Department of English

Melissa Stone is an assistant professor in the Rhetoric and Technical Writing program. Her research interests are at the intersection of rhetorical studies and technical communication with a specific focus on reproductive health, material feminist theory, and science & technology studies. Dr. Stone has experience with teaching technical and professional communication, rhetorical studies, feminist and queer theories, and first and second-year writing. View Dr. Stone's C.V.

Teaching and Research Areas

• Technical and professional communication
• Rhetorics of health and medicine
• Rhetorics of reproductive justice
• Feminist and queer theories
• Posthumanism and new materialism
• UX studies and usability methods

Education

• Ph.D. Communication, Rhetoric & Digital Media from North Carolina State University (2021)
• M.A. English from University of North Carolina Wilmington (2016)
• Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies from University of North Carolina Wilmington (2016)
• B.A. Communication Studies from University of North Carolina Wilmington (2008)

Special Issue Editorships

1. Burry, J.W. & Stone, M. (Forthcoming summer 2025). Edited special issue: “Down home, down the street”: Examining rural health in the rhetoric of health and medicine. Rhetoric of Health and Medicine,  vol. 8.

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles and Book Chapters

1. Glover, R. & Stone, M. (2024). Mobile safety apps: A material feminist orientation to precarious mobilities. Mobilities.
2. Stone, M. & Beare, Z. (2024). Choice, shame, and the neoliberal affective politics of Nurx’s app-based reproductive and sexual healthcare. In Inclusive aims: Rhetoric’s role in reproductive justice. Eds. Heather Adams & Nancy Myers. P. 179-198. Parlor Press.
3. Stone, M. (2023). Diffractive Menstruation: Toward a Technical-Rhetorical Perspective of Menstrual Health Technologies. Women’s Studies in Communication, 46.3, 312-331.
4. Stone, M., Ranade, N. & Hannah, M. (2020). DIY Feminist Pedagogies: Making Feminist Practices More Apparent in Technical Rhetorics Classrooms. Focus Issue: Feminism and Visual Culture on Feminist Pedagogies. Ed. Clara Bradbury-Rance. MAI: Feminism & Visual Culture, article no. 5.
5. Stone, M. (2019). ‘Like regular underwear, but so much better.’: How Thinx Can Create Feminist Embodied Subjects through the Enduring Legacy of OBOS. Special Issue: Rhetorical Pasts, Rhetorical Futures: Reflecting on the Legacy of Our Bodies, Ourselves, and the Future of Feminist Health Literacy. Eds. Sara DiCaglio & Lori Beth De Hertogh. Peitho 21(3), 676-689.

Peer-Reviewed Dialogues

1. Novotny, M., De Hertogh, L., Arduser, L., Hannah, M., Harper, K., Pigg, S., Rysdam, S., Smyser-Fauble, B., Stone, M., Yam, S.S. (2022). ‘An Emerging Subfield of an Emerging Field’: Situating Rhetorics of Reproductive Justice within Rhetorics of Health and Medicine. Rhetorics of Health and Medicine, article no. 5.

Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings

1. Beare, Z. & Stone, M. (2021). By Queer People, For Queer People: Folx, Plume, and the Promise of Queer UX. SIGDOC ’21 Proceedings of the 39^th ACM International Conference on the Design of Communication: Article no. 4.
2. Glover-Rijkse, R., Stone, M., Fletcher, M., Eapen, G. (2020). “Mediating Precarity Through Mobile Apps.” Association of Internet Researchers. Selected paper.
3. Pigg, S., Hannah, M. & Stone, M. (2018). Teaching Information Design that Emphasizes Data: Revisiting Professional Writing Outcomes and Assignments. SIGDOC ‘18 Proceedings of the 36^th ACM International Conference on the Design of Communication: Article no. 4.

Book Reviews

1. Stone, M. (2022). Book Review: Persuasive Acts: Women’s Rhetorics in The Twenty-First Century, Edited by Shari J. Stenberg & Charlotte Hogg, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020. Computers and Composition, Vol. 63.

Non-Peer Reviewed Texts

1. Stone, M. & Beare, Z. (2020). Infographic and Keywords Statement on Technical Rhetorics and Reproductive Justice, Reproductive Rights, and Reproductive Health. Special Issue: Rhetorics of Reproductive Justice in Public and Civic Contexts. Eds. Maria Novotny, Lori Beth De Hertogh & Erin Frost. Reflections, 20(2), 19-25.

Conference Presentations

1. Stone, M. & Burry, J.W. (April 2025). “Remixing a Rural Health Framework for RHM Writing Courses.” Conferences on College Composition & Communication. Baltimore, MD.
2. Glover, R. & Stone, M. (June 2024). “Location-aware mobile technologies for women’s safety.” International Communication Association. Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
3. Stone, M., Beare, Z., Johnson, G., and Smith, A. (June 2022). “Our Bodies, Our Apps: Discussing Best Practices for mHealth App Navigation.” Computers and Writing Conference. Hybrid conference.
4. Beare, Z. & Stone, M. (Oct. 2021). “By Queer People, For Queer People: Folx, Plume, and the Promise of Queer UX.” SIGDOC ’21 ACM International Conference. Hybrid conference.
5. Catá, A., Stone, M., and Ranade, N. (June 2021). “Extending Conversations in Design, Ergonomics, and I.T. to Make UX Inclusive.” Association of Teachers of Technical Communication Conference. Online conference.
6. Glover-Rijkse, R. & Stone, M. (Oct. 2020). “Mobile Safety Apps: A Feminist Material Orientation to Precarious Mobilities.” Association of Internet Researchers Conference. Online conference.