1. Will you rip my writing to shreds?   Nope. I believe it’s important for the writer to know what’s working well, so they know to do more of that, and so they don’t take out the good stuff in revision. I will also offer suggestions and ask questions, but I try to do so in a way that makes you want to write the next piece. I don’t always respond in just the right way; I sometimes fail to meet my own standards, or say the wrong thing without intending to. I encourage you to ask me for clarification and to tell me how I could respond in more helpful ways for you.
  2. Why not fiction?   I don’t write it, and I know there are others out there better suited to provide insightful responses to your fiction. You might contact my friend Lisa Lanser Rose, for example.
  3. Will you read collections of poetry or longer creative nonfiction pieces?   Yes. We’ll start with you sending me 5 pages of poetry or 10 pages of cnf, and I’ll respond to that initial batch for a flat fee of $50. If we both decide it’ll be useful for us to work together, we can work out payment for more work.
  4. Can I ask you to run one or more workshops for my writers group?   Absolutely! I’d love to schedule something with you. We can work out the details (time, date, payment) via email or set up a time to chat for that purpose.
  5. Do you work with beginning writers or advanced writers?   Both. So far, the participants in my classes have found that they get what they need whether they’re the most published or least published writer in the class. One of my students, the brilliant writer and professor Laurie Uttich, wrote many of the poems in her first book in my classes. Several students have been between undergraduate and graduate programs. Some were former students of mine from when I taught at the University of South Florida. Some are people who heard about me from their own undergraduate professors, or because they published work in the literary magazine I co-founded, Sweet.
  6. Do you work with high school writers?   Not yet, but I’d like to! I think creative young people should be encouraged, and I’d be thrilled to be part of that. When it comes to art–and creative writing is art–we are talking about the very things that make us human. Young writers deserve to be taken seriously and nurtured, because they’re taking on the burden of humanity in a complex, difficult time. For high school writers, I’d suggest we start with one-on-one Zoom meetings.
  7. How do I sign up for your newsletter?   Scroll to the bottom of any page on my website, fill in your email address, and click “Sign up.”