Speaking Requests

Melanie has a beautiful, unique, prophetic and convicting voice — and it needs to be heard. It needs to be heard by people whom it will make uncomfortable, and it needs to be heard by people who have walked some of the same paths as her…especially the painful ones…so they can know they aren’t alone.

–Erin Washington, MLS, Co-Founder, Embodied Labs

I am available for speaking requests, and I also offer my own prayer and poetry workshops, book clubs, and retreats. To request me for a speaking event, please click here.

A seasoned preacher, teacher and published poet, I have a Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary, as well as a certificate for “Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups and Retreats” from the Shalem Institute. I am a poetry contest winner, and Poetry Editor at Geez Magazine. I am also currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in poetry from Spalding University.

A Sampling of Some of My Favorite Speaking Topics:

Melanie led a chapel service on poetry, justice, and contemplation, which was a first for many of our young adult interns. Melanie’s focus on approaching poetry as a relationship opened our young adults to a new way of interacting with Scripture. I am so thankful for Melanie sharing her gifts and talents with Project Transformation DC..

–Rachel Luna, Executive Director, Project Transformation DC.

To get a feel for my speaking style, please check out this Youtube playlist, which has several sermons that I’ve preached in the past few years. The sermons range from casual and conversational to more formal and academic, and I’m happy to cater my style to the needs and purposes of the event. For preparing a talk, I follow the model of my friend Cary Umhau, who says:

“I never use the same talk entirely again. Every audience is different, and I want to hear your goals for your group. And also, as a person who’s always in process, I’m not the same speaker (or woman) I was the last time I gave a talk…My heart’s just not in it the same way as when I pray for fresh inspiration. So you can always know your talk will be yours uniquely.”

Here’s a Partial List of Previous Speaking Venues:

• Sojourners, Washington, DC
• Takoma Park Arts Series, Takoma Park, MD
• Project Transformation, online webinar
• Van Buren United Methodist Church, Washington, DC
• Fairlington Presbyterian Church, Alexandria, VA
• University Christian Church, Hyattsville, MD
• Shanghai Community Fellowship, Shanghai, China
• St. Brendan’s in the City, Washington, DC
• Western Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC
• Catholic Volunteer Network, online webinar
• Vita Poetica, Washington DC and online webinar
• Grace United Methodist Church, Atlanta, GA
• Hangzhou International Christian Fellowship, Hangzhou, China

Retreats

I have led many retreats for a variety of ages and backgrounds. Most of the topics above can be turned into a retreat format (day, overnight, or weekend). I also love to lead silent retreats.

Please contact me to discuss potential speaking and/or retreat opportunities, as well as rates. I’d love to hear from you.

How Poetry Speaks to Our Pains, Needs, & Dreams

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• a personal reflection about where I’ve found poetry lately
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• “why poetry?” observations from a kaleidoscope of poets
• an invitation to conversation