Editor and Mentor
As an editor and one-to-one mentor I can guide your poetry and memoir writing into a publishable book. My job is to nurture the work, ask you the difficult questions, give suggestions on order and shape as well as line edit poems and prose. I also offer one-to-one self-designed classes to mentor early writers and get them started with helpful writing prompts, fabulous reading materials and continuous feedback on new work. I can create anything from a two-hour class to a four-week course for you or your group, offer regular checking-in emails to see how your writing is going, and dedicated face-to- face meetings to check in and answer questions.
As an editor and mentor I have helped writers get started on new projects and finish existing projects, find publishers and publish books. I have offered workshops throughout BC, across Canada and further afield at colleges, festivals and retreats.
I charge $75 per hour for editing and can discuss long projects or one-off pieces, as well as workshop rates.
Please get in touch if you’d like to work with me individually, or invite me to teach a workshop.
How do you shape a stack of random poems into a manuscript?
I turned to Yvonne for help because her friendly, engaging, approachable manner made it easy for me to reach out. I had come to know her through workshops and courses, and as artistic director of Victoria’s Planet Earth Poetry reading series.
Our working together, underpinned by her intuitive, experienced mind, began with listening to what each poem was seeking. Yvonne then nudged me to search for the more potent word, for sensory detail, to strive for language muscle. She helped me refine the rhythm and flow of lines and stanzas to magnify mood and tone, a poem’s musical sense.
Yvonne taught me that listening was also important when organizing poems into a manuscript. Poems can respond, “talk” to each other, create interlinking thematic environments. She helped me discern the connective threads, guided me in the ordering of the poems so that they lead the reader organically from one to the next.
Yvonne had the patience, kindness, and the insight that I needed. She provided unfailing support as we turned a paper bag full of poems into a publishable—and finally published—manuscript (Collecting Silence, Ronsdale Press, 2017). I am deeply grateful.
—Ulrike Narwani
“Yvonne is an excellent teacher and editor. I was lucky enough to take a few courses she taught at Camosun College’s Continuing Education program. After completing her courses, I contracted with her to edit my memoir. She did an exceptional job. I would recommend her to anyone keen on learning how to write their story.”
—Linda
Books edited by Yvonne
