Nina Riggs was an American author, poet, and essayist. She was born in 1976 in North Carolina and grew up in a small town near the Blue Ridge Mountains. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a degree in English and Creative Writing. Riggs wrote two books, The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying and The Half Life of Stars. The Bright Hour was a memoir about her experience living with metastatic breast cancer, and it was a New York Times bestseller. The Half Life of Stars was a novel about a woman's journey of self-discovery. Riggs was also a contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other publications. She was a frequent guest on NPR's All Things Considered and was a TEDx speaker. Riggs was an advocate for living life to the fullest, even in the face of death. She was an inspiration to many, and her work continues to be celebrated.