Helping you navigate the writing life.

You want to write your story.

Where do you start?

Everyone has a story to tell. If you are reading this, you know you do.

At some point, every writer I know has hit a wall and has scoured the Internet for writing advice from somebody who has “made it.” The problem is that for most of us, generic writing advice is irrelevant.

If generic writing advice frustrates you, you’re already on the right track. You’re already searching for a new approach, a way to push back against a culture of advice that doesn’t consider your identity, experiences, or challenges. 

As a trauma-informed writing coach, I help my students cultivate a sustainable writing practice as they navigate the literary world. I help writers ask the right questions, strengthen their own agency, and use every experience as a learning opportunity. 

I approach my own work in the same way: I seek balance, care, and nourishment in my writing life. I want the same for you. 

Woman in a sun hat lying on a wooden bench reading a book in a garden with potted plants and a house with beige siding and windows.
A woman with long dark hair smiling and writing in a notebook while sitting at a round wooden outdoor table on a sunny day with greenery in the background.

Beyond publishing: Your guide to the writing life.

Often, my students come to me seeking publication—now. 

My usual response: What if you had five years? What would you read? What would you write? What if you took this time to grow into your practice, into yourself? How could you progress if first you learned how to ask yourself the right questions to guide your creative process? 

As an educator, I take a holistic approach to writing coaching because I believe we create our best work when we nurture our whole selves. I want my students to develop a writing practice that makes sense for them individually. 

And I want to introduce them to powerful, relevant work by a diverse group of writers that help them gain a deeper understanding of the contemporary literary scene. As a queer woman of color who lives with chronic illness, I believe educators must commit themselves to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. I offer personalized reading lists so that students gain a broad stroke of the literary scene and are equipped to further explore writing topics and poets whose work feels particularly urgent to them. 

Some of my students are looking for sporadic feedback and others are looking for consistent mentorship. All are welcome!

I adapt my coaching practice to each student and often provide guidance on:

  • Cultivating sustainable writing practices

  • Writer’s block

  • The creative process

  • Planning a project

  • Developing and refining manuscripts (including chapbooks, full-length poetry manuscripts, flash creative nonfiction, long-form critical and personal essays, essay collections, and memoir)

  • Submitting to literary magazines

  • Application support for artist statements, awards, grants, fellowships, retreats, and the MFA

Is coaching for you?

You have a story to tell or an idea for a creative project, but you don’t know where to start.

You need help preparing your application for an MFA program, residency, fellowship, or grant funding. 

You want to be a published writer.

The benefits of one-on-one writing coaching:

Choosing your own path is transformative. There’s no syllabus, no semester, and no homework—and we have the ability to pivot if we uncover a topic that interests you. I work with students to create DIY curriculums with customized reading lists and facilitate discussions that guide instead of direct. 

As your writing coach, I’ll help you explore your work and your creative interests on a timeline that makes sense for you—which will ultimately help you develop a creative practice that naturally fits into your life.

Cost comparison: Your own writing coach vs. an MFA program.

Writing coaching: $150/hour session.

Traditional MFA Program: $40,000+

Low-Residency MFA Program: $20,000-$30,000

Let’s work together.

Let’s talk about how writing coaching could work for you! Fill out the form to get started, and we can schedule a 15-minute call to get acquainted.

 FAQs

  • Absolutely—and you’re not alone. I work with many writers who haven’t published yet. We can focus on everything from the craft of writing to figuring out where to publish.

  • I work with artists who work in other disciplines when (1) the artist incorporates writing into their project(s) in some way, and/or (2) an artist is seeking support writing about their art (e.g. for a project proposal, statement of purpose, artist’s statement, etc.)

  • Yes! We’ll start with the basics: finding the right journals for your work, creating a Submittable account, writing a cover letter and author’s bio, navigating tiers of rejection and conditional acceptances, budgeting for submission fees and applying for submission fee funding, as well as record keeping, assessing payoff, and goal setting.

    In addition to working with literary journals such as AGNI and the minnesota review, I was a recent judge for the Minerva Rising Chapbook Contest. My own writing has also found homes in POETRY, Ploughshares, The Sun, the Southern Review, Narrative, Black Warrior Review, A Public Space, and elsewhere. My experiences as a submitter, reader, juror, and editor make me a unique resource for writers new to the literary landscape.

  • Great! I can help with single projects, including the MFA, residencies, fellowships, grants, and scholarships. I regularly work with writers on personal statements, artist statements, project proposals, the creative writing sample, supplemental questions, budget proposals, and CVs. I also help writers find opportunities and sharpen their application strategy.

    I offer my expertise as a recent juror for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council as well as a writer whose own work has received funding from Poets and Writers, Reese’s Book Club, MASS MoCA, Monson Arts, Franconia Sculpture Park, the Edith Wharton House, the Straw Dog Writers Guild, the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Grub Street, and elsewhere.

  • Yes—I have degrees and expertise only because I learned from programs and people willing to give me a chance via scholarships, so I commit to offering a few spots with a sliding scale when I can afford it.

    If you are a patron of the arts interested in contributing to the development of early-career artists, please get in touch. Donations go toward arts business training for low-income writers through sliding scale tuition and full scholarships. You can donate on the "contact" page of this website.

  • All my coaching work starts with a brief consultation where we’ll talk about your relationship to writing, your goals, and anything you’re currently struggling with. If we decide we’re a good fit, I follow up with a customized list of reflection questions in advance of our first session. (If we aren’t a good fit, I can probably connect you with someone who can help you!)

