Melanie Rose

Melanie believes she owes From the Ground Up much gratitude and for once can't find the words to describe this feeling. She thanks FTGU for the thought provoking writing assignments, writing prompts and meditative moments. Melanie feels honored by being surrounded by her fellow residents who all brought to the residency their unique talents, their own voices, their lived experiences that is clearly in their work. Melanie talks to the page as she pokes away at the keyboard-often leaving her filter behind. Melanie is a stream of consciousness writer-but don't be fooled by this. She doesn't like to admit it but somehow (even as she calls it her "upside-down backwards brain" she structures her pieces in ways that are connected interactive and relatable.

Shattered Illusions is about just that: Darkness unveils itself once we finally realize that nothing is what we think it will be, nothing is as it seems anymore so now what? We wake up to the realization that yes nothing is that colossal and everything is that colossal simultaneously.  We can always look forward to surprises that bring us peace, joy and contentment. Just don't be so prepared all the time.