Melissa Chadburn

Melissa performed at a SpeakTogether student matinee at Talent Unlimited High School on January 21, 2022, speaking on the theme, “Never Doubt a Small Group.”

Melissa Chadburn’s writing has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, New York Times Book Review, Paris Review online, and many other publications. Her essay on food insecurity was published in Best American Food Writing 2019. She’s done extensive reporting on the child welfare system and appears in the Netflix docuseries “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez.” Her debut novel, A Tiny Upward Shove, is inspired by her Filipino heritage. She is a Ph.D. candidate at USC’s Creative Writing Program. Melissa is a worker lover and through her own work and literary citizenship strives to upend economic violence.

Purchase this writer’s book via our virtual storefront on Bookshop.org, the bookselling platform that supports independent bookstores. A portion of proceeds from all book purchases will go toward helping support SpeakEasy’s nonprofit mission and our literary programs on stage, in schools, and on the road with The SpeakEasy Bookmobile.