AUTHOR • PHILOSOPHER • ACTIVIST • EXISTENTIALIST

Bio:

Mid-thirties, half-Danish/half-American, Bisexual

Mediums:

Books, essays, aphorisms, podcasts, design, photography.

Genres:

• Memoir: stories about life, love, grief, survival

• Human Nature: psychology, philosophy of mind, metacognition, subjectivity, narcissism

• Existentialism: responsibility, free will, authenticity, neuroticism

• Humanism: feminism, equality, diversity, universal human nature

• Activism: world events, social issues, civic responsibility

Philosophy of Mind

Melissa had an early start in college at 16 years old. Studied psychology, philosophy, & writing.

Initially intending to get a PhD in psychology, she was seduced into a non-institutional career path.

Outside of academia, she’s been writing philosophy of mind for 20 years.

Existentialism

Existentialism is a wide, all-encompassing philosophy but the shortest description is that it emphasizes the view that the human is at the center of their own story & has a personal responsibility to live meaningfully & choose their own destiny. Existentialists often emphasize authenticity, freedom, & responsibility as a backdrop for other themes.

The Beat Philosopher

The name The Beat Philosopher was created on an 8 month road trip across the U.S.

It encompassed not just my Existentialist influence, but also the anti-institutional backdrop that the Beat Generation represented. And the experimental mediums that they expressed themselves with.

In short, I needed a unique title that represented my brand of Existentialism. To distinguish it from the historic Existentialists.

This website has sections that discuss both the historic legacy of Existentialism & my own unique flavor of it - which has been brewing for over 20 years.

Writing:

One creative illness I have is that I find it difficult to stop writing about current events in order to edit past work. Every day, I write thousands of new words & I rarely sit down to finalize them for publishing.

Part of it is that I feared being boxed in by a single genre. I wanted the freedom to authentically move where the creativity took me.

Another part of it was that I never stopped living long enough to devote time and energy to previous years of work.

This Website:

It’s time to take those millions of words I collected to represent each year of my life, and finalize them for public view. Even if they take the form of aphorisms or fragmented dialogue.

Publishing:

I’ve been writing stories since I was 6.

I completed my first publishable book at 24 years old––but one of the most controversial decisions I made was to put it on hold.

My book at 24 years old was first drafted in 2013. I then spent two years editing it. During those 2 years, I wrote no new work––only editing the book.

In consequence, I have only one year of work representing 3 years of my life.

I never wanted to do that again. From then on, each year of my life had its own book.

And since life was consistently full, I didn’t have enough time to stop reflecting on the current moment and devote myself to editing the past moments.

Dog-Mom:

I have three wonderful pups.

• Two Dalmatians: Athena & Kennedy.

• One German Short-Haired Pointer: Freyja.

Kennedy has been my partner through an 8 month road trip, the pandemic, and grief.

My soul-pup, Athena, was only 3 years old when she died tragically in 2024.

My dogs are the single most important thing to me other than writing. They’ve stolen my heart & they’re my very best friends.

Growing Up:

I spent my childhood in the mountains of Montana & high school in upstate New York.

I lived in DC for most of my twenties.

Living On The Road:

In 2018 & 2019, Kennedy & I traveled across the U.S. for 8 months. We visited 30 states & drove 15,000 miles.

I’ve traveled to around 12 countries & 45 U.S. states.

• I currently live in Savannah, Georgia––a city I fell in love with on my road trip

Humanism:

I believe that all human beings have a universal human core.

I appreciate that we identify ourselves via different ethnicities, languages, & religions, but the basis for my belief system is that we share more human qualities than differentiates us.

More often than not, I’ve had friends, partners, & roommates from around the world.

Organizing Community:

I like to create communities & groups.

In 2019, I hosted philosophy discussions on Twitter & created a private MNV Philosophy Book Club with people all over the world.

In 2020, I hosted a podcast called Voices Outside The Bubble, which only interviewed people outside of the U.S.

In 2021, I founded a local group called Savannah Women’s+ Rights & Activism.

And I moderate a Resist Rebel Revolt Fascism Discord.

Activism:

Living in DC, I protested around 25 times:

• Abortion Rights

• Women’s Rights

• Science March

• Black Lives Matter

• Gun Reform

• Anti-Trump

• & more

Non-Profit Organizing:

In 2022, I organized three Abortion Rights Marches in Savannah, GA for Roe v Wade.

In 2021, I founded the Savannah Federation of Democratic Women; a non-profit that supports women in politics.

In 2022, I became the Secretary for Georgia’s oldest LGBTQIA organization, First City Network.

Misc Passions:

While I consider writing to be my main career, I am a hobbyist at some other fun things. Like:

• Photography

• Design (graphic design, web-design, interior design)

• Hydroponic Gardening

• Dancing Salsa & Bachata

• Piano

• Yoga

• Making every typical recipe with puff pastry, instead of what it calls for