Our Team

Melissa Helton

Melissa Helton was born in Toledo, Ohio and has lived in southeast Kentucky since 2010. She was a first-generation college student, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies from the University of Toledo, and a Master of Fine Arts with a focus on poetry from Bowling Green State University. She later earned her Doctor of Education in educational leadership and policy studies from Eastern Kentucky University. Melissa taught English, writing, literature, and other humanities classes for colleges and universities for 17 years.

Her poetry, essays, and photography have been published in Still: The Journal, Shenandoah, Cutleaf, and more. Her chapbooks include Inertia: A Studyand Hewn. Her editing work includes Troublesome Rising: A Thousand-Year Flood in Eastern Kentucky, the anthology that documents the devastating flood that hit campus in July 2022. A lover of books, she usually reads at least 100 books per year.

Connect with Melissa

melissah@hindman.org
(606) 785-5475