Melanie Hoyt

Melanie loves telling stories, whether it's through words, pictures, or music. She began her undergraduate studies as a music major, but then found that her love for words was greater than her love for giving horn recitals. She's recently discovered how to tell stories through photography and is enjoying the challenges of learning a new medium.

Raised in the Chicago suburbs, Mel was unable to resist the pull of the Windy City and has returned home in July 2008 after spending 2½ years in central Michigan, where she earned a B.A. in English at Olivet College. Mel is primarily a writer of creative nonfiction, but she has also started to explore young adult fiction. Her favourite authors include Will Ferguson, Bill Bryson, Margaret Atwood, and—because she can't say no to a delightful romance—Jane Austen.  In her spare time and as often as she can afford the travel, Mel works as a photographer and journalist at figure skating events. She is on staff at Ice-Dance.com and has freelanced for several other publications.  She has been a fan of the sport since age 7, when she thought that Kristi Yamaguchi ruled the world.

 

Mel loves taking the train, eating warm chocolate chip cookies dipped in milk, spending time with her younger cousins, and road tripping with her best friends. In summer 2010, she plans to begin her thesis by driving across Canada from St. John's, NL, to Victoria, BC.