Melanie Crowder (www.melaniecrowder.net) is the author of National Jewish Book Award finalist and ILA Notable Book for a Global Society Audacity, as well as A Nearer Moon and Parched. She holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Melanie lives with her family on Colorado's Front Range where she has worked as an educator for more than a decade. You can follow her on Twitter @MelanieACrowder.