I offer poetry mentoring to up-and-coming poets who want feedback and the chance to fine-tune their unique writing voices.
It would be a good idea for you to read one of my books of poetry, such as Furniture is Disappearing, before deciding if I am the right mentor for you.
My poetry mentoring takes a few different guises:
1) Manuscript Appraisal Poetry Mentoring
Here I read through your manuscript, making notes on things that seem remarkable, may need further thought or attention, or that you are already doing super well and you may not be aware of. There is space for authentic encouragement and constructive thoughts on what could be improved. Bearing in mind this is just my opinion based on my own experience of being a poet, you should take any other person’s opinion with several large grains of salt to see if it resonates with you and your work. After reading through your manuscript I have a zoom or face-to-face session with you to discuss what I’ve found in the manuscript.
2) Custom Poetry Mentoring
This is customisable according to your stated goals for writing poetry. Perhaps you need more accountability when it comes to sending poetry out to publishers. Maybe you need to establish a rhythm with your writing and you want someone to text when you’ve done that day’s poetry. It can encompass 1) Manuscript Appraisal as well. You might want help finding a title for your collection, deciding what to do about punctuation, or figuring out how to order all those poems for your book. You may wonder how you go about writing a whole book of poetry. Where do the ideas come from? You might be suffering from writer’s block and be seeking relief or new inspiration. A different perspective might help, even just talking with another writer can be illuminating. A problem shared is a problem halved.
3) Writing Mindset Poetry Mentoring
This is a very special form of poetry mentoring that uses a special energy clearing technique called the Emotional Freedom Technique. This involves tapping with your fingers on various meridian points of the body while saying specific mantras that are designed to promote self-acceptance and to clear whatever unhelpful beliefs you may be harbouring. I have personally used it very successfully on anxiety, but it could just as well be successfully used on artist/author shame of their creations, fear of book promotion, writer’s block, or any form of impediment that prevents you from achieving your writing goals.
Pricing
I charge $80/hr for my time with you in any of these capacities.
Testimonials
A great mentor, explains writing in a clear and precise
manner, very easy going and even the smallest things Gemma picks up on. Whether
it was something I had experience in or had no experience in, Gemma got the
best out of me and it was a pleasure to learn under her guidance. Can’t recommend
her services enough!
Gemma’s writing mentorship gave me renewed confidence in
my writing. It was her thoughtful insights in her feedback and her constructive
critiques but more so her warm and genuine encouragement that warmed my heart
and set the fire in motion. She has a deep passion and instinct for the art of
poetry that she herself has refined in her own craft. This allows her to be a
wonderful mentor to support writers to chase their dream and never put that pen
down! Thank you, Gemma!
Gemma’s honesty and openness make her a very trustworthy mentor. I personally appreciated the thoroughness with which she would call my attention to every detail, and I think that this suited my learning style. Gemma’s help transformed the way I read and write poetry, and has given me much greater confidence with written poetry. I feel much more aware of the choices that I am making. Now I am continuing to explore the possibilities of the written word, and have felt confident to branch out into experimental formats and make many more submissions to journals.
