Melissa Coffey

A Melbourne-based freelance editor, published writer & spoken word performer, I hold a BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies, minoring in Media Studies. I believe as writers we're always an apprentice to our craft - I seek to continuously develop my work through further learning. My short stories, poetry & creative non-fiction are published (sometimes in cognito) in numerous international & Australian anthologies (The Mammoth Book series, Stringybark Stories), literary journals (The Last Girls Club, The Aurora Journal, The Ekphrastic Review, Writing in a Woman's Voice, Not Very Quiet, Illura Press) and online.

An active writer on Medium.com since 2020, my poetry, personal essays & articles are regularly curated and I am a Top Writer in Poetry. As a developmental editor and former theatre director, I enjoy writing about creativity and writing craft. My fiction and poetry often explore themes of desire, power, transformation & sexuality, sometimes via a feminist lens. In August 2021, I joined Scrittura as an editor, a publication showcasing poetry & prose poems.

Passionate about the power of spoken word, I've performed at theatre and spoken word events, exhibitions and festivals over the last two decades. My poems have travelled the world, appearing in art exhibitions from Shiraz, Iran to London and Argentina. A return Feature performer at Melbourne’s "Mother Tongue: Women Speak", I've also been a guest performer at One Billion Rising fundraiser (2014), speaking out against sexual violence towards women.

Current projects include working on my first poetry collection & planning a series of local poetry workshops. For inquiries about projects, collaborations or editing services, please message me via Twitter.