Manuscript consults: I’ll work with you on your poetry manuscript in any stage, from line edits to structuring the book.
Mentorship/one on one study: I have anywhere from 1 to 3 spots open for poets who want to work with me independently. This is great for beginning poets who haven’t published very much and would benefit from weekly guided reading, detailed feedback on poems, craft conversations, and how to build a manuscript. I love working with poets at any stage though and each course of study is made collaboratively.
Being a mentor and creating radical, informal, and nonhierarchical learning spaces (outside of the MFA system) for the intergenerational exchange of poetic knowledge is an integral part of my poetic practice. I have been a 3x mentor for Queer Art Mentorship and I founded the Emerge-Surface-Be mentorship program at The Poetry Project.
I’m especially excited to extend my commitment to working with young poets in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Fee is sliding scale from $50-$75/hr.
I share some endorsements below, but I can also provide references upon request.
“I came to Stacy with a manuscript that, frankly, I had grown rather sick of—it had made a number of rounds and garnered praise from a variety of folks and presses, but had failed to find a permanent published home. Working with Stacy was enriching in so many ways. The care and attunement that she had and held for my manuscript ultimately changed my relationship to my work. Stacy’s broad and rigorous poetic knowledge, coupled with impressive eyes and ears for tonality, sonics, emotional accretion, and thematic gestures and scaffolding, made our conversation among the most rewarding I’ve had regarding this particular manuscript, but also regarding poetry writ large. It is hard to think of someone more holistically exacting, critical, and tender than Stacy. When I finally hung up the phone after our long afternoon conversation, I felt undeniably more assured in my next steps with the manuscript, and with my practice on a deeper level.”
“Working with Stacy was a dream. I am returning to a poetry manuscript after a long sojourn and not only did she offer generous feedback on the logic of my manuscript but she also gave me a very necessary confidence boost. Talking with Stacy immediately makes you feel at ease; her feedback is poignant, astute, reflective, and conscientious of the larger field. I can’t wait to write another manuscript just to have the occasion to work with her again! ”
“Stacy’s feedback was invaluable during a later part of editing and submitting my full-length poetry manuscript. Her line edits were precisive and her observations about structure were especially useful. She was able to swiftly point to patterns/themes and her suggestion to forgo sectioning the book totally changed the manuscript for the better. Both in written comments and in conversation, Stacy was kind, curious, and specific. I’m so grateful for her keen eye on my work and for her ongoing contributions to many communities.
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“After a recent manuscript had been rejected from several presses, sometimes after making it to final rounds of decision-making, I decided that I would entrust Stacy Szymaszek with reading the work and giving me some insight into what might make it a better book. She approached the manuscript with kindness and a critical eye, and gave perceptive and intuitive feedback about its structure, tonal qualities, and associations; in addition, she was able to suss out some themes that others had missed in their readings. I can’t imagine a better experience or a better reader than Szymaszek, whose wide-ranging bibliphilia and commitment to poetry as both art and community practice allow her a unique insight into how manuscripts might work, and how they might work better.”
“I had the great pleasure of spending two hours with Stacy where I enjoyed the workshop of my dreams on 2nd generation New York School poets, and what a gift it was. Stacy has the extraordinary ability of sharing her vast knowledge and fascinating insights in the most gracious of ways. The material Stacy shared was engrossing and listening to her was pure joy. She answered my questions with a gentle kindness and offered wonderful suggestions, all of which will support me as I move forward in my academic studies. Stacy was engaging from moment one, a gem of a human. ”
“Honestly, of all the writers I could ask to be a reader and editor of my work, Stacy Szymaszek is simply tops. Szymaszek helped me see the particulars in words, lines, and individual poems, directing my attention to issues of point of view, address, word choice, and effect. Our session also helped me connect my manuscript in progress to larger conversations and concerns in poetry and how I might bring it into a completed shape. From one editing session, I have gained insights, confidence, and direction. Her decades of experience as a writer, curator, and poetics teacher make her the best possible choice for me or anyone. I feel lucky to have worked with her; her brilliance is everything.”
“Stacy Szymaszek possesses an extraordinary talent for identifying the crucial arc of a manuscript (themes, narrative, emotional tenor) and suggesting revisions and cuts in service of that arc. I am in awe of her keen insights and holistic understanding: in one conversation, her feedback clarified my vision of a manuscript I spent years working on. Her comments were nuanced and specific, demonstrating great care and generosity as a reader and editor. I highly recommend Szymaszek to any poet seeking the strongest possible realization of her work. ”
“I had just put together my first full-length collection, and wasn’t sure how to tell if it was doing what I wanted it to do. Szymaszek’s guidance was incredibly clarifying, and encouraged me greatly in the last stretch of my manuscript building process. I had doubts around specific areas like structure and pacing, and her responses to these concerns were both precise and imaginative. Szymaszek has a great way of offering detailed, impactful suggestions, all in the service of highlighting the special qualities of the work. Our consultation was exactly what I needed to help me bring this book to its sharpest state.”
“In my search for a poetry coach, I was encouraged to contact Stacy Szymaszek. And, doing so is the best decision I could have ever made. Szymaszek is insightful, encouraging and incredibly generous with her poetic knowledge. Every session with her opens up another previously undiscovered perspective on the craft. Her feedback to every exercise, and her answer to every question, is thoughtful and thought provoking. Working one-on-one with Szymaszek has exceeded every expectation I had. ”
“Working with Stacy transformed my relationship to my work. She provided insight in a way that fed my desire to create more, say more, restrain less, own the delight in being careful. When working on a manuscript, she helped me to find the core language and shapes of myself in my poems, and to take out the excess that wasn’t me—that was the priority. Part of her ability to do this, I think, stems from her ability to quickly identify a person’s perspective, voice, and way of being. Stacy’s teachings and feedback have stayed with me, and I cannot recommend her enough for mentorship or manuscript consults.”
“Sometimes you really need one of your favorite poets to read your manuscript. In my case, Stacy helped me see the manuscript clearly at a time when I was doing some final edits and couldn’t make heads from tails. She helped me let go a few poems, re-order a section, replace a poem or two, and offered the kind of sincere encouragement I needed at that point in my process. highly recommend a manuscript consultation with her!”