She is currently completing her doctorate in Early Modern English literature at Claremont Graduate University, focusing specifically on the poetry of Shakespeare, Spenser, and Milton. She is especially interested in the intersections between theology and literature in the English Reformation, in the reformation of poetics that concurred with that of the church. Beyond this, Melissa is serious about at least a few other things: gardening (unskilled amateur), Scrabble (skilled amateur), and being an auntie (aspiring professional).