WORK WITH ME
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| Window above, books below--one of my favourite places to work |
I’ve worked with writers of all ages and all stages, bringing more than two decades of writing, editing, and mentoring experience to our work together. My experience includes workshops and discussion groups for Concordia University, the Quebec Writers’ Federation, John Abbott College, Festival Blue Met Bleu, Los Parronales (Chile), and many individual mentorships. I've helped people craft great copy for webpages, event listings, festival programs, and more, and edited short- and long- form prose for a variety of markets. I also give talks, host workshops, and guide reading for poets and non-poets alike.
Please reach out using the form in the sidebar (top left) or by email <susan[at]susangillis[dot]ca>.
I look forward to hearing from you!
A little about me: I’m a poet with four books (Yellow Crane, The Rapids, Volta and Swimming Among the Ruins), several chapbooks (Obelisk, Twenty Views of the Lachine Rapids), a solid collection of award nominations and reviews, and a side gig as a collaborator with three other poets in the group Yoko’s Dogs (Whisk, Rhinoceros). I talk with poets and write about poetry and the writing life at Concrete & River, and co-curated (with Mary di Michele) the online micro-poetry journal HALIBUT for its exuberant three-year run.
See what people have said about working with me.
MANUSCRIPT SERVICES
*Manuscript Services are currently OPEN!*
Please submit your work (in Word and PDF, each poem starting on a separate page) and the fee (by e-transfer or PayPal) to <susan[at]susangillis[dot]ca>. (Replace the words in square brackets with the appropriate symbol.) Page numbers and/or a contents list are helpful but not required.
Feel free to include a notes or question if you would like me to give attention to anything in particular.
If you don’t
see what you are interested in here, contact me to discuss a service tailored to your needs.
$175 A Handful of Poems: up to 5 poems, max. 5 pages
What you get: A written report (1-2 pages) giving you an overview on what I find stimulating, surprising, evocative,
memorable, meaningful, challenging, etc in your work, with suggestions or questions for further development. (Please note: I do not copy-edit for grammar or spelling.)
$175 Close-up on Poems: up to 3 poems, max. 3 pages
What you get:
Detailed notes on each poem. I may include questions and suggestions for revisions and/or further
development. Feedback includes considerations of form and structure, image,
metaphor, lineation, sound patterning, word choice, etc. (Please note: I do not
copy-edit for grammar or spelling.)
$350 Putting It Together: Consultation on a chapbook-length manuscript or body of work in progress
What you get:
A 30-minute Zoom consultation and a detailed written response on a chapbook-length manuscript (12-20 poems / pages) offering my
perspectives on what I see in the manuscript: its themes, what is stimulating, surprising, evocative, memorable, meaningful, challenging,
etc, and elements of craft that support these effects. I may suggest directions to develop or other ways to ready
the manuscript for submission or to develop it further as part of a longer
work. Please note: copy-editing and fact checking / source verification
are not part of this service.
$850 The Long View: Consultation and / or editorial or developmental guidance on a longer work or
book-length manuscript *Limited availability / By request. Please query first.
What you get: A 60-minute Zoom consultation, and a detailed response on a book-length manuscript (up to 80 pages) noting what I see in the manuscript: its themes, what is stimulating, surprising, evocative, memorable, meaningful, challenging, etc, and elements of craft that support those effects. I may suggest directions to develop or focus the manuscript to ready it for submission. Please note: copy-editing, formatting and fact checking / source verification are not part of this service.
$600 The Shorter Long View: Manuscript Consultation *Limited availability / By request. Please query first.
What you get: A 60-minute Zoom consultation and a written overview on a book-length manuscript (up to 80 pages) noting what I see as its themes, impact, craft, etc. I may suggest directions to develop or bring focus to the manuscript for submission or to develop it further. Please note: copy-editing and fact checking / source verification are not part of this service.
MENTORING
I currently have a limited number of mentorship spots available. Please enquire.
We can work on one, two, or many poems at a time, as determined by your needs and our schedules. Fees will always be established in consultation, so you will never be left wondering what a project might cost. We can also work on prompts, reading and responding, and other aspects of a creative practice involving poetry.
Our work together focuses on you: you will be heard, encouraged, challenged and supported as you develop your writing your way, according to your goals. Our conversation may include everything from suggested writing prompts to discussions of work we admire (or are challenged by—because that’s productive too). See more about my approach to mentoring here.
$65/hour (3-hour minimum) Field Work: Mentoring and developmental guidance in your practice of poetry
This service is determined by your interests and needs. My role is to guide, champion, and enable you in your practice, whether through individual poems or manuscript development, renewing a practice that feels stalled or beginning a new practice, exploration and discovery of how poetry lives and moves, or other area of interest in poetry. Services and fees vary by
project, and are determined in consultation.
$175 Short-Term Mentorships
A focused version of the Field Work described above, these four half-hour consultations provide you with feedback on poems and suggestions for development. Sessions can be scheduled weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
Copy-editing,
proof-reading and related services are available by request.
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| Watching the tide change on the Minas Basin |
"Susan is a receptive and perceptive reader who knows when to suggest and when to sit back and let the writer do the heavy lifting. It is a privilege to have Susan help me with my manuscript, and I wholeheartedly recommend her services."
"The care and intelligence of the service Susan provided surpassed my expectations, it was a form of gift-giving, truly."
"Inspiring, constructive, effective!"