Melissa Lewis with Kyle Berkley: I SEE ME

Melissa R. Lewis' new book, I See Me, highlights the transformative power of genealogy in healing family connections and processing grief. Drawing on her extensive experiences as a social work and child welfare professional, she invites readers to explore the intricate tapestry of family relationships and the healing power of reconnecting with one's roots.

Join us to hear from the author in conversation with Dr. Kyle Berkley, also a social worker and artist with experience working with people across Baltimore around questions of mental health and healing. We're really excited about this conversation, which offers fresh and exciting insights for anyone interested in who and where they come from, and how that might impact them now.

Order I SEE ME here.

Melissa R. Lewis, LMSW, is Baltimore-based author and social work professional with over 15 years of extensive experience in child welfare and family finding services across government and non-profit sectors. Her expertise encompasses foster care, adoptions, family finding services, counseling, and training for professionals. In 2023, she completed the Minority Professional Leadership Development Fellowship through AdoptUSKids, where she developed training on maintaining birth connections post-adoption. Melissa is the owner of Family Connect Consulting LLC. Melissa is the author of the debut novel, “I See Me” published in 2025, a compelling narrative, sharing a personal journey through the world of genealogy revealing how the search for family roots can serve as a pathway to healing from loss and grief. As the Family Find Program Manager for a Baltimore non-profit, Melissa aids children and families in locating biological relatives. She holds an Associate Degree in Human Services Administration, a bachelor's degree from Coppin State University, and a master’s in social work from Morgan State University.

Dr. Kyle Berkley was born and raised in the West Port/Mount Winans Community, and became a graduate of Baltimore City Public Schools at Frederick Douglass High School. Dr. Berkley would later graduate from Sojourner Douglass College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Morgan State University with a Master’s Degree in Social Work, and Walden University with a Ph.D. in Human and Social Services. Dr. Berkley published a qualitative research study that explored the “Perceptions of Medical Providers that Work with Homeless Patients Diagnosed with HIV and Mental Illness”. Dr. Berkeley serves as a First Responder for Anne Arundel County Crisis Response and a mental therapist for the Renaissance Center. Dr. Berkley’s first published novel, The Wake, explored gentrification and complicated family dynamics in an urban community. The novel won the 2019 Women in Business International’s Man of the Year award. Dr. Berkley was the 2023 finalist nominee for the Baltimore Crown for his second and third published novels, The Void and The Legacy. Dr. Berkley’s 2023 novel, The Union, explored cults and was praised by Entertainment News Monthly. Dr. Berkley’s recently published children’s book, Tiaras and Thrones, won the 2024 Black Writers Guild Summer Writers Challenge. The story explored autism and sibling dynamics. Dr. Berkley has two movie credits for scoring the music for Stay Your Butt out the Woods (2023) and Hilda (2025). Dr. Berkley is currently directing and scoring a documentary that explores the history of racism in the field of Social Work. Dr. Berkley is also co-producing a documentary entitled Restocked, which explores the Pr*son pipeline in the Black community. In addition to being a therapist and an author, Dr. Berkley served 2 terms as an elected representative to the State Central Committee. Dr. Berkley’s previous work includes; being the assistant regional mental health director for the prisons in Jessup, engaging with incarcerated youth with mental illness at The Hand-in-Hand of Baltimore, The American Red Cross, working with the homeless at Project PLASE and Healthcare for the Homeless, providing grief counseling to surviving family members of homicide at Roberta’s House and working with adolescents with substance abuse addictions at the Maryland Treatment Center.

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