I come from a family of great storytellers and writers—my father majored in journalism and has written and published creative work; my grandmother was a poet and taught creative writing at the Tennessee State Prison; and my grandfather worked for the Tennessean newspaper and published several books of his own.

My grandmother’s life story was featured in Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul, Reader’s Digest and Parade Magazine and my aunt’s life story was told in the nonfiction book Marie: A True Story and was also adapted for screen.

More broadly, my family is filled with great storytellers and for me, growing up was all about story. As a writer, I have one foot in the creative world and one foot in the technical world. I spend my days at Vanderbilt University where I teach writing, write grants, and edit scientific manuscripts. I am also the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Communication of Science & Technology and also serve as the Director of the Technical Writing Collective. As a research editor, I have edited more than 200 scientific manuscripts and documents, 120 grant applications and two textbooks.

When I’m not teaching, I write fiction and (creative) nonfiction. I have also completed two novels. My work has appeared in the Cream City Review, Oatmeal Magazine, Bending Genres, Bartleby Snopes (Winner, story of the month), and The Chaffey Review (creative nonfiction), among others. I have an M.A. in English (writing emphasis, Belmont University) and my MFA (Lindenwood University). I live in Nashville, Tn with my family and three dogs.

Welcome to my site!

— Shellie