Shelbi completed her Bachelor of Arts in English, Writing in May of 2017 from Dordt University and her MFA in Creative Nonfiction with a teaching concentration from Augsburg University in Minneapolis. Before her return to school to complete her education as a mom of three and since, she’s written about finding the fingerprints of God in the ordinary and calling attention to the hidden-in-plain-sight beauty of the Midwest. Her yet-to-be-published MFA thesis manuscript is You Are Here, a collection of essays on finding home and identity, growing up as a potted plant in several deeply rooted communities.
She writes and lives with her missionary kid/pastor husband in rural South Dakota. In addition to writing, she’s also taught composition and literature both in the classroom and online for her undergrad alma mater, Dordt University, in the small town of Sioux Center, Iowa.
Her work has been published in Pro Rege, Dordt University’s faculty publication; the Dordt University Voice; InAllThings; Fathom; Perspectives/Reformed Journal; and The Banner.