I have published five full-length collections and five chapbooks. While my name is on the covers, and I’m the one who has to stand by each of those collections, they all came together with the help and support of other writers and editors whom I trust. I also love providing that kind of trustworthy help and support to other writers.
I became an editor for The Word Works in 2019, overseeing the Hilary Tham Capital Collection. It’s exciting to go through the submissions with my readers as we work our way toward selecting the finalists we’ll send to our judge. And it’s a huge pleasure to help bring the selected books into the world.
Any well-made poetry collection will demonstrate its own intelligence regarding coherence, flow, and development. But when reading submissions, the first thing I need—the thing that will compel me to keep scrolling—is the quality in the work that answers some “why?” or “how?”
Why am I reading this? What’s the focus?
Why must I read this?
Why does the poet need me or anyone else to read this?
How is this work different from anything else I’ve read?
How does these poems make me experience myself and the world differently?
It’s very gratifying and often startling to read a manuscript that provokes interesting and unexpected answers to such questions. If a book doesn’t consistently and thoughtfully offer surprises, or freshness in the writing, or anything new in its vision of self and world, then I look for opportunities in what it is doing. Is this book interesting enough that, if it were selected, I would be willing to suggest some simple, strategic revisions? (Assuming that they would think such revisions necessary: I’m one reader of their work, after all). Or does the poet need to sit with it a while longer, hopefully with readers they trust to give feedback and guidance?
As I said, I love being a trustworthy reader for writers who need insights that will help them refine their work and grow in their art. And because I’m as much a teacher as I am a writer and editor, I also love working with writers who want more generative, sequenced instruction, whether in a 2-hour workshop with other people or over several weeks in a one-on-one mentorship tailored to their needs.
Manuscript Consultation
Packet
3 Poems: $75
4-6 Poems: $20 per poem
Fee includes written feedback (including suggested line edits) and a consultation in person or by phone or Zoom.
Chapbook manuscript
$150 for up to 30 pages.
Fee includes written feedback and a consultation in person or by phone or Zoom. I will negotiate for more extensive line editing, if desired.
Full-length book manuscript
$350 for up to 80 pages.
Fee includes written feedback and a consultation in person or by phone or Zoom. I will negotiate for more extensive line editing, if desired.
Classes
I teach occasional in-person classes through New Orleans Writers Workshop, and I will be offering other classes, both in-person and online, on my own. Stay tuned here and on my Substack for further announcements. I try to keep fees reasonable and I will set a sliding scale for each class.
Mentoring
Are you a poet looking for someone to provide prompts, feedback, and guidance? Are you able to commit to 4-6 weeks of structured work that will leave you with 4-6 new drafts, at least 2 of which will have gone through some revision? Let’s work together!
4 weeks: $600
6 weeks: $800
Fee includes weekly 60-minute video or phone meetings; instruction and writing assignments; one weekly email exchange; feedback on your work; and advice about publishing.
Brad Richard 