About the Author
Melinda L. Ferguson was born and raised in Lima, Ohio. After graduating from Miami University of Ohio with a BA in English, she moved to New York City where she earned a Masters' Degree from Columbia University and worked as an editor at several publishing companies including Warner Books, Walker & Co., and Macmillan. In the 1990s, her family moved to Northport, NY on Long Island, where she facilitated workshops in memoir and journal writing at libraries and adult education centers. For many years she served as an adjunct Professor of English at Suffolk Community College. In 2016, she was awarded an MFA degree in Creative Writing & Literature from Stony Brook/Southampton University. In 2019, Melinda moved to Charlotte, NC, to teach at Central Piedmont Community College and at Charlotte Center for the Literary Arts (CharlotteLit), a non-profit organization supporting literary arts and culture.
Mission Statement
My mission is to open as many doors as possible to introduce people of every age and background to the joys and benefits of reflective journal writing.
Having taught for decades, I’m persuaded that many (perhaps most) people believe they can’t write. What they often mean is that someone, somewhere along the line, told them they couldn’t write because they make too many grammar, spelling, punctuation, or paragraphing mistakes. Most people, in my experience, confuse these mechanical errors with the ability to think or the ability to express themselves.
What makes “good” writing is not the same as what makes writing difficult. Good writing is fresh thinking, breakthrough understanding, increasing self-knowledge. In other words, good writing is creative thinking, and reflective writing is a tool unique to humans, as far as we know, to further our understanding of ourselves and our world.
I know finding time to write is all but impossible. I know that most people start out believing that they don’t have anything good or new to say to a blank page. I believe they will be delightfully surprised.