About

Born in Korea and raised in East Africa, Melanie Hyo-In Han (she/her) recently moved from the U.S. to the U.K., where she is a Ph.D. candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Surrey. She is the author of My Dear Yeast (Milk & Cake Press, 2023) and Sandpaper Tongue, Parchment Lips (Finishing Line Press, 2021), as well as the translator of several collections of Spanish poetry (Hebel Ediciones).

Han has received fellowships from The Society of Authors, Sundress Academy for the Arts, and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, nominations for the Pushcart Prize, and awards from “Boston in 100 Words,” Valiant Scribe, The Lyric Magazine, and elsewhere.

She holds a B.A. in English, Spanish, and Linguistics, and an M.Ed. in Secondary English and Secondary Spanish from Gordon College, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Poetry and Translation) from Emerson College where she taught in the Writing Studies Program and served as an ELL Consultant.

As a Third Culture Kid (TCK), the inspiration behind her poetry comes from her own childhood experiences and an exploration of identity, belonging, and culture through the use of fragmented form and inclusion of multiple languages. She also writes nonfiction and does translation work between English, Spanish, and Korean.

Currently, Han is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Flora Fiction and the Two Languages Prize Editor at Gasher Press. During her free time, she enjoys visiting new countries and trying different ethnic foods with her partner.

If you want to say hi, feel free to send her an email at melanie.han@gordon.edu. To learn more about her professional experiences, you can take a look at her curriculum vitae.