First Name
Melissa
Last Name
Olson
City, State
Minneapolis, MN
Country
United States
Pronouns
she/her/hers
Gender
Female
Roles
Editor
Producer
Host
Reporter
Tape Syncs
Transcription
Formats / Genre
Interviews / Roundtable
Narrative Non-fiction / Documentary
News / Journalism
Languages spoken
English, Ojibwe
Open to relocating
No
Open to branded content?
No
More about me
Melissa Olson (she/her/hers) makes her living as a writer and producer of independent public media. Her award-winning audio documentary Stolen Childhoods (52 mins) was produced in collaboration with KFAI producer Ryan Katz and dedited by Todd Melby, and aired statewide on Minnesota Public Radio and Prairie Public radio in 2017.
In 2018, Melissa was the recipient of a MN State Arts grant working in collaboration with KFAI to create a short audio documentary about the work of artist Brad Kahlhamer and his recent show at the Minnesota Museum of American Art: Brad Kahlhamer, Nation of One. The short documentary about Kahlhamer’s work Brad Kahlhamer, Post Smithsonian Delinquent aired on KFAI in June of 2019. Melissa is also a proud 2019 AIR scholar.
Melissa is also the co-managing editor the MinneCulture program at KFAI Fresh Air Community Radio in Minneapolis. MinneCulture is a project funded by the State of Minnesota through its statewide arts and cultural heritage fund. Melissa and her co-managing editor, edit and produce 44 short stories, 2-4 audio documentaries on a yearly basis, a podcast, and an in-studio concert series.
Melissa has also written for a number of newspapers and publications in our region including Minnesota’s Women’s Press, Twin Cities Daily Planet, The Circle News, and Wisconsin Public Radio. Melissa graduated the University of Minnesota in 2001, and was a proud recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 2003 for her graduate work in American Studies.
Melissa is an indigenous person of Anishinaabe and Euro-American heritage, a tribal citizen of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe at Leech Lake. Melissa lives in Minneapolis with her boyfriend John and their dog Bronson.
In 2018, Melissa was the recipient of a MN State Arts grant working in collaboration with KFAI to create a short audio documentary about the work of artist Brad Kahlhamer and his recent show at the Minnesota Museum of American Art: Brad Kahlhamer, Nation of One. The short documentary about Kahlhamer’s work Brad Kahlhamer, Post Smithsonian Delinquent aired on KFAI in June of 2019. Melissa is also a proud 2019 AIR scholar.
Melissa is also the co-managing editor the MinneCulture program at KFAI Fresh Air Community Radio in Minneapolis. MinneCulture is a project funded by the State of Minnesota through its statewide arts and cultural heritage fund. Melissa and her co-managing editor, edit and produce 44 short stories, 2-4 audio documentaries on a yearly basis, a podcast, and an in-studio concert series.
Melissa has also written for a number of newspapers and publications in our region including Minnesota’s Women’s Press, Twin Cities Daily Planet, The Circle News, and Wisconsin Public Radio. Melissa graduated the University of Minnesota in 2001, and was a proud recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 2003 for her graduate work in American Studies.
Melissa is an indigenous person of Anishinaabe and Euro-American heritage, a tribal citizen of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe at Leech Lake. Melissa lives in Minneapolis with her boyfriend John and their dog Bronson.
Links to website / work