MELINDA SMITH
science. fiction. sometimes both
ABOUT ME

Hey, it's me, Melinda!
I am just your average neuroscientist. What does that mean? Well, I got my PhD in neuroscience but I am not that nerdy, I promise. OK, you got me, I am. I left academia to be a science writer. Telling the stories of science for everyone is one of my greatest joys. That brings me nicely to the next point.
I like stories. I like reading them, listening to them, and writing them. I prefer science fiction but any story with good characters and an interesting plot is ok by me. Authors like Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury inspire me. They show us that words have the power to transcend space and time. If we can pick up a novel written decades ago, or even a hundred years ago, and still be mesmerized by its words, then that is really something.
I love to write fiction. Sci-fi is my jam, but really I just like to write any story that questions reality and what it means to be human. After all, life is but a set of complex data inputs that our brain compiles into a story. How can we ever know if we are real? So, you know, the light stuff. My background in neuroscience and physiology heavily informs my prose, which is very focused on human emotion and physical experience. For a peek at my stories, visit short fiction and my book pages. Or view my published work on Medium.
My first love was singing. As a kid, I dreamed of being on Broadway, a dream that refined itself to wanting to sing opera professionally. I studied opera throughout high school and in Italy. As you can see, I am not a professional singer, after all. However I do like to sing for fun. Not one to give up an opportunity for talking about science, I write music that often includes cool scientific concepts. Check out some of my originals on my music page.