top of page
Blue skies,
renewed energy,
a sense of peace …
Melanie Verbout
“I began writing later in life and it helped me get through some setbacks. Writing taught me that although the days can be dark, there is sunshine up ahead; beauty waiting in the weeds. I’m guided by the expression in Sara Teasdale’s poem Night to ‘look for a lovely thing.’ The positive in daily life is there if I look for it.
Welcome to my website.” ~ Melanie
A GOOD DAY...
Hiking trails in the mountains with a terrific meal at the end of a well-spent, sunny day, a good book to read when I get home, and some fine music and wine to wind down with. Other days I volunteer at our local zoo giving tours, take dance classes, and contribute my time to the humane society near my home. A good laugh, a gorgeous cat to pet, and a crazy salsa every now and then work wonders!
My Bio
I am published in state and national magazines and, in 2023, won a Writer’s Digest Personal Essay Contest. My degree is in Education and I have worked as a newspaper features writer, book editor, proofreader, and teacher.
As an awarded photographer, former dance teacher, college English tutor, business owner, and professional artist, I call the Midwest home. I love travel, hiking, dancing, writing poetry…. some of it published!
I wrote a coming-of-age memoir, GO PICK PEAS: A Childhood Out of Touch because it was a story I had to tell. Did I finally find the touch I needed in a husband’s embrace and a newborn’s hand to hold?
Favorites
I began by designing a craft studio in my backyard and went on to two kitchen remodels from the ground up. Later I sketched and brought to reality an enlarged deck and an enormous flagstone terrace with stone wall, white birch, and rose trellis.
What started with taking photos of every card I made turned into a love for photography. A new Canon camera helped me perfect my skills. Foliage, sunsets, beaches, doorways, I tried to seek out the best angle, the one no one else saw.
Drawing was a passion for me. After I retired, I turned my skills into sales. I designed an art cottage in my backyard and made thousands of cards that sold at a local artisan shop. Creating and selling my cards brought me so much pleasure and income. However, five years ago I made the decision to end that career.
What They Said
Recognition
Congratulations on writing your memoir. A memoir is a difficult endeavor, but I imagine it is cathartic. I know it wasn’t easy in those days to go against the grain and do what you did. You must be a very strong and brave person. It’s nice to hear that you and your husband stayed together all those years.
~ Ann Fessler, author of The Girls Who Went Away
Your memoir is harsh and heart-breaking, but I find it deeply appealing. It is the presence of this little girl, spunky and resilient, in the midst of breathtaking family chaos, an attribute which often identifies a winning story.
~ Lisa Dale Norton, author of Shimmering Images, A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir
"Look for a lovely thing and you will find it.
It is not far -
It never will be far."
~ Sara Teasdale
bottom of page