Melanie Sumner is the author of four books of fiction, How to Write a Novel, The Ghost of Milagro Creek (New Mexico Book Awards 2010), The School of Beauty and Charm, and Polite Society, a collection of West African short stories. She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Whiting Award, a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and the New Mexico Book award. Her recent novel manuscript is set in a fictional town in Alaska.

Melanie’s publishing history includes short fiction and creative nonfiction in numerous journals and anthologies including The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, The New York Times, and Atlanta Magazine. She has appeared on NPR and Georgia Public Radio. Currently she lives in Taos, New Mexico and teaches at Kennesaw State University.