MELISSA BANIGAN

  • I'm allergic to bees and wasps;

  • I've eaten edible wasps (and many other edible insects);

  • I used to live with a beekeeper;

  • I was once chased half a mile by a swarm of bees;

  • A 98-year-old historian once hit on me by saying my name actually meant, "the sweetest of all honey";

  • The Celts thought honeybees were "messengers from the Gods." Since I have an affinity to these tiny creatures, I think that expressing myself through writing is perhaps as close as I'll get to God.

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About Melissa

My name, Melissa, is derived from the Latin words, Apis mellifera, which means "bee that bears honey." The name just about sums me up: I work well with others, enjoy the buzz I get from solving complex puzzles, create delicious products, and sting only when truly provoked. 
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I'm a freelance journalist with articles in The Washington Post, CNN, the BBC, NPR, The Independent, the Chicago Tribune, Edible Brooklyn, and DAME Magazine, among others, with work forthcoming in National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, VICE (Munchies), and ZiNG Magazine. I'm also an author: my book, Coping with Teen Pregnancy, will be published mid-2018 with Rosen Publishing, YA. (More about my books, here.) 
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In addition to my journalism, I'm also a content writer and consultant with over ten years of experience who has partnered with clients such as Scholastic, Inc., Barclays, Marriott, NYU-Polytechnic, FlexShares, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Project Explorer, the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and Focus Investment Group. 
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Although I'm based in New York City, I'm available to take on compelling projects and in-depth reporting assignments around the world. I cover ethical investing, travel and food (including "foods of the future" such as edible insects), parasitic and vector diseases, gender equality, the environment, and climate change. 
 
My photography has appeared in CNN Travel, BBC Travel, NPR, Village Voice, and Edible Brooklyn, among other publications, and I've helped create videos for nonprofit organizations. Also an art historian (Columbia University), I occasionally curate photo exhibits - my last exhibit was for the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) at the  Joseph Raphael De Lamar House (a gorgeous Beaux-Art mansion that houses the Polish Consulate in NYC). 
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In 2013, I founded Advice Project Media, a nonprofit organization that offers media, writing, and travel services for youth and women around the world. On behalf of my organization, I lead classes, workshops, and international programs that focus on empowering marginalized people, gender equality, and environmental justice in the French Caribbean, Cameroon, and Peru. 
 
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When you shoot an arrow of truth,

dip its point in honey. 
– Arab proverb

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The More You Know...