Your vision. Your rhythm. Your voice.

For a poetry all your own.

 
 

Our online poetry coaching, poetry tutoring, and poetry editing services benefit creative writers at all levels of craft, from beginners to prize-winning poets. Contact us to expand your poetic repertoire, improve your latest draft, or explore new avenues for self-expression.

explore poetry

 

Our Pillars

Learn what sets the Gilliam Writers Group apart.

 

A Hands-On Approach

write better, together.

 
Gilliam Writers Group is committed to providing actionable, practical feedback that helps every client become a better writer, no matter their training or goals. We believe that a creative writing coach should offer not only technical support, but a collaborative, participatory learning experience, to each person they work with. The interactive, growth-oriented nature of this service is what distinguishes writing coaching from editing; while editing is asynchronous, coaching calls for real-time human connection. While editing is product-focused, coaching attends equally to the writer, their product, and their process of production.

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GWG’s poetry coaches take a hands-on approach to our clients’ writing. Though this might seem incompatible with the virtual format of our meetings, it isn’t; we’ve found that our online sessions are highly effective for learning — not despite, but because of their digital format. Meeting on Zoom and Google Docs allows the participants to engage with written text in organic, cooperative ways; by collaborating on cloud-based documents, our coaches can shift seamlessly between dialogue and demonstration, idea and experiment, critique and revision. The virtual environment introduces an unprecedented level of immediacy into the workshopping process, making it possible for us to intervene in our clients’ output far more naturally than we could in a physical setting.
Practically speaking, this means our creative writing coaches can mark up your work with you live on video, demystifying editorial methods. We can observe your writing process unfolding in real time and provide actionable pointers on technique. We can instantly demonstrate the skills you want to learn — all without the awkwardness of peering over each other’s shoulders or passing notebooks back and forth.
If you’re still feeling uncertain (or excited!) about the logistics of one-on-one poetry writing classes online, we invite you to contact us or schedule a free consultation call. A representative from our company’s leadership team will be happy to answer any questions you may have and match you with a professional fiction writing consultant. If you’re ready to take the plunge and schedule your first coaching session, get in touch.

Long-Term Collaboration

coaching changes lives.

 
Whether you’re an unhurried beginner interested in learning to write poetry, a deadline-facing author who needs to find a poetry editor ASAP, or a devoted hobbyist seeking a few months of online poetry lessons, we hope you’ll consider building a long-term creative partnership with your GWG poetry writing coach. Why? Because the longer you work with a writing coach, the more impactful their insight becomes. A coach’s most valuable assets — nuanced interpersonal awareness, an intuitive grasp of clients’ evolving skill sets, and deep familiarity with their work — aren’t available off-the-shelf.

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These layers of comprehension take time to emerge, relying on data from months and even years of regular meetings. As time passes and the client-coach relationship deepens, this data becomes understanding, and informs our work as creative writing coaches in countless beneficial ways. We rely on the long process of trial and error to gain perspective on which interventions lead to the greatest improvements in a given client’s writing, for example, or which strategies most consistently mitigate their writer’s block. The more thoroughly we know our clients as individuals, the more precisely and impactfully we can apply our expertise to their writing.
Many of our senior faculty members have met with the same clients weekly for years; in fact, several of GWG’s very first customers are still active in our community today. Long-term collaboration is a core value of the Gilliam Writers Group, foundational to both the sustainability of our business and the quality of our services. To this end, our pricing structure incentivizes long-term coach-client relationships. For more, see our Pricing page.

Qualified Faculty

training you can trust.

 
The Gilliam Writers Group faculty is composed of highly trained writers, expert editors, and experienced writing consultants. Scroll through our Faculty page and you’ll see graduate degrees in writing and literature from the country’s top MFA and PhD programs; years of professional experience in the publishing industry, media, business, and education; and exemplary track records of literary publication.