  • During our first session we will begin exploring the relationship between your life and your writing—what stressors interfere with your writing? What are some new ways you can tap into the creative process? What are you working on that feels polished, and what feels new and exciting?

    I generally don’t give feedback on writing in the first session, because I want to build a rapport with you first. Instead, we can establish a potential curriculum and reading list, determine any homework that needs to be completed before the next session, and make sure we have a mutual understanding of your expectations and needs around the feedback process.

  • Like the creative process, they’re messy and individualistic! Sometimes we talk through feedback on work you’ve sent me beforehand. Sometimes we talk about any particular challenges you’re facing as you create your own sustainable writing practice. And sometimes we body double to work toward your goals (and help you identify where you’re getting stuck). It really depends on you, your goals, and how you want to use this time.

  • I meet with most of my writers twice a month, a month. Some writers prefer a more frequent cadence.

  • A literary coach can be a great advisor at any stage of your MFA. Many craft-focused programs don’t cover publishing strategies or finding grants, fellowships, and residencies; I can help fill in the blanks here, as well as help as you work toward a thesis, assemble your portfolio, and begin to think about your post-MFA plans.

  • Yes! I often help writers turn an MFA thesis into a first collection/manuscript—or even start from scratch. I can also help with chapbooks, submitting to journals and contests, and finding opportunities for your first book.

  • Yes—but I want our work together to be about you! My work is linked on my about page. While we all have our own preferences, I’m interested in reading—and working with—writers of all different styles.

  • Students send payment on the day of the session. I accept Venmo, Zelle, or check as payment options. I also now accept most major credit cards through my online shop (although this option requires an additional 3% processing fee). Let's chat about what option makes the most sense for you.

  • I offer both virtual and in-person group workshops. Check out my workshops and events pagecom/upcoming for more information.

  • This is a really excellent question, and the answer depends on your needs and goals. Sometimes I suggest classes instead to writers who reach out to me about coaching, and sometimes I recommend taking a workshop on a specific topic to supplement the work we do together in one-on-one coaching. If you’d like to think through what makes the most sense for you, reach out!

  • Yes! I regularly give seminars on submitting to paying literary markets, applying for arts funding, finding ways to cultivate sustainable writing practices (including finding ways to tap into your local literary community to approaching writer’s block, revisions, reading like a writer, and creative play). Some recent organizations I have lead seminars for include Bennington Writers Seminars, Virginia Tech’s MFA Program, Grub Street, Hugo House, the Loft Literary Center, the Worcester Writers Collective, and MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists.

    Get in touch with me via this form to discuss booking a seminar.

Testimonials

  • I came to Yasmine wanting to sharpen my writing skills and guidance on a novel idea. She puts a lot of effort in planning and thinking about my personal growth, so it feel like I'm getting way more than an hour's worth of time for each lesson. Yasmine's enthusiasm is infectious and helps build my confidence as a novice writer. Having a teacher that celebrates your wins and appreciates your unique perspective is invaluable.

    Isabelle V.

  • Yasmine is everything I could possibly wish for in a writing coach. In addition to being an exceptionally skilled writer and critic, she is kind, encouraging, and most generously committed to her students. Her thoughtful pedagogical style provides the necessary space to nurture her students’ individual artistic growth. She takes a holistic view toward writing, focusing on mental health, self-care, and general well-being as the necessary containers for creativity to flourish. In her soft-spoken way, Yasmine may be one of the great teachers of my life.

    Sorala F.

  • I left the session so energized that I wrote a new draft of the proposal within an hour of the meeting. I feel very confident about my materials now and learned some salient lessons about the entire process that I will definitely be using in future applications and cover letters. I would recommend Yasmine’s invaluable services to anyone tackling any sort of writing-related endeavor, from M.F.A. personal statements to writing samples. You won’t regret it!

    Kira H.

  • I find that the MFA is often talked about in some idealized fashion, and I am thankful for Yasmine's acknowledgement that it's not about fitting into a mold framed by certain perspectives, which are often privileged and white. I have been affirming myself that everyone will have a different experience as writers and that they will all be equally valid, but it's so relieving and reassuring to hear it from someone who has gone through the experience.

    Andrea L.

  • Yasmine is an amazing editor and mentor in the writing process. She really listens to what kind of feedback would be most helpful to the writers she works with. I felt really listened to and supported in bringing clarity to a poetry project I have been working on for years. Her ability to extract the essence of another person's writing reflects the depth of her own creative process and her knowledge of diverse poetic styles. Bringing another lens into the writing process can be extremely daunting and vulnerable, but the feedback she gave me was both honest and non judgemental. I received detailed feedback on what was working in my poems as well as aspects that were unclear, repetitive or otherwise possibly unsupportive to the overall message and flavor of each poem. I am so grateful for her diligence and care and highly recommend working with her!

    Yaminah A.

  • Yasmine’s approach to creative writing coaching is empathetic, personalized, and deeply attentive to each individual writer. Instead of editing in a vacuum, Yasmine asks her mentees what they believe the strengths and weaknesses of a piece are—and that simple shift in process is what sets her apart. When we worked together on my transmasculine, mad, video game–inspired collection, she treated me as the authority on my own work, helping me refine what was already on the page rather than imposing her own vision. That respect for voice and intention made me a more confident writer and strengthened my work in lasting ways.

    Rayne A.