Melissa Brinks is a writer, editor, and podcaster. Raised on a rich diet of fantasy novels and pop music, Melissa developed an early taste for the intersection of magic and modern society. Her stories tackle the magical and the mundane, ranging from procuring a cup of coffee in the Apocalypse to a succubi who can’t flirt.
Her debut book, THE COMPENDIUM OF MAGICAL BEASTS, is out now from Running Press. Illustrated by Lily Seika Jones, the book contains the field notes and illustrations of the fictional Dr. Veronica Wigberht-Blackwater, an early 20th-century folklorist and biologist whose observations of cryptids earns her the ire of both the cryptozoological and mainstream scientific communities.
Her second book, THE LITTLE BOOK OF VIDEO GAMES, is an adorable and approachable introduction to video game history illustrated by Paulina Ganucheau. Covering the 1950s to 2000, THE LITTLE BOOK OF VIDEO GAMES touches on some of history’s most iconic and influential games, creators, and moments, such as the video game crash of 1983.
Melissa graduated in 2014 from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in English with a creative writing emphasis, having spent several years editing and writing for newspapers and a literary journal. Since graduation, she has pursued writing as a career and has published many articles for a variety of entertainment sites, including Forbes, Bitch Media, WWAC, Unwinnable, and Sidequest. More information about her publication history can be found on her Portfolio page. She edits Sidequest, a gaming critique site, co-hosts a pop culture criticism podcast, and tweets about cats and Sailor Moon @MelissaBrinks.
!["[Food] is how we care for and nourish ourselves, each other, and our communities."
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There are many terrible things about this pandemic. One of the ones I'm struggling with the most is that it's not safe for me to see friends, and therefore it's not safe for me to cook for them or eat with them. Going out for coffee or dinner is one of my favorite things to do with friends, along with cooking and playing games in person. We're staying connected as best we can, but eating chips and salsa over Discord just isn't the same as eating them together.
The Corners of Their Mouth is a queer food zine, exploring some of the relationships queer folks have with food. It begins with a question: what is the queerest food? Many answers are provided by a variety of people, including nachos, cocoa, figs, pancakes and honey, and rainbow goldfish. I think mango is my answer, but "queer food," to me, is anything cooked by or for my friends. Queer food is us gathered in the kitchen, me cussing as I screw up our Friendsgiving turkey for the sixth year in a row. Queer food is us dropping spinach dip all over my Gloom cards. Queer food is the ramen we made the last time we hung out together before the pandemic, when I was sick and we all hoped it wouldn't be the last time this year we'd get to interact in person.
But right, the zine. It's very good. The Corners of Their Mouth Press do a wonderful job of putting together thought-provoking content on queerness and living with great sensitivity. It's not just about showcasing queer life; it's about caring for it, nurturing it, letting it blossom in its own unique way. If you come upon one of their zines, pick them up, read them. They're lovely and strong things.
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#thecornersoftheirmouthpress #thecornersoftheirmouth #zine #booksofinstagram #readwhatyouown #bookstagrammerlife #booksandchill #moodreader #booknerdlife](https://melissabrinks.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
How can buy your book on video games and can u autograph it listing your fave game of each decade ? Paul Australia.
Hi Paul! Thanks so much for your interest. I’d be happy to send you a signed copy and I’ll do my best to come up with a game for each decade! Feel free to reach out to me at contact at melissabrinks dot com to work things out.
Can you please expand on lThe Compendium of Magical Beasts” book?! Maybe a
sequel with more creatures, or more information on specific creatures (I really want to know more about the mermaid, I’m a real mermaid nerd 😅😅), or maybe even a biography of Dr Weighbert Blackwater?! There is so much potential!!
From a fan,
Youssef
Hi Youssef! Thank you so much for saying so! I would love to write more either from Dr. Wigberht-Blackwater’s perspective, or even about her, at some point in the future! I don’t have any concrete plans at the moment, but I hope it helps to know that she’ll still on my mind. 🙂