Poetry

I spent many years in writing workshops and understand what it feels like to share your poetry. Writing poetry is a highly personal experience that requires an editor who understands the poet’s unique artistic vision.

What I provide

First, I talk with the poet about what they feel their strengths and challenges are with the poetry manuscript. Then I look at how the formal elements underscore the poem’s intention and where the poet might consider revisions. For a chapbook or full-length book manuscript, I address the bigger picture of the order of poems to create an arc, as well as thematic threads and whether some poems might have more impact if moved earlier or later in the manuscript. Poem-by-poem, I address literary devices, word choice, voice, rhythm, and poetic form to bring the poem closer to the poet’s vision.

My poetry experience

I have a Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop where I won an Academy of American Poets Poetry Prize.

I have worked for several literary magazines—as the first intern at Ploughshares when it became affiliated with Emerson College, as managing editor of Agni, and as creator and editor of Near-Life Experiences: The Pillow Writers Anthology.

My poetry has been published in Agni, The Boston Herald, Zocalo Public Square, and Fine Madness.