Hey there. Welcome. I’m Melissa Gorzelanczyk, writer, speaker, published author, sober artist, and lover of craft, ritual, and meadows.
At nine years old, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I dreamed of one day holding a book with my name on it in my hands. This began my journey to:
– Write more than 13 books and accumulate more than 28 rejections by age 18.
– Pay off more than $42,000 in debt so I could quit my day job and focus on getting published (age 29).
– Secure a literary agent with the second book I wrote in those years (age 32).
– Publish my first book, ARROWS, with Penguin Random House (age 34).
– Pursue my MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts (age 37).
– Realize during a writing prompt in the Vermont forest that my relationship with alcohol interfered with the creative goals I had for my life (age 38).
– Become a sober, alcohol-free artist on February 16, 2019. (age 39)
– Believe life is something we co-create.
– Seek to inspire you to honor and nurture your dreams.
Thanks for being here. <3
In writing, I love to explore and deepen:
- My craft.
- Themes of love and creativity.
- My belief in expansion, writing characters who both show me they can expand, and show me their reluctance to it, their humanness.
- The idea of pure potential–how anything you want is possible.
- Evocative, sensual prose.
- The beauty of integrating our shadow and light.
Professional bio
Melissa Gorzelanczyk is a writer influenced by her belief in pleasure, creativity, nature, ritual, and self-love. She holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her debut novel, Arrows, was published by Penguin Random House. She lives with her husband near a meadow she adores in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Follow her on Instagram: @MelissaGorzela
Pronunciation: [gōr-zĕh-lŏn-chĕk]