Melanie Martin was born in Stephenville, on the province’s west coast, but spent her formative years in Northern Manitoba. She holds a Master of Arts in Newfoundland and Irish history from Memorial University and has contributed to academic journals and websites, anthologies, and educational textbooks on significant events in Newfoundland and Labrador’s history.
Melanie has deep roots in the arts and has been performing since her youth. She was a working musician in bands for nearly twenty years and taught the Music for Young Children Program for nearly a decade. In May 2016, Melanie published her first historical fiction novel, A Splendid Boy, set during the First World War.
In 2010, she joined the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation as an Industry Development officer, delivering the Cultural Economic Development Program which supports professional arts organizations. In 2012, she was tasked with leading the province’s First World War Commemoration file – Honour 100 (2014-2018), a project that has taken her numerous times to the battlefields of Europe and as far east as Gallipoli, Turkey. In 2016, Melanie became the Director of Arts and managed the culture division for the province until 2021 when she was appointed Executive Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council. She resides in St. John’s with her husband and their twin girls.