Melanie L. Carlson is an indie researcher who works at the nexus of the hegemonic pop culture industry, corporate consolidation and upperworld crime.

She stopped being a nihilistic punk in 2002 after getting an underaage drinking charge and choosing to do community service at Athens Free Press.

She spent 10 years working in the domestic violence field as a survivor advocate, scholar, and educator. You can read her contemporary investigative work on Substack and her older works on her website. Mx_Defying is her handle across social media platforms.