About this Event
217 Normal Rd, DeKalb, IL 60115
Writer and disability activist Melissa Blake ‘05 will speak about her work.
Melissa is a writer, journalist, disability activist and social media influencer. A lifelong DeKalb resident, she first fell in love with journalism and writing during her time on the school newspaper in high school. She went on to study journalism at Kishwaukee College, where she became editor-in-chief of the student newspaper the Kaleidoscope — interestingly, Melissa returned to the Kaleidoscope a decade later as the adviser and thoroughly enjoyed molding future journalists. She completed her studies at Northern Illinois University, where she also worked on the Northern Star, first as a copy editor and then as a campus reporter.
Since graduating from NIU with a journalism degree in 2005, she has worked as a freelance writer. She wrote a weekly newspaper column for the DeKalb Daily Chronicle. Her writing on disabilities, relationships and pop culture has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, CNN Opinion, Health, HuffPost, Yahoo, Good Housekeeping, Glamour and Cosmopolitan, among others.
Her new book, Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability, was published in early 2024. Copies will be available for purchase at the event.
Sign language interpreting will be provided.