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Writing by our faculty and emeritus faculty appears in top publications including The New Yorker, Bookforum, Artforum, Granta, Longreads, The Southern Review, CNN Opinions, Tin House, A Public Space, The New York Times, AGNI, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Cincinnati Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, American Poetry Review, The Common, Los Angeles Review of Books, Ploughshares, and more.
We have been published by Simon and Schuster and Penguin Random House, among other presses large and small, and have earned multiple awards and prizes for fiction, poetry, and criticism.
Before hiring an online writing instructor through the Gilliam Writers Group, we invite you to request a writing sample from their portfolio. That way, you can experience for yourself the exceptional combination of talent and training our team has to offer.

Our Solutions

Perfect your technique, improve your draft, or learn to write poetry of any kind with an online writing coach, poetry tutor, or manuscript editor. We work in every poetic form and genre, with writers of all ages and experience levels.

Writing Coaching for Poetry

Private, real-time support.

 
Looking to develop your poetry writing skills? The Gilliam Writers Group offers personalized online poetry coaching to help you achieve your creative goals. Whether you're writing for personal interest, self-exploration, publication, performance, or with any other goal in mind, a poetry writing coach can help.

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Perhaps you want to explore new poetic forms and styles, or you want to push yourself to write more consistently. Our coaches can collaborate with you to create a custom curriculum emphasizing your specific needs and interests. In one-on-one virtual meetings, your poetry writing coach will deliver detailed feedback on your work, offer responsive writing prompts, and guide you through various aspects of the writing process. We also provide comprehensive instruction on foundational techniques such as meter, structure, and imagery, giving you the tools you need to craft compelling, meaningful poems. Our coaches offer some of the best online poetry courses available; just have a look at our Testimonials page to see what our clients have to say about them!
Robert Frost said that poetry ends in “clarification,” culminating in “a momentary stay against confusion.” For clients seeking to deepen their self-understanding, poetry coaching can be an especially valuable experience. Poetry connects us with our internal reality in a way that few other forms of writing can. A skilled poetry writing coach can guide you through this process of distilling feeling and using language to express the ineffable. With your coach’s support, you’ll explore new avenues of expression in pursuit of self-awareness and personal growth. To find a poetry mentor capable of facilitating both self-exploration and rigorous literary instruction, look to the Gilliam Writers Group.
Our online poetry coaches also work with writers who are seeking to publish their work. Whether you’re an aspiring poet aiming to submit your work to literary journals or a seasoned author intent on honing your submission strategies, our faculty can advise you and critique your writing. We’ll provide expert guidance on the submission process in all its glorious tedium, including researching publication venues and contests, crafting effective cover letters, and formatting your work for submission. We can also help you revise any pieces that aren’t accepted, introducing you to new editorial strategies. Once you’ve worked with us, you’ll gain the confidence and resilience to submit your poems for publication.
Not keen on publishing? Our poetry coaching service is also ideal for clients who just want to write for fun. Many of us love writing poetry when we’re young, then give it up either for lack of time or due to discouragement. If you’re itching to pick up the pen again, we’re ready to guide you back into writing. Writing poetry is a great way to de-stress, gain perspective on life, or channel some pent-up creativity. Whatever your goals for exploring this literary form, our poetry coaches are here to help you fulfill them.
If you need hands-on poetry help online, from lessons in the basics of craft to professional editorial feedback, then GWG is the firm for you. To learn more about poetry coaching or our custom online poetry writing courses, please reach out or schedule a no-cost consultation call with a representative from our leadership team. Though our services are almost exclusively virtual, any clients interested in setting up a poetry writing class near you are welcome to contact us with the relevant details. In a limited number of cases, we may be able to organize sessions in New York City, where many of our coaches live.

Coaching for Collections & Chapbooks

The long haul, made lighter.

 
Given the time and effort it takes to produce one quality poem (even a very short one), it’s easy to feel daunted by the prospect of writing a full-length poetry collection. In poetry, there are no shortcuts — writing in this literary form requires focus, contemplation, and patience. Add to that the subsequent demands of manuscript editing and arrangement, and even the most experienced poets may find themselves reeling from the scale of the project. For beginners, the doubt can be paralyzing.

