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Melanie Brooks

Goodreads Author

Born

in Canada

Website

https://melaniebrooks.com

Twitter

MelanieJMBrooks

Genre

Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography

Member Since

June 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomuser_melaniebrooks

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Melanie Brooks is the author of the memoir A Hard Silence: One daughter remaps family, grief, and faith when HIV/AIDS changes it all (Vine Leaves Press, 2023) and Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma (Beacon Press, 2017) She teaches creative nonfiction in the M.F.A. program at Bay Path University and in the M.F.A. program at Western Connecticut State University and professional writing at Northeastern University. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast writing program and a Certificate in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She has had numerous interviews and essays on topics ranging from loss and grief to parenting and aging published in The B ...more

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Melanie Brooks When I first began to write my own memoir exploring a story of trauma that I'd carried for over thirty years, I was caught off-guard by the overwhelmi…moreWhen I first began to write my own memoir exploring a story of trauma that I'd carried for over thirty years, I was caught off-guard by the overwhelming emotional toll of re-entering those memories. I felt paralyzed, and, at times, I wondered if I would survive. I wanted to find out how other memoirists who'd written through their difficult stories had coped with these feelings. I began reading interviews and found that no one was really asking the questions I most needed answers to. How did it feel? What was it like? How did you cope? So, I decided to contact memoirists whose stories had moved me and ask them these questions. The generosity and encouragement of their words were the lifeline that I needed to keep writing my story, and I wanted to share that lifeline with other writers who might need that same kind of mooring. I also realized that the words found in the pages of Writing Hard Stories are not only for writers. They are for everyone facing difficult experiences to let them know they are not alone.(less)

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No question. Just comment. I work with all ages on their memoir projects and your book is now my one and only "required" reading. Local bookstore just rolls their eyes when my students turn up and ask, "how many copies?" Having worked with so many almost every interview fits, and subsequently helps, one of my writers with their approach. Thank you!

Melanie Brooks Dear Peggy -
Thank you for these lovely words. It's so heartening to hear how your students are using my book. That's exactly what I hoped for when I w…moreDear Peggy -
Thank you for these lovely words. It's so heartening to hear how your students are using my book. That's exactly what I hoped for when I wrote it.
Warmly,
Melanie(less)

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Melanie Brooks’s books

Average rating: 4.31 · 409 ratings · 111 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma 4.25 avg rating — 322 ratings — published 2017 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Hard Silence: One Daughter Remaps Family, Grief, and Faith When HIV/AIDS Changes It All 4.55 avg rating — 87 ratings — published 2023 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Melanie’s Recent Updates

Melanie Brooks rated a book it was amazing Slow Motion: A Memoir of Friendship, Disability, and Advocacy by Jennifer Dupree (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A Beautiful Story that Cuts to the Heart of What Friendship Really Means Slow Motion is a book everyone should read. The story of Jen Dupree's long-term friendship with Marcel, a man with Cerebral Palsy, and the way that friendship has shaped both of ...more
May 31, 2026 10:29AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Slow Motion by Jennifer Dupree. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Slow Motion by Jennifer Dupree <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Melanie Brooks made a comment in the group Audiobooks — Free Spotify Promo Codes of A Hard Silence in Exchange for Honest Review topic " Hi! I'm offering 15 free Spotify promo codes for the audio version of my award-winning memoir A Hard Silence: One daughter remaps family, grief, and fa ...more "
Sep 10, 2024 12:03PM
Melanie Brooks joined the group Audiobooks
Sep 10, 2024 10:56AM · like