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Editing

Over the course of her career—from the LA Weekly to the Los Angeles Times to Los Angeles magazine (where she was editor-in-chief)—Melton has worked with many outstanding narrative writers to shepherd stories from initial pitch to publication.

She continues to collaborate closely with writers of short-and long-form journalism, most often for Alta Journal, and always looks for opportunities to promote and support the hard work of authors.  

FEATURED STORY: "P-22's Life in L.A." 

P-22, the mountain lion of Los Angeles

Hazards stalked him every day. But somehow, Griffith Park’s big puma survived in the wild for more than a decade. His death devastated the city he called home. Few animals have ever captured the imagination—and heart—of a place like P-22 did in Los Angeles. In this piece Melton edited for Alta Journal, writer Denise Hamilton makes a “bold and creative narrative choice that pays off with powerful storytelling," according to the Los Angeles Press Club, which awarded the work top honors for Science Reporting at the 2024 Southern California Journalism Awards. 

A sampling of other wide-ranging stories Melton has commissioned and edited:
And more recent stories by some terrific writers... 

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  • “Manson, Inc.” by Denise Hamilton: The bizarre pop-culture industry that has arisen around a mass murderer. Winner of the 2020 Los Angeles Press Club Award for Commentary

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  • “A Literary Odd Couple” by Jesse Katz: Writer Victor Villaseñor and editor Marc Jaffe’s working partnership spans 50 years—and 3,000 miles

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  • “The Billion-Dollar Composer” by Tim Grieving: For blockbuster films and video games, Pinar Toprak stirs emotions. Winner of a 2021 Los Angeles Press Club Award for Personality Profile

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  • “The Bells Toll. But for Whom?” by Marcela Davison Aviles: El Camino Real’s iconic bells are a symbol of missionary oppression. Winner of a 2021 Los Angeles Press Club Award for Race and Society

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  • “Islands in the Land” by Will Self: How Britain is to Europe what California is to the U.S.A.

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  • “A Giant Question” by Matt Jaffe: Why did one of the world’s largest trees—the Boole sequoia—survive while its neighbors were felled?

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