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Technical inexperience, excessive self-criticism, trouble with setting a writing schedule, short-term thinking, imposter syndrome — these are just a few of the many (conquerable) obstacles that prevent capable writers from starting — and finishing — poetry collections. What a loss for readers! Luckily, the Gilliam Writers Group has a solution – one we’ve seen succeed time and time again. ur faculty have supported countless creative writers, from hobbyists to full-time professionals, and we have found that no matter a client’s training or experience, regular meetings with a poetry writing coach can significantly ease the process of planning, drafting, and editing a new collection or chapbook.
Your coaching sessions are yours; make of these meetings what you will. Some clients seek structured, linear guidance as they piece together their manuscript; their sessions might resemble a series of online poetry writing classes, weekly tutorials structured around topics like rhythm, meter, tone, and figurative language, through which they learn and practice the fundamentals of craft. Other clients prefer a more open-ended format, approaching each meeting not as a formal “poetry writing class” but something more like an editorial exchange, a back-and-forth critique in which client and coach pursue new ideas organically. If you want the structure of a custom online poetry course, your writing coach will consult with you on the course’s aims, trajectory, and focus areas. If you’re more interested in workshop-style feedback or developmental editing for your manuscript (delivered in regular weekly or bi-weekly meetings), our coaches can provide that as well.
You do not need a full manuscript, or the rough drafts of several poems, or even a basic unifying concept, to work with a poetry writing coach on your collection or chapbook. All you need is the desire to write creatively and a willingness to engage in the coaching process. If you’re looking for a long-term poetry mentor who can help you see an ambitious project through, you’ve come to the right place.
Please note that writing coaching takes place live on Zoom and Google Docs. Though most of our work is virtual, the Gilliam Writers Group may also offer poetry writing classes near you — especially if you live in New York City. To discuss options for a private novel writing class in NYC, please contact us. For more information on our asynchronous editing services, see our Editing page.

Poetry Tutoring for Beginners

Structured poetry lessons online.

 
Poetry can be intimidating to read and write, especially for newcomers. All too often, popularly held beliefs about poetry’s “abstractness” or “inaccessibility” prevent writers from experiencing the genre’s many wonders: the paths to meaning that this ancient form of writing preserves for us. With guidance from a poetry writing tutor, you’ll gain the skill and confidence to explore this rich corner of our literary heritage, and through it, your own inner world. Whatever your motivations, our modern poetry tutoring service can help.

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At the Gilliam Writers Group, we believe that every writer stands to benefit – often in far-reaching and unexpected ways — from learning to write poetry, especially if they’ve never committed to trying it before. That’s why we offer one-on-one poetry tutoring to beginners of all ages and backgrounds; in our experience, the joys of creativity and intellectual growth do not diminish, but deepen with time. We love working with students in every stage of life, and invest just as much energy in our poetry classes for adults as we do in those for our younger students.
Poetry tutoring differs from writing coaching in that it is geared toward novices, ambitious beginners whose primary aim is to learn how to write poetry (rather than to produce more work, build on preexisting skills, or simply have fun – the three most common goals of our coaching clients). Sessions with a poetry tutor are therefore more structured and pedagogical in nature, often taking the form of beginner poetry lessons centered on a predetermined curriculum of academic-style assignments and readings.
For instance, one of our modern poetry tutors (“modern” as in the literary period) might organize a historically informed free-verse practicum, with units covering nineteenth-century techniques used by Walt Whitman; by modernist poets such as Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot; by the Beat Generation of Alan Ginsburg and his contemporaries; and by prominent 21st-century poets including Courtney Lamar Charleston, Louise Glück, and Mary Oliver.
Most of our students find that poetry is a deeply rewarding addition to their lives. Poetry teaches us that as creative writers, our talent for verbal description is both a priceless gift and a limiting compulsion. To start conveying more in fewer words, we have to cultivate patience, self-awareness, and a playful, open attitude toward language. Most of all, we have to practice; in creative writing, theory is useless without the repetition that turns it into instinct. This is where formal training comes in handy. A qualified English poetry tutor can provide the instructional scaffolding you need to begin incorporating abstract literary concepts and techniques into your writing in a consistent, repeatable way.
The Gilliam Writers Group is uniquely well-equipped to teach this kind of “praxis” (theory combined with practice). That’s because all of our poetry tutors are not only skilled instructors but accomplished poets in their own right. GWG team members have published poetry in some of the most distinguished literary journals in the US and beyond, as well as in several major collections and anthologies (more every year). Our faculty’s extensive writing experience makes them singularly insightful teachers, mentors, and creative partners.
Ready to strengthen your command of poetic techniques? Eager to improve your latest draft? Curious about one-on-one poetry lessons online? Let’s set up a conversation. No matter your level of experience, we’d love to discuss how our online poetry tutoring service can benefit you. Just click here to book a no-cost, fifteen-minute consultation call with a Gilliam Writers Group Enrollment Manager.

Asynchronous Editing Services

Quality revisions. Clear recommendations.

 
Are you a poet seeking fresh perspectives on your work? Or maybe you're a publisher who wants to find a poetry editor you can trust – someone capable of giving your newest anthology the subtle treatment it deserves. If you need high-quality revisions from a trained literary professional, look no further than GWG’s poetry editing services. Our experienced editors work with clients at every stage of the creative process, from conceptualizing and drafting to revising and publishing.

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Why choose editing over the other options listed on this page? Well, not every client has the time to invest in a poetry course online, or the need for a poetry writing coach or tutor. That's where our online poetry editors come in. While writing coaching takes place in real-time, editing occurs asynchronously; after consulting with you via email, text, or call, your editor will mark up your document and make notes independently, sticking to whatever timeline you’ve agreed upon beforehand. Because this service is product-focused (rather than person-focused) and light on clients’ schedules, it’s a convenient option for anyone who needs results without the commitment of regular meetings.
Our poetry editors support a wide range of clients, including established poets seeking a critical eye, emerging poets hoping to hone their craft, and busy publishers looking for the right fit for their poetry publications. Browse GWG’s own list of publications, and you’ll see that many of our faculty members are accomplished poets themselves. At the Gilliam Writers Group, we believe that people who write poems are best-equipped to edit them. Why? Because doing so (and doing it well) requires more than informed appreciation — it requires intuitive, experiential knowledge of what it’s like to produce this finely calibrated form of literature. It's not just about maintaining stylistic cohesion, or ensuring a piece adheres to certain technical standards. It's about understanding the nuances of language, the rhythms of verse, and the impact a poem can have on its readers.
When you hire a professional poetry editor who is also a poet, you're hiring someone who has cultivated a profound intuition for poetry’s power — and fragility. Someone who understands the challenges poets face when attempting to convey sophisticated emotions and ideas through language (so often a blunt tool), and who knows how to help you refine the body of your work without touching its soul. In our view, each poem under consideration, whether on its own or as part of a larger collection, deserves careful scrutiny during the critical process, which should attend — with caution — to even the slightest linguistic disharmonies.
Our online poetry editors are experts at this kind of meticulous, detail-oriented work, just as we are experts at making big-picture revisions. Whether you're looking to polish a single poem or revise a complete manuscript, our editors can bring your vision to life; we'll provide the focused attention and constructive feedback you need to take your writing to the next level, addressing everything from the structure and flow of your poem, to your use of imagery and metaphor, to subtle variations of tone and voice.
If you're interested in speaking with a representative from our leadership team to learn more about our poetry editing services or find a poetry editor for your latest work, please see our Editing page (Services — Editing).

All Poetic Styles & Genres

A coach for every client.

