Editing
Over the course of her career—from the LA Weekly to the Los Angeles Times to Los Angeles magazine (where she was editor-in-chief)—Melton has worked with many outstanding narrative writers to shepherd stories from initial pitch to publication.
She continues to collaborate closely with writers of short-and long-form journalism, most often for Alta Journal, and always looks for opportunities to promote and support the hard work of authors.
FEATURED STORY: "The Ways of Fiction are Devious Indeed" by Sands Hall
In this piece Melton edited for Alta Journal, writer Sands Hall examines the charges of plagiarism that have long plagued Wallace Stegner's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic novel Angle of Repose. The story ignited a robust conversation around Stegner's legacy, and it won the 2022 Folio Eddie Award for Essays and Criticism. Melton also moderated a conversation for the "Alta Live" series with Hall about the story, charting its evolution from a piece of literary criticism to a crime narrative.
A sampling of other wide-ranging stories Melton has commissioned and edited:
And more recent stories by some terrific writers...
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“Manson, Inc.” by Denise Hamilton: The bizarre pop-culture industry that has arisen around a mass murderer. Winner of the 2020 Los Angeles Press Club Award for Commentary
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“A Literary Odd Couple” by Jesse Katz: Writer Victor Villaseñor and editor Marc Jaffe’s working partnership spans 50 years—and 3,000 miles
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“The Best Bad Things” by Terry McDonnell: Reckoning with a state’s hellacious history
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“The Billion-Dollar Composer” by Tim Grieving: For blockbuster films and video games, Pinar Toprak stirs emotions. Winner of a 2021 Los Angeles Press Club Award for Personality Profile
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“The Bells Toll. But for Whom?” by Marcela Davison Aviles: El Camino Real’s iconic bells are a symbol of missionary oppression. Winner of a 2021 Los Angeles Press Club Award for Race and Society
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“Islands in the Land” by Will Self: How Britain is to Europe what California is to the U.S.A.
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“A Giant Question” by Matt Jaffe: Why did one of the world’s largest trees—the Boole sequoia—survive while its neighbors were felled?
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“Who Killed Bugsy Siegel?” by Amy Wallace: A family claims to know who murdered the famed gangster
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“Oh My God! That’s Him! That’s Really Him!” by Chris Duffy: The people behind the memes they can’t escape
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“Death Becomes Them” by Denise Hamilton: The (female-led) explosion of the true-crime podcast
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“How Did the Mountain Lion Cross the Road?” by Katharine Gammon: L.A. breaks ground on the world’s largest wild-animal crossing
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“The Man Who Saw the 'There' There” by DJ Waldie: Remembering architectural historian Robert Winter
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“A Film Critic Takes Direction” by Peter Rainer: Connecting with an idol summons the early ecstasy of falling in love with movies