About Michelle Ray
Writer. Teacher. Traveler.
I live in Southern California now, but I’ve never quite stopped moving. Thirty years of teaching literature — in Kansas, Ecuador, Bahrain, Dubai, and back in the United States — have shaped how I read the world and how I write about it. These days I’m doing both more intentionally than ever.
I’m an MFA candidate in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Nebraska Omaha, completing a hybrid collection of lyric essays and poems exploring embodiment and place. My forthcoming memoir, Lessons (Un)Planned (May 2026), chronicles the years I spent teaching abroad and what I discovered when I finally stopped long enough to look back. I write personal essays and creative nonfiction that sit at the intersection of place, identity, and transformation — asking what we carry with us, what we leave behind, and what we’re still figuring out.
I also teach. For three decades I’ve worked with students across four countries, most recently as an IB Diploma Programme Coordinator and examiner. I now offer personalized literary mentorship for students navigating rigorous academic writing — bringing the same close-reading instincts I’ve developed as a writer to the work of helping others find their voice. (For more on working with me, visit the Coaching page.)
Outside of writing and teaching, I read nonfiction submissions for Guernica magazine and The Good Life Review, practice yoga, and run trails near my home with my husband, son, and two dogs.
Writing Life
My MFA training at the University of Nebraska Omaha has sharpened my craft and connected me to a wider literary community. Alongside coursework and thesis work, I’ve pursued editorial internships that have deepened my understanding of what makes nonfiction writing resonate.
As a nonfiction reader for Guernica magazine, I evaluate submissions and participate in editorial discussions. I also had the opportunity to work alongside a senior editor on a piece published in the March 2026 edition, making editorial contributions under her guidance. At The Good Life Review, I read submissions for both creative nonfiction categories and participate in editorial meetings. These experiences have made me a more rigorous writer — attentive to structure, voice, and the choices that distinguish good writing from writing that truly matters.
I bring that same attention to my own work, asking not just what stories need to be told, but how to tell them with honesty and care.
Education
My formal education spans curriculum development, educational technology, and creative writing. Still, my most profound learning has happened outside the classroom—through living in four countries, navigating unfamiliar languages and customs, and listening to the stories of students, colleagues, and foster children whose lives have taught me more than any textbook could.
I’m a lifelong learner who believes that education happens everywhere: in international schools where I’ve taught students from over 60 nationalities, in yoga studios where I’ve learned trauma-informed care practices, in courtrooms where I’ve advocated for vulnerable children, and in the daily work of adapting to new places and perspectives. This commitment to continuous growth has shaped both my teaching and my writing.