 
The Gilliam Writers Group faculty has experience in every major category of poetry, whether rhythmic, rhymed, both, or neither. We’re comfortable working in formal verse (consistent meter and rhyme scheme), blank verse (consistent meter but no rhyme scheme), and free verse (no strict meter or rhyme scheme).
Furthermore, whatever your preferred genre, at least one professional on our team has either written it or supported an author who has. We read, write, and teach it all: lyric, epic, narrative, ode, elegiac, dramatic, experimental, classical, and beyond.

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Finally, our coaches and tutors can teach you how to write a poem in any traditional, historical, or regional form (including the sestina, ghazal, villanelle, haibun, sonnet, ballad, etc.). Learning to work within the rules of these forms – and studying how countless different poets have made them their own over time – can strengthen your writing skills immensely, poetic and otherwise.
In other words, don’t be shy with your inquiries – nothing is too “obscure.” If you’re not sure what interests you, that’s okay, too! All you have to do is schedule your consultation call, and our Enrollment Managers will take care of the rest.

 Determining Fit

Is Gilliam right for you? Learn more about how – and who – a poetry writing coach can help.

  • Hobbyists who write creatively for fun

    Poets (of all levels) interested in seeking publication, entering writing contests, or submitting their poems to literary magazines and journals

    Professional writers in other genres who want to try out poetry

    Professional and published poets who require additional support (beyond their current agents, editors, or publishers)

    Students interested in improving their work or exploring a passion for poetry

    Clients and students of all ages and all academic / professional backgrounds

    Total beginners who want to try out poetry tutoring or learn new skills

    Applicants to writing fellowships, writing residencies, MFA programs in poetry, etc.

  • Guide you through the processes of submitting your work and seeking publication (we have lots of experience querying agents, pitching to journals & literary magazines, etc.)

    Help you start – and finish – a poem or collection of poems

    Work with you to edit, restructure, and improve your existing work – if you’re interested in hiring an asynchronous (outside-of-session) editor, please read the “Poetry Editing Services” section above, or visit our main Editing page

    Give you the skills you need to revise your own work independently, whether you’re writing at a beginner, intermediate, or advanced level

    Deepen your grasp of rhythm, meter, and structure through poetry coaching

    Support you in finding your voice as a writer

    Teach you to communicate more clearly and elegantly in verse, or to write poems in a certain style, genre, or traditional form

    Reinforce your mastery of grammar and punctuation, even by providing formal grammar lessons if desired

    Strengthen your overall writing practice by advising you on time management, planning, and writing strategy

    Help you learn to write poetry if you’re a total beginner – see the above section on our poetry tutoring services

    Guide you through a private, highly customized poetry course online

    Meet with you regularly on a weekly or biweekly basis (online via video chat and a shared digital document) for writing coaching or tutoring

    Offer encouragement and motivation beyond technical feedback

    Facilitate engaging and productive writing coaching sessions, even when you don’t show up with any written work

    Match you with a well-qualified and unobjectionable poetry helper online

    Provide and co-sign a thorough NDA to protect your privacy as a client of the Gilliam Writers Group

  • Write poems on your behalf or produce written work for you outside of meetings

    Read or edit your poetry without payment, on our own time

    Take responsibility for your attendance at coaching sessions (though we will absolutely remind and encourage you to attend)

    Force you to maintain a certain writing schedule (we can help you create a schedule, but we cannot ensure that you stick to it)

    Guarantee publication, admission to programs or fellowships, or a successful career in poetry / creative writing

    Tolerate plagiarism of any kind

    Take the place of a therapist – we are coaches, tutors and editors, not counselors

    Guarantee that one of our faculty members will be available to provide poetry classes near you (we do, however, guarantee that we can provide online poetry classes of the very highest quality)

    Act as your representative or personal correspondent to agencies, agents, publishers, magazines, journals, contest administrators, admissions boards, or any other person or entity

Pricing

Poetry coaching and poetry tutoring cost between $85 and $200 per hour. To learn more about our rate structure, use the drop-down menu below or visit our pricing page for authors, creatives, and professionals.

