Upcoming Workshops

Classes are currently in session. Check back in September for Jenny’s next creative writing offering.

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Jenny is able to create a special magic in her classes: a product of both her multitude natural gifts and her finely-honed teaching craft. She creates a warm, loving, deeply personal container which, when combined with the varied structure and thoughtfully curated prompts and themes, really lays a potent ground for magic to arise. I did some of my best writing in years with Jenny. She helped me discover abilities and insights I didn’t know I had.“

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Writing Services

Creative writing is a vessel for connection: to ourselves, to each other, and to the world. It’s a way of deepening into the experience of being alive. To tell one’s own story is a pathway to honesty and deep knowing, a potent kind of power, a form of love.

Teaching background: I serve as the Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Seguinland Institute, where I facilitate university-level creative writing intensives based around multi-genre exploration, climate solutions, and environmental journalism. I teach craft and professional development seminars at Stonecoast MFA‘s biannual residencies, and offer workshops at Hugo House and Maine Media Workshops. My past teaching experiences include the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, as well as creative writing-focused outdoor expeditions with Hurricane Island Outward Bound, The Telling Room, and Adventures in Good Company. With over a decade of experience as a professional writer and creative writing instructor, 18 years as a guide and educator, and an MFA from Stonecoast, I offer an extensive array of tools to help you unlock new and exciting writing, sharpen your craft, and step into the creative life you desire. I would love to walk with you on your writing journey!

Who I work with: My most frequent private students are intermediate and advanced nonfiction storytellers who are working on book projects, memoir, personal essays, or literary short form and want to take their craft to the next level; and creative writers who want to get into an MFA program, apply for writing residencies, or step intentionally into a writing project or career.

Mentorship Offerings

Creative Coaching: My most popular offering, this is a flexible, customized option for writers looking to generate new work, achieve a writing goal, develop a writing career, or carry a project over the finish line. Services are customized to the individual, and deliverables depend on the writer’s goals, needs, and budget.

Available offerings include:

• Generating new work through a series of custom-tailored prompts and/or 1-on-1 writing sessions via Zoom
• Creative goal-setting: together, we’ll chart a path to applying for an MFA, winning an artist residency, submitting for publication, or finishing a writing project
• Book proposal feedback and coaching
• Manuscript feedback (see below)

Manuscript Critiques: This option is for creative work (personal essays, memoir excerpts, or short nonfiction) that is ready for the revision process. Good writing comes from deep noticing, an authentic voice, and a clear question. I will read your writing with a focus on voice, setting, characterization, and structure, as well as other elements that need attention. You will receive a line-edited manuscript with craft suggestions and ideas for deepening the work, and a one-page letter or a voice memo addressing the overall needs of the piece.

Group workshops: Give your community the gift of creativity! Through an engaging and inspiring workshop custom-tailored to you and your fellow writers, you’ll generate creative material, hone your craft and storytelling skills, and forge closer connections by sharing your work aloud with each other. Appropriate for writers of all levels and genres. Delivered in person or via Zoom.

Creative Writing Wilderness Trips: I collaborate with local outdoor guides and outfitters to offer group creative expeditions that immerse you in the natural world, build intimate connections between fellow writers, and leave you feeling inspired and proud of what you wrote during our time together. Adventure offerings include backpacking, hiking, lodge-to-lodge skiing or snowshoeing, ocean or flat water kayaking, packrafting, canoeing, and international travel. Length and accommodations vary based on your preference — reach out to receive a quote and build a custom adventure!

Testimonials

“Jenny has a way of helping me get out of my own way. Through her coaching and guidance, I was able to push aside the judge that camps out in my head, and write freely and authentically. She helps me write in my own voice.“

Johanna Sorrell, Creative Writing Workshop