Melda earned a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a M.A. in English/Writing at Illinois State University. She is a tenured professor at Olive-Harvey College. Her business, MeldaCreates, Inc. provides creative writing and writing consulting services. In her spare time, Melda enjoys cardio and strength training, bike riding, live theater, concerts, reading, and listening to NPR. Her first play, Front Porch Society, delves into the complex and connected lives of four elderly black women in rural Mississippi Delta on the eve of the 2008 presidential election. The play enjoyed a world premiere at The Ensemble Theatre in Houston, TX May 11-June 4, 2017 to rave reviews (http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/review-front-porch-at-the-ensemble-thea...). Her second play, Coconut Cake was accepted into the New Works Reader's Series at 2017 NBTF (National Black Theatre Festival) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina