Melissa Barker-Simpson

Greetings everyone! I appreciate this wonderful opportunity to share a little of myself and my work. Thanks so much, Chris.

I was born in… Don’t you just hate the way most bios start? I’d rather sing you a song or read you an excerpt from my book. As children, my sister and I would compose little ditties that we’d sing to our parents. They loved this. Their laughter and applause encouraged me to continue writing and singing. This was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home of the Steelers. My parents gave me my first guitar when I was 14. This launched my passion for music and songwriting, and I’ve performed in many local venues over the years.

My compassion for the suffering induced me to choose nursing as a career, and I moved to New York to attend school. While there, I worked in med-surg and on an adolescent psychiatric unit. The…