Poetry Editing

Welcome! I’m so glad to tell you about my poetry editing services. I copyedit and proofread poetry collections, and I also work with individual poets on their poems, giving substantive feedback on individual poems and collections.

Copyediting Poetry

Copyediting poetry usually means editing a manuscript for consistency, clarity, and correctness in preparation for being typeset/designed. I also engage in some fact-checking. While I don’t think grammatical correctness is the most important value in poetry, I do inform you about what is considered conventionally correct, so you can make your own informed decisions about following or deviating from correctness in light of what’s best for the poem and the collection as a whole. My job is not to enforce conventional norms, but to help you make decisions that support your vision.

Editing for consistency means following whatever dictionary and style guide (usually Chicago Manual of Style 18) is preferred by the poet or publisher, fact-checking place and product names as well as historical details (when appropriate), and making sure the manuscript is internally consistent. While I am not an authenticity/sensitivity reader, I do keep up on social justice issues in language use and publishing, and flag any language that might have unintended consequences.

Finally, I edit for clarity, noting specifics that are unclear and making suggestions about possible clarifications, when appropriate (because confusion can be productive and intentional in a poem).

When I copyedit a manuscript, I make at least three editing passes and provide the poet and/or managing editor with the edited manuscript, a style guide, and a detailed letter.

The poet and I usually send the manuscript back and forth until both have made sure that the manuscript is ready for production (a process called corrections or cleanup). But this is not required.

Most poets who’ve worked with me as their copyeditor have enjoyed working with me (see the testimonials) because I take each word seriously. After all, I’m a poet myself! All I do is what I would want for my own collection. I am delighted to be part of the process of bringing poets’ words to the world.

I am proud to have copyedited 25+ published poetry titles. However corny it may sound, I get deep satisfaction knowing that I’ve been part of getting these poems into the world and helping these poets’ dreams come true!

Download the complete list: Poetry and Creative Nonfiction Portfolio.

Proofreading Poetry

Proofreading means different things in different contexts. In conventional publishing, this reading the actual production copies (often PDFs called proofs) before the book is printed to ensure that they match the manuscript as closely as possible. So the first step is a side-by-side checking of the proof text and the final manuscript. Both in publishing and in other contexts, some proofreading is done blind, without reference to a final manuscript. Proofreading usually includes ensuring that there are no typos and correcting obvious errors to the text and the design, but no revisions are made. (There are exceptions.) There may be many rounds of proofs before getting to a final print-ready file.

I’ve proofread 25+poetry collections for individual poets, CavanKerry Press, and Poetry Witch Press.

Download the complete list: Poetry and Creative Nonfiction Portfolio

Content-Editing Poetry

I also work with poets on their poems and collections, providing feedback and suggestions to strengthen the work and get it closer to their vision. With three degrees in writing, fifteen years as a teacher of writing (including courses in poetry writing), many workshops and classes under my belt, and experience reading for, and editing, literary journals, I have a lot of experience in assessing a poem’s strengths, suggesting ways forward, and providing useful comments and questions.

I focus most on concrete and sensory images, thoughtful line breaks, and other issues, as needed. I look forward to working with you!