Melissa Bond began the first Poetry Slam in Salt Lake City in 1996 at the Lazy Moon Pub. She ran it single handedly for eight years, at which point it had strong enough legs to continue on its own. Melissa has performed poetry in places as orthodox as the City Art Poetry Series, and as unorthodox as O.C. Tanner and at a smattering of stunned mortgage companies. She has won Gutsiest Spoken Word Poet and Best Poet in Motion by City Weekly and was deemed one of the 100 most influential people by Catalyst Magazine. She received second place honors in Utah's Original Writer's Competition for her current memoir Blood Orange Night. She lives in Utah with her two children, one of whom was the inspiration behind her short film, Googled, which premiered at the San Jose International Short Film Festival. www.melissaabond.com