Assistant Professor of English, 2007
Ph.D. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks 2004

Education and Prior Professional Activities:

Although she was born in San Diego, Melissa Brotton has spent more time in the northern parts of the US, such as North Dakota, Idaho, and, most recently, New York. Educated in SDA schools from elementary school on up, she completed a BS in Psychology at PUC and a Masters in Clinical Psychology at the University of Idaho. After working as a clinician for several years with children and families, she decided to pursue her dream of teaching with a couple of English degrees from the University of North Dakota, housed in her home state. Traveling back and forth between the northern states and California has been a way of life maybe until now. She has taught in a variety of settings, including a public university, several small private colleges, and an Adventist academy. Cross-cultural work has been part of that experience. In particular, Dr. Brotton has experience teaching young Native American students from a variety of tribes across America.

Areas of Scholarly and Personal Interest:

Dr. Brotton’s academic interests and work have been interdisciplinary and diverse, focusing on juvenile literacy, Regency and Victorian literature, bibliographic studies, adult education, and original manuscripts. She has a special passion for linguistics and the history of books and the Bible, and she loves looking at old books, visiting museums with old books, working in fellowship libraries with old books, and, (gulp!), purchasing old books. She hopes that she will not eventually become musty, dry, cracked, or yellowed as she continues to gaze at old books and manuscripts. Ask her about her personal theory on the Cherchen mummies, but be prepared to stay a while for tea (and maybe a couple of meals). She also spends a lot of time studying the Bible and viewing animals in both natural and captive habitats. Because her research interests extend far beyond what she will be able to do in a lifetime, Dr. Brotton is making plans for heaven, believing in the excellent libraries, special collections, and databases available there.

Among other things, Dr. Brotton believes that human life centers around a gardening theme. “We were originally designed as gardeners, and I think we are gardening all the time. Whether we are cultivating actual gardens or virtual gardens, we are each cultivating something. It might be the minds of our students or the cultures of our individual families, communities or neighborhoods. We always have an effect on our surroundings even if we are only letting the weeds grow or forgetting about the water or sunlight. I think almost every activity can be viewed from a garden perspective. What are we cultivating? How beautiful can it become? Are we reaching our potential as gardeners?”

Current Research:

1. Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s juvenilia collected in a multivolume edition with a team of international scholars
2. Children’s story writing
3. British women writers/educators in the Regency Period, particularly Maria Edgeworth
4. 18th and 19th century spiritual autobiography
5. Character education in denominational and public schools

Research Library Fellowships and Visitations

Fellow, Armstrong Browning Library, Baylor University, Waco, Texas - 2003
Fellow, Huntington Library, San Marino, California - 2004
Berg Collection, New York Public Library, NY - 2007
Special Collections, Margaret Clapp Library, Wellesley College - 2007