Melissa Rose started her journey in poetry and performance at the age of 16 and has been an integral part of the spoken word community since 2001. She created and hosts the Palo Alto Poetry Slam and was a member of Palo Alto's National Poetry Slam Team in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2014. Melissa has performed across the United States and in over 30 cities in Germany and Austria, including Munich, Frankfurt, Salzburg, and Hamburg, and was a featured poet at the German National Poetry Slam in 2010. A Young Playwright's Project award winner in 2001, she also received the Spoken World Grant from the American Embassy of Berlin in 2011 and was a finalist in the 2013 Write Bloody Publishing Contest.

 

Navigating the world as a survivor of abuse, sexual assault, and mental illness, Melissa’s work delves into her personal experiences of overcoming struggles with addiction and self-harm, ultimately moving toward acceptance, hope, and healing. Her powerful and raw emotional performances resonate with audiences, inspiring them deeply. Her poetry has been showcased in various publications, including Litjar Magazine, Broken Image Magazine, the International Slam Anthology “Planet Slam,” Indiefeed Performance Poetry Podcast, and the live performance DVD “The Survival of the Ill List.”