Testimonials

Teacher

“Meg Pokrass is a transformative force for any writer of the short form. I turned to her for support on two separate projects with extraordinary results: my flash fiction chapbook, Combat Zones, won the Boudin Flash Fiction Chapbook Contest, judged by Roxane Gay, and my creative nonfiction chapbook, The Island of Ghost Ships, was accepted for publication by Finishing Line Press. Her editorial eye is surgical yet soulful. She doesn’t just edit, she helps you see what your writing is truly capable of. Whether you are writing fiction or CNF, her mentorship is the best investment you can make in your writing career.

–Jamy Bond

“I wrote a 200-word story… and a brilliant editor, Meg Pokrass, helped make smart, delicate cuts.”

–Jane Ciabattari, former president the National Book Critics Circle, columnist BBC.com

“I don’t write short fiction, but Meg encouraged me to try my hand. I did have a failed poem sitting around that I just couldn’t wrangle into shape, so I pulled it out of form and began to work on it like a story. I sent it to Meg and she did a fantastic job of editing the piece. It was published in SmokeLong Quarterly. Meg wrote me that the piece was later chosen by Wigleaf Top 50, long listed as one of the best shorts on the web. I thought that would be the end of it, but then she wrote again and asked for more so I went back into my files and found another failed poem. With Meg’s super fine editing skills, was also published.”

–Dorianne Laux, winner of the Best American Poetry Prize, the Pushcart Prize, author of “Awake” and “What We Carry”

“Meg is an elevator lifting me above my messy drafts. Meg is a microwave zapping my uncooked stories. Meg is a zoo inviting me to monkey the page. Meg is a tulip cousin of color, shape, and fringe. Meg is a mentor sister imagination buddy. I adore her. And you will, too. If you’re lucky enough to get the chance to work with MP, grab it with both hands—fingers, and toes, too!”

–Bella Mayhew Carter, Author of Raw and Secrets of My Sex

“Meg is amazing. She helped me tremendously with editing and arranging “Dressed all wrong for this” and in fact came up with the title.”-Francine Witte, Author

“Working with Meg Pokrass on my collection of micro fiction was a great experience. Her eye for detail, her ear for tone, her grasp of the individual stories and how they worked together as a collection, was immensely helpful. Meg is one of those rare individuals who is a masterful writer, teacher, and editor. And, she is kind, brilliant, honest, and funny. Her editing skill and thorough approach enhanced my craft, improved my collection, and left me buoyed and grateful.”

–Guy Biederman, Translated From The Original: One-inch Punch Fiction

“I would not be writing flash without Meg Pokrass. I found my voice in flash. I didn’t even understand what that meant — finding your voice — until, suddenly, I realized I had done it. It was because of the community Meg built, the encouragement she offered, and, maybe more than anything, explaining to me what worked when it worked — why this story was better than that one. I’ve said I would not be writing flash without Meg and that’s true. I might not even be writing at all. The encouragement and finding my feet with her help came at a critical time for me.”

–Epiphany Ferrell, Author

“Meg has recently been mentoring and supporting me with a manuscript of stories. I can’t recommend her highly enough. Her astute observations, suggestions and edits have, in my opinion, transformed the whole collection. Her enthusiasm and encouragement have also really helped my confidence as a writer and I’m excited to soon submit the finished collection. Great value in every sense.”

–Jane Salmons, Author

“Taking Meg’s workshops and teaching ekphrastic workshops together has given me a window into her amazing imagination and improved my own writing immeasurably. She is a dynamite storyteller, but also has a very special gift for helping to shape a story. It is incredible how she will pull out the heart of the story and help a writer rearrange or finish it. Meg can help you bring your stories to life in a magical way.”

–Lorette C. Luzajic, Founder of the Ekphrastic Review

“Meg’s workshops are incredible. She is so generous to the writing community. Her feedback is thoughtful and intuitive and I always come away feeling inspired. She is a true creative force! My writing has grown so much because of her.”

–Karen Crawford, Author

“Meg Pokrass is an extraordinary editor. I was overwhelmed by the intimidating task of pulling together existing pieces as well as writing new work for my memoir. In a confident and reassuring manner, Meg helped me organize a writing schedule with actionable deliverables. Within a few months, I had a working draft. She then helped me edit the pieces resulting in multiple individual publications. I’m now in the process of submitting my memoir for publication, something a year ago that didn’t seem possible. Meg has my highest recommendation and appreciation.”

–Jeff Harvey, Founding Editor, Gooseberry Pie

“Meg’s insightful comments in my manuscript draft helped me see what I needed to do next before querying. What I also appreciated the most in Meg is that she’s fully transparent about her process. She tells me the turn-around timeline; she is responsive, supportive, and answered all my questions I sent her by email messages. I trust her fully, not only as an editor but as a writing coach and mentor.”

–Christine H. Chen, Winner of the Fractured Lit Anthology Prize

I was grateful to find an editor as accomplished and specialized in flash as Meg Pokrass. Her wise counsel substantially improved my manuscript. She introduced publication possibilities I hadn’t thought of, and was encouraging and generous with advice on where I might find receptive editors/judges/audiences for my work. It was exactly the kind of feedback I needed.

–Susan Starbird, Author

“Meg read my novella draft closely and offered many useful character-development insights. She also addressed practical details such as skillful placement of, for example, time-and-place markers. Her honest reactions, without judgment, enabled me to review scenes, characters, and objectives, with a fresh eye.”

–-BettyJoyce Nash, Author of Everybody Here is Kin