Velma Caldwell Melville

Born in Greenwood, Wisconsin, in 1858, she grew up to become an American writer, poet, and editor whose work appeared in newspapers and magazines across the Midwest and beyond. She served in editorial roles for the Practical Farmer in Philadelphia and the Wisconsin Farmer in Madison, helping shape family and youth-focused sections for readers of the day.

Her writing ranged from poems and short prose to longer fiction. One of her best-known works is White Dandy; or, Master and I: A Horse's Story, a novel centered on the life of a horse and often noted for its kinship in spirit with Black Beauty.

She died in 1924, but her work still offers a window into the literary world of her era: earnest, accessible, and full of feeling for everyday life and animals. For audiobook listeners, she is an interesting rediscovery from a time when magazine writing and storytelling often went hand in hand.