poetry and fiction. She is also a movie buff, having worked for 11 years at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah as Assistant Theater Manager.

 

As a returning San Clemente local and a contributing writer for the San Clemente Journal, she invests in the stories and her subjects. At her first meeting as a new writer for the Journal with the assignment of the Downtown Beat, Kindred told her, “Everyone has a story.” According to Nina, he was right. She signed up for lessons to write about Pickleball, and five years later, she plays four times a week with a new set of friends.

 

As a resident at Hotel San Clemente, all she has to do is walk out the front door of the historic building to seek subjects for her articles. When she wrote the article about Poetry Hour at Beach Town Books, she became a member of the group, which is now Café Poets.

 

Nina’s hobbies are writing, reading, travel, pickleball, and spending quality time with her sons and five grandchildren.