Melanie Saward is a proud Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), a Graduate Certificate in Writing, Editing, and Publishing from The University of Queensland (UQ), a Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing (QUT), and a PhD (QUT).
She is a lecturer of Australian Studies in the School of Communication and Arts at The University of Queensland, and was appointed as the coordinator of BlackWords from July 2024. Her research looks at Indigeneity in romantic comedy fiction with a focus on diversity, intersectionality, and the Australian publishing industry.
In 2022, she co-authored the SpringerBrief Higher Degree by Research: Factors for Indigenous Student Success (by Peter Anderson, Levon Blue, Thu Pham, and Melanie Saward), part of the SpringerBriefs in Education series.
Her debut novel, Burn, was published in 2023, and her second novel, Love Unleashed, in 2024.