Meet Melody Mann

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melody Mann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melody, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
There are periods of time where I will go without writing. These periods can last days and sometimes weeks, yet given the nature of my job and passions they cannot last forever. Overcoming writer’s block looks different across contexts (academically versus poetically). As an individual I dabble in both academic writing (reading articles, familiarizing myself with current practices, and disseminating research findings) and creative writing (exploring prose through poetry, short anecdotes, and lengthened annotations). When I find myself facing a hurdle with my academic writing, I have to take a step back and disconnect from the project at hand. This can look like closing tabs (shocker), turning off the laptop, and finding the origin of where the project began. When I have a structured writing task I am assigned, reminding myself the moral of the project helps me realign and focus with the task at hand. When I find a loss of words, the benefit of academia is you can read related papers in your field and model your literature similarly. In this light, creative writing blocks work the same way for me. When I notice I cannot bring myself to create poetry, I take a moment to reconnect inward. Poetry is a personal journey in which I use words to convey phases and experiences of my life. To overcome a writing block I am experiencing in poetry, I take time to remind myself what my core values are. To aid this process, you’ll often find me scribbling in my notebook or tuning out to music (Lo-Fi to mellow beats – everything in between). I think in an era of production and results it is nice to put a pause to the delirium and center oneself.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Professionally, I am a Special Education doctoral student at the University of Maryland – College Park. Immersed in holistic ideologies, I seek to promote equity and inclusion in special education for learners of all backgrounds and abilities. In my current lab, I am working with immigrant families to better understand culturally adapting evidence-based practices for children with Autism. Across the field of education, I am actively involved in areas including nonprofit volunteering, mentoring, and exploring mental wellness techniques. Within my doctoral studies, I seek to create a representation in literature for Punjabi (South Asian) families who have children with disabilities. This is important to me as a scholar investigating DEI frameworks that I bring my perspectives and identities to the table through disseminating thoughtful contributions that do not portray people of color through a deficit lens.

Personally, I am a published Poet. I take pleasure in writing and exploring poetry in my free time. My poetry stems from spirituality, grief, love, and healing. This past year I published my limited debut poetry collection titled Salt Water Reflections which uses the power of oceanic energies to cleanse the consciousness of loss and love. The objective of this short poetry collection was to solidify my stance as a writer and prepare for what is to come ahead. I am immersed in connectivity with nature and the ability to ground oneself in the present moment, thus my work reflects organic themes often.

What I find exciting about being both a scholar and a poet is I have the unique opportunity to present my ideas in a structured setting (i.e., to global audiences at academic conferences) or to the literary community (i.e. sharing my insights on Medium and Instagram). The beauty of this is the duality that individuals possess to share facets of themselves in different lights. I enjoy taking time to challenge myself to become a better researcher in the field of Special Education while exploring my potential as a creative writer in Poetry. I am a self taught poet who utilized books and online resources until I could formally enroll in a college course on poetry. With a semester of training and insight, I am looking forward to growing more as a poet, a scholar, and individual.

Looking ahead – I am working on completing my new manuscript for an upcoming *full* poetry book release. This book will be centered around ecological poetry whilst pulling upon the tenants that are near and dear to me (self reflection and healing). This poetry collection will cover the reality of our planet and how we are accessing our natural resources. This book is projected to release within the next year or two; it is a labor of love. I am in the process of curating the final pieces to wrap up this production.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Empathy Having an open heart and leading with a clear mind can create spaces for perspective taking, understanding, and nurturing. In such a fast paced economy today, we seldom remember to put ourselves in the views of others. Taking a moment to disconnect from your own narrow view and broaden your horizons to account for another creates a sense of love and unity that is pure in essence. Empathy has been important on my journey because it has helped me bond with families I work with, students I teach, and the writing that I produce (academically and poetically). Empathy is the source of compassion and humanizing a rather monotonous world we find ourselves in today.

2. Connection to the world around me
Being on the laptop or cell phone constantly creates a stark distance from reality that is nor conducive or beneficial for anyone. During the pandemic I realized the significance of connecting to our natural resources – water, earth, air, and fire. Though it may sound cliché, these elemental cues have a way of grounding our senses and rooting us to what is raw and real, natural resources. Growing up near oceans, I find the simplicity in nature to be calming and rewarding. This has impacted my journey by reminding me to be true to what pleases and calms me down despite what may be occurring around me.

3. Forming lasting relationships
Though bittersweet or momentary – all relationships hold merit. In my journey thus far, relationships have shaped my perception of experiences and milestones. Whether it is a friendship, an adviser, a family member, a love, a companion, or an acquaintance, putting myself out there and meeting others is what influences who I am as a writer and individual. By taking the opportunity to speak with others, I have inherently learned and grown as a person through their stories. These shared encounters are meaningful and provide light to my life.

To cultivate empathy, connecting outdoors, and relationships, I simply recommend that you take a moment to identify your values. What strikes you at your core? Find the pillars of motivation and inspiration for you and build upon those. From your values, you can go forward and develop empathy, observe your surroundings, and leave impactful relations on those you encounter.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always open to joining forces with a fellow creative or academic. I’d be open to exploring research collaborations across the disciplines of Special Education, Early Childhood Education, DEI, and Inclusion. Poetically, I am excited to work on joint submissions to small presses, writing contests, or mere literary exchange. I would love to work with individuals who are passionate about finding answers or digging deeper to discover themselves. You can connect with me via Instagram or email if you’d like to partner on anything.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
These images are all my own

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