Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo is a writer, reader, yogini (when she can squeeze it in), mom, part-time Office Manager, a homemaker and the writer of The Writer’s Life blog. She loves to cook and take long walks with her kids and is a woman who wants to meaningfully exchange and intersect with other women writers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Currently she works at a web development company (because part-time Office Manager buys more groceries than Struggling Writer). She is at work on a novel and a short story collection. Melissa lives in North Central Massachusetts with her family.
Her Circle speaks with Dawn Tripp about her novel Game of Secrets, a story that weaves the past and present, locating the patterns that make us human, no matter the turns of the generations, and the different and intricate ways in which we keep our secrets.
Her Circle takes a close look at the International Museum of Women and its efforts to promote, support and curate the art of women from around the globe: “Although women in the Western world continue to struggle for purchase in the artistic realm, in other parts of the world voices go completely unheard—are entirely silenced. There is no outlet for them. Here is where the International Museum of Women seeks to fill the gaps and build bridges….”
Her Circle takes a close look at the emerging world of self-publishing and the myriad of opportunities for the independent writer in the new landscape.
Melissa shares her 2011 NaNoWriMo experience: some new lessons, the remembered knowledge that writing everyday is possible, even in the midst of a full life, and offers up some goodies for NaNoWriMo Winners to take advantage of!
NaNoWriMo participant and Municipal Liaison Teresa Schultz-Jones writes about her motives and methods for the annual 50,000 word challenge and the secret she has uncovered over the last eight years of participating: “It’s a lot less about the novel than it is about discovering your inner author and learning to have fun with writing.”
Her Circle Ezine discusses creative collaboration and the necessity of artist-to-artist support with Poets JP Howard and Sheila Slaughter, founders of Women Writers In Bloom Poetry Salon.
Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo takes a look at National Novel Writing Month from a local and global perspective. “NaNoWriMo has eclipsed its quirky inception and evolved into what many consider a salient and relevant literary event…This could have been turned into a for-profit event, but instead they have followed the flow of the spirit of those who choose to participate: writing for the sake of writing itself and moving this generosity of spirit into the world at large, creating together locally and globally.”
Jyl Lynn Felman shares her experience of creating performance art and the value in taking risks: “Emotional memory is not linear. It comes to us in fragments and often connects to seemingly unconnected memories. That’s the heart of performance art. Be obsessed about what you write. Don’t take a breath between ideas. Do not stop to see if everything makes sense. Don’t be afraid that you’re revealing too much. Take a risk. And say the un-sayable.”
“New York Times” journalist Janet Elder shares the unforgettable true story of her family dog Huck: the remarkable tale of how one lost puppy taught a family—and a whole town—about hope and happy endings. The story begins with a child’s wish for a dog and Elder’s diagnosis of breast cancer. Read and comment on the Q&A for a chance to win a copy of her book, “Huck!”
Book Giveaway! A copy of Janet Elder’s book, Huck will be given to a Her Circle Ezine reader! Huck is the true story of the tenacity of one small dog, the unexpected, extraordinary kindness of strangers, and a family’s devotion to each other. Elder’s son, Michael, was four when his relentless campaign for a dog [...]
Her Circle speaks with Dawn Tripp about her novel Game of Secrets, a story that weaves the past and present, locating the patterns that make us human, no matter the turns of the generations, and the different and intricate ways in which we keep our secrets.
Cheryl Yanek shares her on-going story of participation in the Occupy Wall Street Movement in New York City.
Heather Child looks at roles for female characters in Disney-Pixar’s latest creations and asks, “Why are films with their feet firmly in the twenty-first century still struggling with something as basic as gender representation?
Lauren Sardi interviews Patricia Leavy, feminist sociology professor and author. Leavy has become known for advocating innovative and artful approaches to conducting social research as a means of getting at the complexity of lived experience and linking the “inner worlds” of women to the social contexts in which they live.
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In this podcast, cultural anthropologist Gina Athena Ulysse read from her poetry and discusses the narratives of her homeland Haiti, and how she strives to develop new stories in spoken word and performance poetry.
Marina DelVecchio brings up an older text, published in 1971, that introduces readers to ten obscure and famous women circa the 1800′s. Eve Merriam’s Growing Up Female in America: Ten Lives depicts the authentic first-person voices of women who "found the will to trudge forward into colleges and acquire degrees that went beyond ‘MPM — Mistress of Pudding Making — and RW — Respectable Wife’" (13).
Maya Angelou’s Empowered …: Marina DelVecchio discusses the empowered nature of Maya Angelou's girlhood... 
Alice Walker and Zora Nea…:
Sometimes friendships just happen when we meet someone. An instant spar... 
Susan B. Anthony and Eliz…:
On Valentine's Day, people are often wrapped up in gifts, dedications, ... 
The Help: Perpetuating th…: Mayra David writes about The Help and the history of the Mammy stereotype i... 
Squash Pie: a short story…: Part 1 of "Squash Pie," the story that is the culmination of Melissa Corlis... 
Recent Comments
Naomi Benaron on A New Writing Life
Thank you for your comment, Tisha. I hope the novel speaks to you.L.George Alexander on Louise DeSalvo’s On Moving
Thank you for your response, Kate Robinson. I guess it is true that we often find what we are...Lauren Nicole Nixon on On Works-in-Process
I'm glad that you enjoyed the piece, Shana!