Editing and Coaching
“Sean’s feedback deserves a Pulitzer.”
—D. L.
I help writers find their voice—and share it.
Your voice is a valuable contribution to the world. But the world has a tendency to stifle it.
I know from experience. In school I was taught the formula for how to write publishable poetry—which is different from writing poems that are true to my own self and vision. Paradoxically, it was writing poems without an emphasis on publishability that got my work published.
As such, I care about you, your goals, and your unique relationship to language. My work with poets and writers centers that relationships, so you can discover your own literary vision and tell your story. (You’re the only one who can tell it.)
What I do.
I offer both in-depth feedback and generative writing sessions to writers of all genres and backgrounds. While my emphasis is on poetry, I’ve worked well with writers of literary fiction, speculative fiction, and creative nonfiction, too.
My approach to workshop is informed by both my years as a writing coach and my own teaching philosophy. I always treat the writer as the expert of their writing: my role is to help make that expertise apparent to the reader. You don’t need to know about subjunctives, participles, parataxis, or the different types of story structures. You just need to have a story—we’ll figure out how to tell it together.
You can get a sense of my expertise from the writing resources I’ve compiled for Writers.com.
Why work with me?
My approach to coaching puts you at the center. My #1 commitment is helping you set and reach your goals as a writer. If you don’t know those goals just yet, we’ll figure them out together.
My background as a writer includes:
Running Writers.com, the oldest writing school on the internet.
Publishing in major literary journals, including The Rumpus, Ninth Letter, Strange Horizons, Foglifter, and The Gay & Lesbian Review.
Founding and managing Poets Out Loud, a generative poetry community.
Cofounding Poemancer, a card game for writing inspired poetry.
2 years of coaching slam poetry.
Being the Editor-in-Chief of 2 different literary journals and the lead writer of a screenwriting research initiative.
Writing all forms of literature: poetry, fiction, essay, research, academic writing, fables, and screenplays.
My CV is available upon request.
My standard coaching rate.
My coaching rate is $80/hr. For feedback on longer projects, such as poetry collections or novel manuscripts, we can put together a payment plan based on financial need.
Get in Contact!
If you’d like to work one on one, contact me, and let’s set up a free discovery call over Zoom. I’m happy to work with writers via email, Zoom, or in person in NYC.