  • The Gilliam Writers Group bills hourly for online creative writing coaching, following our standard rate model for time-based services.

Getting Started

Connect with a poetry writing coach in 3 simple steps. Our onboarding process is thorough and convenient, resulting in successful client-coach matches.

Step 1

Schedule your consultation.

 
To connect with a creative writing coach on the Gilliam Writers Group faculty, we invite you to first schedule a free, 15-minute consultation call with a representative from our company’s leadership team.

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During this intake call, we’ll guide you through a series of standardized questions about your background, experience, and goals, taking detailed notes on your responses. These notes will form the basis of your client brief – an internal document central to GWG’s client-coach matching process. The client brief ensures that we can help you find a poetry mentor who suits your particular needs and preferences. After answering any lingering questions, your representative will conclude the call and email you two important documents.
First, you’ll receive our new client onboarding brochure, a PDF containing useful resources including a list of best practices, contact information for everyone on our leadership team, and the link to a feedback form you can submit at any point during your work with the Gilliam Writers Group. Second, you will receive a link to our service agreement (fillable online). We co-sign this form with all new clients to establish clear terms of engagement and, above all, to protect your interests – for example, to legally bind ourselves to nondisclosure. You can later dissolve this agreement at any time, for any reason, with just 24 hours’ notice.

Step 2

Connect with your coach.

 
Within 24 hours of your consultation call, your newly assigned writing coach will reach out via email and text to schedule your first session.

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At this point, they’ll already have a clear sense of your background, needs, and preferred meeting schedule; it is our policy to always read a new client’s brief before making contact. This mitigates redundancy in GWG’s onboarding process; as you establish communication with your poetry coach, you won’t need to rehash the basics of your interest in online poetry lessons, for example, or the personality profile of your ideal poetry writing helper. Your coach will already be in the loop.

Step 3

Enjoy your first session.

 
Our online writing coaching sessions take place on Zoom and Google Docs, and emphasize guided, real-time practice combined with immediate feedback.

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The structure of your first session will depend largely on your particular needs and the discernment of your coach; there is no standard formula, though most such meetings are necessarily focused on gathering information, assessing the client’s writing and goals, and developing a plan of action. After your first session, we suggest that you and your coach agree on a regular weekly or biweekly (once every two weeks) meeting time and stick to it. Over the years, we have found that consistent weekly or biweekly sessions generate the clearest improvements in our clients’ writing and writing processes.
The Gilliam Writers Group is primarily an online company; however, if you’re interested in setting up in-person poetry classes near you, please contact us. In certain cases, we may be able to offer a poetry course in NYC, which is home to a large part of our community.

Swapping Coaches

just in case.

 
If you find that you and your writing coach aren’t a match, or you decide to work with other GWG faculty in the future, our leadership team can support you in choosing another poetry writing coach.

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Before matching you with another faculty member, we will usually suggest that you first tell your writing coach as clearly as possible what you believe is missing in your work together. Open, honest dialogue is essential to the service we offer; all GWG coaches have strong interpersonal skills, but none of us can read minds.
If clear communication does not yield the hoped-for results, or you no longer want to work with your writing coach for any reason, just let our leadership team know. We’ll initiate a new, more streamlined client-coach matching process, supplementing your original client brief (the one created during your initial consultation call) with updated information to reflect both your progress and the reasons you are pausing work with your previous coach.

Interested in working with a poetry writing coach, tutor, or editor?

Schedule a free consultation call with a Gilliam Writers Group Enrollment Manager. We’ll help you find a writing coach online in 24 hours or less.

You can book your call directly on our scheduling page by clicking the button below:

 

  • Brady Gilliam, Founder

  • Tadeh Kennedy, Enrollment Manager

  • Misha McDaniel, Enrollment Manager

 

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