I have taught writing since 2000 to undergrads at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and in the MFA Creative Nonfiction program at Bay Path University. In addition I have led numerous writing workshops throughout New England. Both students and professional writers will tell you I am patient, supportive, but always searching for keys that will help a writer's work to improve and gain clarity, voice, and compression while bringing out the best a writer has in them. As a magazine editor and writer for more than four decades, I have seen profiles, narratives, and personal essays develop under my watch. My most meaningful work has been when a student and writer lets me know my work with them has made a difference and what they learned will be with them forever.

Teaching testimonials

“It’s a shame when a singular right word is overused to the extent that it becomes a diminishing cliché. Well, I won’t be cowed from using this single, right word for describing Mel Allen as a teacher, mentor, and person. He is real. His spirit of intention, humor, and forthrightness lifted my writing, but more importantly, helped me to step out from behind my defenses to say yes to my past, to today, and to the path forward. I am deeply grateful to Mel for this."

—Hugh J. Willard, Apex, NC. Author of Finding Beauty in the Gray: Stories and Verse from the Third Age

“I was always struck by Mel Allen's enthusiasm. He lit up talking about each reading he assigned, always more interested in our thoughts about the work than his own. He managed class time impressively making space to get to know each of us personally while also covering exactly what was planned. But, it was his feedback on written assignments that has stayed with me. There was positive feedback, yes, but he also had a way of challenging an assumption here or a weak spot there, not with criticism but with curiosity. He always seemed to have more faith in my capabilities than I had in myself, and it fueled new self-confidence. Years later, his encouragement and perspectives still sit next to me whenever I revise, as I ask myself—What would Mel say?”

—Jen Machajewski, Bay Path University MFA '24

“If I were to try to explain Mel Allen's impact as a teacher in just one word, it would be life-changing. And, if I were to describe his teaching approach similarly, it would be present. From my very first class with Mel, I noticed his gift for not only breaking complex ideas and tasks into manageable and accessible steps, but also (and perhaps, more importantly) to ensure that each student felt seen, heard, and valued. I came away from my work with Mel a better writer, true. But, it was through his teaching style and his passion not only for writing but also for his students that I also came away with a deeper sense of myself as a writer and more confidence as both a giver and a recipient of feedback. As a teacher myself for thirty-one years, I can honestly say that Mel Allen creates the kind of environment where learning happens- and he creates the conditions for deeper learning and student agency to be possible. He's the best teacher I have ever taken a class with.”

—Christine Caprio, York, Maine

Mel Allen teaches by example. In the classroom, he kept fine essays in front of our eyes and in our ears at all times. He modeled curiosity and all the ways it can lead to a writer closer to the heart of a piece of writing. And he showed us in every classroom meeting that caring about the work is closely related to caring about its creator. As an editor, Mel brought his deep experience with the essay form and the Yankee audience to every piece we worked on together, his care and insight helping me to craft more fully realized, deeply authentic, and thoroughly grounded work. I feel lucky to have worked with both Mel the teacher and Mel the editor; I'm a better writer … and a better human, too.   

—Loree Griffin Burns, the author of nine books for children and young adults. Her most recent is One Long Line: Marching Caterpillars and the Scientists Who Followed Them"

There are teachers, and there are mentors, and then there is Mel Allen. He has a way of coaxing out of you the best you have to offer as a writer and as a person, and I believe the two are not unrelated. I felt most like myself in his classes, which is saying something about the kind of community Mel inspires. I consider a gift the many conversations, on and off the page, that Mel has so graciously offered up to me and other students. Here's the best compliment I can offer: when I sit down and write, it feels like Mel is cheering me on, asking all the right questions, making me believe in myself, and (this is important) reminding me to make sure readers know "where we are." 

—Brad Snyder, California-based writer