About Melanie

Freelance audio journalist and author Melanie Senn was born in Camden, New Jersey—the resting place of Walt Whitman—but was raised in California from the age of 5 by a single mother. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Latin American Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s in English from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she taught for many years. Melanie freelances for KCBX, her hometown’s NPR affiliate. As a USC Center for Health Journalism fellow in 2023, she produced an award-winning series on domestic violence. She’s lived in Mexico, Chile, and Argentina and is highly proficient in Spanish.

 

Murray: A Novel is Melanie’s first work of fiction. Melanie learned about Murray Hall while researching a graduate school paper on Walt Whitman, which led to many years of research about Murray’s life and 19th century New York City. She's married to musician Derek Senn, two teenage sons, with whom she has two sons, Charlie and Diego.

They live on Murray Avenue.