Melanie Finn

Melanie Finn was born and raised in Kenya until age 11, when she moved with her family to Connecticut. After studying journalism at NYU, she worked as a freelance journalist and screenwriter for 20 years, living and working in six different countries. In 2004, her first novel, Away From You was published to international acclaim. The following year, she and her husband, the wildlife filmmaker Matt Aeberhard, moved to a remote region of Tanzania to make DisneyNature’s beautiful, haunting flamingo epic, The Crimson Wing. During the filming, Melanie became the medic to the local Masai community and established The Natron Healthcare Project. She now lives on a hill in Vermont with Matt, their twin daughters, three Tanzanian mutts and two very old horses.
Find out more here: melaniefinn.com
Facebook: Melanie Finn

Tuesday, October 16, 2018, 6pm
"Writing Fiction from Fact in the Northeast Kingdom"
Norman Williams Library, 10 The Green, Woodstock, VT 05091
Author Melanie Finn will use slides (and humor) to describe the process of writing The Underneath, starting with the concept, through inspiration, craft, frustration, and finally publication. Included will be a final section on failure: what happens to the writing projects that never see the light of day – the process of disbelief, grief and acceptance.  

Available from Two Dollar Radio

The Underneath
"Finn is a remarkably confident and supple storyteller."
—John Williams, New York Times [The Gloaming review]

The Gloaming
"In this richly textured, intricately plotted novel, [Finn] assures us that heartbreak has the same shape everywhere. The Gloaming is chillingly cinematic in contrasting East Africa’s exquisite landscape with the region’s human needs. Yet even in a malevolent setting, Finn shows us acts of selflessness and redemption. Her fascination with the duality of Africa—'the most honest place on earth'—shines fiercely."
—New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice

Interviews
Read:
An interview with Melanie Finn | 1/19/2016
Two Dollar Radio editor Eric Obenauf talks to Melanie Finn about the true story that served as inspiration for the book.

Because We Want Control: An Interview with Melanie Finn | 8/9/2016
Weird Sister talks to Melanie Finn about how she found balance while writing her emotionally trying novel.

The Pigeon Press Interview with Melanie Finn | 1/29/2018
Northwest Academy's The Pigeon Press has some fantastic questions for Melanie Finn, about her novel The Gloaming!

Listen:
Melanie Finn's Novel 'The Underneath' Explores The Northeast Kingdom's Dark Side | 10/11/2018
Vermont Public Radio (VPR) talks with Melanie Finn about her new novel The Underneath, the dark side of the Northeast Kingdom, and more.

First Draft Podcast by Aspen Public Radio interviews Melanie Finn | 1/25/2017
Hear the brilliance of author Melanie Finn on topics as far ranging as one of the most interesting places on Earth: east Africa, living in remote areas, and her hit book The Gloaming.

Watch:
To celebrate the publication day of Shame (the UK version of The Gloaming), W&N editor Sophie Buchan holds a Q&A with Melanie Finn: