Manuscript Consultations in Creative Writing

If you have a completed draft of a novel and need feedback for your work, you may wish to consider a one-on-one consultation with a Writers’ Program instructor. Consultations give you a full cover-to-cover read of your work, a written evaluation, and a follow-up conversation in person, via phone, or web chat (determined by the instructor.)

Consultation in Creative Writing is ideal for writers who:

  • Have a complete draft of their manuscript (including long and short fiction, poetry, nonfiction, plays, and children’s books)
  • Want one-time comprehensive written and verbal feedback on their project
  • Want to ensure their work is up to industry standards before seeking representation, publication, or entry into literary competitions, fellowships, and/or MFA programs

For details and pricing options click here.

To begin the consultation process, please select up to three instructors from the genres below, then scroll to the bottom of this page and fill out the form.  A Writers’ Program advisor will review your request and contact you.

 

These instructors offer Consultations in Creative Writing:

Creative Nonfiction

 

  Gordon Grice, author of 4 books including The Red Hourglass: Lives of the Predators, and Deadly 
Kingdom: The Book of Dangerous Animals
  Yelizaveta Renfro, short story writer whose collection, A Catalogue of Everything in the World, won the St. Lawrence Book Award.
  Norman Kolpas, author of more than 40 nonfiction books and editor whose several hundred nonfiction pieces have appeared in many publications, including Bon Appetit Elle,  and The Times of London. Jacqueline Stenson, nonfiction writer who has written for the Los Angeles Times, NBC News, Reuters, Health, and Ladies’ Home Journal

 

Editing

Rebecca Bohanan, former Associate Editor at MAD Magazine, with professional experience editing satire, comics, YA fiction, and food and travel guides.

 

Memoir

 

Caroline LeavittNew York Times Bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow, Pictures of You, and Cruel Beautiful World, as well as 9 other novels. She reviews books for People, the San Francisco Chronicle and The Boston Globe.   Victoria Zackheim, editor of six anthologies of personal essays
Jayanti Tamm, memoirist and fiction writer whose first book, Cartwheels in a Sari:  A Memoir of Growing Up Cult was published by Random House

 

Novel Writing

 

 

  Carlos Allende, author of the novels Love, or Witches of Windward Circle and Coffee, Shopping, Murder, Love Jessica Barksdale Inclan, author of 14 published novels, including her latest, the Burning Hour
Jennifer Caloyeras, author of the short fiction collection, Unruly Creatures, Strays and Urban Falcon  Lynn Lauber, author of the autobiographical fiction books White Girls and 21 Sugar Street
Alex Dellamonica, author of 2 science fiction novels and more than 40 short stories Caroline Leavitt, New York Times Bestselling author of 11 novels
Natashia Deon, 2017 NAACP Image Award nominee and author of the critically acclaimed novel Grace Adam McOmber, author of My House Gathers Desires: Stories; The White Forest: A Novel; and This New & Poisonous Air
Jeanne De Vita, award-winning author, and editor. Ms. De Vita’s dystopian series Bug is an Amazon Editor’s Pick on Kindle Vella Kris Neri, two-time Derringer Award winner whose novels include High Crimes on the Magical Plane, Magical Alienation, and the Tracy Eaton mystery novels
Tony Dushane, author of the novels Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk, plus writings in Mother Jones, The Believer, Penthouse, and the Rumpus Don Webb, author of 24 books including a St. Martin’s Press mystery series, 5 nonfiction books on the occult, poetry, and genre novels
Robert Eversz, author of the novels Zero to the Bone, Digging James Dean, Garbo, Killing Paparazzi, Gypsy Hearts, and Shooting Elvis Ian Randall Wilson, fiction writer and poet whose work has appeared in North American Review, The Gettysburg Review, and Alaska Quarterly Review
Merrill Feitell, author of the award-winning Here Beneath Low-Flying Planes; former faculty at University of Maryland’s MFA program Paul Witcover, author of six novels, including The Watchman of Eternity, and a collection of short stories, Everland and Other Stories
Lynn Hightower, bestselling novelist with 14 books in print; her books have appeared on The New York Times “Notable” list. Victoria Zackheim, editor of six anthologies of personal essays

 

Personal Essay

 

Rebecca Bohanan, New York Times’ Modern Love author (“A Man and Meals Worth Losing Sleep Over”), whose personal essays have also been published on Jezebel, HuffPost, and xoJane.   Yelizaveta Renfro, short story writer whose collection, A Catalogue of Everything in the World, won the St. Lawrence Book Award.
  Cole Kazdin, regular contributor to VICE, and has written for The New York Times; three-time Moth GrandSLAM champion   Jacqueline Stenson, nonfiction writer who has written for the Los Angeles Times, NBC News, Reuters, Health, and Ladies’ Home Journal
  Norman Kolpas, author of more than 40 nonfiction books and editor whose several hundred nonfiction pieces have appeared in many publications, including Bon Appetit Elle,  and The Times of London.   Liz Stephens, author of the memoir The Days are Gods and former contributing editor to Brevity:  A Journal of Concise Nonfiction
Wendy Oleson, fiction writer, poet, and essayist whose work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies Victoria Zackheim, editor of six anthologies of personal essays

 

Poetry

Rachel Kann, author of the short story collection 10 for Everything; poet with several published chapbooks Amber West, playwright and author of the poetry collection Hen & God and the chapbook Daughter Eraser
Wendy Oleson, fiction writer, poet, and essayist whose work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies

 

Short Story

 

Jennifer Caloyeras, author of the short fiction collection, Unruly Creatures, Strays and Urban Falcon  Ben Loory, author of the collection Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day; stories have been published in The New Yorker
Alex Dellamonica, author of 2 science fiction novels and more than 40 short stories   Adam McOmber, author of My House Gathers Desires: Stories; The White Forest: A Novel, and This New & Poisonous Air
  Merrill Feitell, author of the award-winning Here Beneath Low-Flying Planes; former faculty at University of Maryland’s MFA program.   Wendy Oleson, fiction writer, poet, and essayist whose work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies
  Rachel Kann, author of the short story collection 10 for Everything; poet with several published chapbooks Adam Prince, author of the short story collection The Beautiful Wishes of Ugly Men

 

Writing for Young Readers

 

  Beth Bauman, author of Rosie and Skate, selected for The New York Times Editors’ Choice list and Booklist’s 2009 Top 10 First Novels for Youth. Laurel van der Linde, author of several nonfiction books for children including So, You Want to be a Dancer?, The White Stallions and The Pony Express
Jennifer Caloyeras, author of the short fiction collection, Unruly Creatures, Strays and Urban Falcon 

To speak to an advisor please call (310) 825-9415.

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