Michelle DeVries is an editor, writer, and publishing professional whose work spans educational publishing, curriculum development, acquisitions and developmental editing, and content and communications. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and English with an emphasis in Creative Writing—a combination that left her painfully meticulous, relentlessly curious, and occasionally hilariously awkward.

Over the past seven years, Michelle has written or managed more than thirty textbooks and curriculum programs across history, social studies, and geography. As an acquiring and developmental editor, she has worked on educational children’s books, historical fiction, multicultural nonfiction, and biographies, helping authors strengthen structure, narrative, instructional value, and audience engagement.

Her experience extends beyond books and curriculum to technical and instructional materials, literary publishing, and content for websites, marketing, and communications. She has contributed to a published anthology exploring the intersection of pop culture and philosophy and volunteered in local schools, using stories, folktales, fairy tales, and tabletop role-playing games to introduce students to logic, ethics, and critical thinking.

After years of working across these different forms of publishing and content, Michelle founded The Ninth Bell to bring the different threads of her career together in one place: a love of language and story, an interest in how people learn and communicate, and a belief that editing is at its best when it helps a writer’s intentions come through more clearly rather than imposing someone else’s.

At heart, Michelle is fascinated by how people learn, why stories matter, and the many ways a well-placed question can change how someone sees the world.