Meet a Staff Member: Melissa Nunez
Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to introduce our on-staff interviewer, Melissa Nunez. Melissa lives and creates in the caffeinated spaces between awake and dreaming. She makes her home in the Rio Grande Valley region of South Texas, where she enjoys observing, exploring, and photographing the local flora and fauna with her three home-schooled children. She is a column contributor for The Daily Drunk Mag. She is also a staff writer for Alebrijes Review. Melissa contributed her nonfiction piece “What is Mine” to Yellow Arrow Journal’s Vol. VI, No. 1 issue on RENASCENCE. And most recently, Melissa wrote “Alight,” which was included in EMERGE: Coming Into View. Both publications are available in the Yellow Arrow bookstore. You can find her prerecorded reading of “Alight” on Yellow Arrow’s YouTube channel.
Melissa states, “I am looking forward to meeting and conversing with new/new-to-me writers. I love reading new works from new writers, becoming immersed in new ideas and perspectives, and being able to get that behind the scenes look at their processes. I am excited to continue sharing this with the Yellow Arrow community.”
Tell us a little something about yourself.
I recently started publishing photography and visual art. The experience has been one of growth and positivity. Expanding to new mediums has brought additional beauty and strength to my body of work.
What do you love most about living in Mission, Texas?
I love the continual journey of seeing my city through new eyes and falling in love with my surroundings. I appreciate the opportunities to become one with nature, to experience the richness of color and sound, and to delve deeper into local history.
How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow and what do you do?
Yellow Arrow was one of my first publications. The experience of publishing in the RENASCENCE issue and participating in the accompanying launch party/live reading was so fulfilling and motivating. The offer to continue to collaborate within this community was one I could not resist. They have been so welcoming and encouraging of my work, and I am so glad I started contributing blogs and interviews for the website.
What are you working on currently?
I am working on a collection of hybrid visual poetry.
What genre do you write and why?
I write a mix of nonfiction and poetry, and I recently branched out into visual art and flash fiction as well. Taking on new challenges has been so rewarding and I look forward to continuing to test my skills as an artist.
Who is your favorite writer and why?
I was very inspired by Louise Erdrich while pursuing my MFA, and her writing continues to move me. She tells such compelling stories. I love the way her characters come to life on the page, flawed but forgivable. I also deeply admire the work of Aurora Levins Morales. I love her heart for community and uplifting the voices of those outside positions of privilege. She has inspired my essay writing and education this past year.
Who has inspired and/or supported you most in your writing journey?
My family. My husband protects my writing time almost as fiercely as I do. He helps me find balance in my life for exercising my expressive outlets. My children celebrate each publication with me and brag about my successes to family and friends. They motivate me to continue making them and myself proud.
What do you love most about writing?
The creation of something new. The surprise you find within your words or work of art. It is an endless act of discovery, both of yourself and your world.
What advice do you have for new writers?
Remember to be happy with the voice within. Self-validation is so important. It can be hard at times not to get down when the publications or opportunities you want and work hard for don’t pan out, but your voice is the one that matters most. If you like and are proud of what you do, you don’t need that external approval.
You can follow her on Twitter @MelissaKNunez.
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Welcome to the team Melissa! Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we SPARK and sparkle this year: purchase one of our publications from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, join our newsletter, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.