About

Hi, I’m Melissa.

My poetry and essays explore creativity, faith, justice, parenting, and sustainability. My writing has appeared in Catamaran Literary Reader, Coffee + Crumbs,  Entropy, Hip Mama, Relief Journal, Ruminate Magazine, The Taos Journal of International Poetry & Art, and Water~Stone Review, among other publications.

My chapbook of poems on faith and motherhood, Rupture, Light, was published by Finishing Line Press. With poet Jill McKenna, I co-edited and published Winged: New Writing on Bees, an anthology of creative work from 36 writers celebrating the relationship between humans and honeybees, with proceeds benefiting pollinator conservation efforts.

I earned my B.A. in creative writing from U.C. Santa Cruz, and a M.F.A in poetry from Seattle Pacific University. In 2019, I began pursuing my license as a community acupuncturist with POCA Tech, learning the art of acupuncture so that I can be part of the movement to provide affordable and accessible acupuncture for all.

I live in Oregon with my husband and three children.

You can contact me at melissapoulin3@gmail.com, and sign up for my monthly newsletter with book recommendations, poetry, new writing, and reflections on motherhood.