Testimonials: Editing

I’ve been working with Lisa for more than five years now across various publications and platforms. The pleasure in working with her doesn’t just stem from her knowledgeable and incisive capability as an editor, but also from her welcome contributions as an engaged colleague and premier brainstormer, both focused as well as fun.

Daneet Steffens

Lisa is a wonderfully astute editor who can help you see the big picture AND sharpen your sentences. Not only is she smart, she's fun to work with – and we got to talk a lot about General Hospital, which is never a bad thing.

Deborah Shapiro, author of The Sun in Your Eyes and The Summer Demands

Lisa Levy was one of my first freelance editors. She's sharp, savvy, and easy to work with, an editor who can help you shape your writing and guide you through the ins and outs of the publishing world.

Steph Cha, author of Your House Will Pay, editor of Best American Mystery Stories

Testimonials: Writing

Lisa Levy is one of our foremost critics and writers about the culture. She has a nose for the latest trends and when I read her stuff I always come away impressed by her street smarts.

Adrian McKinty, author of The Chain and The Island

When we published Lisa's 2013 piece on Alain de Botton’s School of Life, I sent her this email: 'Just wanted to drop a note thanking you for writing yet another brilliant and brilliantly written piece for us. Anything you want to do, any time -- we're all fans here.' She soon accepted our invitation to be editor of our Noir/Mystery section, which she revitalized, finding us some fantastic new writers, and her energy and editing skills were prodigious. I once called her 'The Beast' because she’d hand in eight pieces at once, and because I knew she'd appreciate the noirish nickname.

Tom Lutz, Editor-in-Chief, Los Angeles Review of Books

Lisa Levy used her ghostwriting skills to bring our true, first-person Guideposts stories to life in the unique voices of those who've had the kind of life-changing experiences we feature. She got to the emotional core of a story with thorough and compassionate interviewing of her narrators, enlisting their trust to divulge intimate details of their everyday lives, and sifted through all of them to find a pointed story arc. She used action, scenes and dialogue to produce an engaging and proven recipe for success in a narrator's overcoming a personal challenge, big or small, and fashioned a larger, compelling message out of each person's experience for our readers' benefit in their own lives.

Colleen Hughes, Guideposts and Angels on Earth magazines

TESTIMONIALS: TEACHING

I have taken two creative nonfiction courses with Lisa in the past year, and each class was the highlight of my week. She introduced me to many writers I hadn’t read and made me think about my writing through a more critical lens. As a teacher, Lisa gives her students permission to go deep into the work and provides a welcoming, warm space where conversations about literature and writing can naturally unfold.

—Caroline Topperman, student in Creative Nonfiction I, University of Toronto Continuing Studies

Within the last year, I’ve taken two online workshop classes with Lisa Levy through Hugo House in Seattle. In “Foiling the Marriage Plot”, and  “Getting to Know You”, Lisa assigned readings to inspire research about the concept of marriage, or about using an interview to profile a person or idea. She suggested ways that students could use these topics to develop personal projects. In addition to introducing challenging assignments and thoughtful discussions, I also felt that LIsa made an effort to include each student in a way that recognized our different learning styles. I would definitely take another class with Lisa, on any literary subject.

—Cy Matthews Semrau, student in “Foiling the Marriage Plot” and “Getting to Know You” at Hugo House

The Pop Culture writing class with Lisa Levy was absolutely wonderful! I didn’t even really care about pop culture when I started, but found myself so engaged with the class and the discussions, the readings and the writing. Lisa is really, very good at pop culture. And she’s wonderful at pushing you in a good direction without really telling you where to go. A gentle nudge that gets you thinking, basically, and then you’re off to the races. The classes aren’t inexpensive, but if you can make room in your budget, I would highly recommend this class if you have any interest at all in pop culture writing. The Wet Ink platform that Writing Workshops uses is pretty cool, too.

—Rachel Hearn, student in “Everyone’s a Critic” at WWD

I've worked with many editors and Lisa is up there with the best. Her feedback helped me finally see how to fix an essay I've been wrestling with for over a year. My future work will also be stronger because of how she highlighted some of my writing "bad habits," along with strengths I hadn't noticed before. Her editing style is clear, straightforward without being abrupt, and always productive. My biggest takeaway from the experience is that Lisa genuinely loves reading and working out the puzzle of making work the best it can be on its own terms.
—Sara Tatyana Bernstein, PhD, student in Personal Essay and Memoir at Sackett Street Writers

The reading and writing Lisa assigned me was not "homework." I felt lucky to have Lisa's literary hand guiding my reading choices for eight weeks. Lisa has a finger to the pulse of the literary world, and has (in just a few weeks) guided me to authors, styles, and ways of thinking that both challenge me to grow, and align with my goals as a reader & writer.
Nothing gets by Lisa. She is precise in her naming of voice, style, and literary device etc.; she inspires me to be just as careful/open-eyed in my close reading and critique. At the same time, she is a generous conversationalist. Lisa buoys all student-perspectives, and invites nuance in the interpretation of readings--even those she's taught for years.
Lisa is a swift, clever editor of works-in-progress. She helped me re-see my essay draft on both the macro level of narrative structure/organization, and on the micro-level of sentence configuration. She will help you "Kill Your Darlings" without killing your self-esteem/ in the most freeing of ways.

—Martha Krausz, student in Personal Essay and Memoir at Sackett Street Writers and in Foiling the Marriage Plot at WWD

Lisa Levy’s class, “Pitch to Publication,” was tremendous. She provided so many resources I’d never heard (and I thought I knew a lot!) Her concise, honest, and generous critique of my pitch was terrific. I instantly where I needed to improve it, and hadn’t seen it prior. Amazing how insightful she is. I highly recommend her class and anything she teaches!

—Lisa Johnson Mitchell, student in Pitch to Publication workshop

TESTIMONIALS: ONE-ON-ONE CLIENTS

I’m a novice writer and Lisa has helped me find my voice. She not only has great ideas on story structure and development but also a sense of when you need encouragement and feedback to keep working toward your goal. Her guidance has taken my writing to a new level and I love working with her.

—Matt Sterling, memoir student

Elizabeth Raney

Transitioning from an academic writing background to a more historical nonfiction writing format has been a challenge for me. Lisa has been patient and knowledgeable with the difference between the two and has guided me on how to drop the academic tone to find my own voice in historical nonfiction writing. Writing about the arts is a narrow field. Lisa has educated herself to the artists and time of my focus and has been an asset for editing and writing ideas and directions to consider. She is easy to talk to, smart, well researched for our meetings, and kind. I highly recommend her as an editor with whatever genre you are writing about!

—Elizabeth Raney, author of Warhol, Dr. Seuss, and the Making of America

Lisa Levy enabled me to see the shape of my book and organize my material when I got bogged down. She read deeply for subtext and helped me surface the themes in my work. I had never undertaken a memoir before. With Lisa at my back, I felt less intimidated. Her keen knowledge of genre helped me understand what my narrator needed to do. All this while she kept me laughing!

—Kathryn Trueblood, Take Daily As Needed

Lisa’s mentorship has transformed the way I approach every aspect of the writing process – from conceptualizing essays and strengthening syntax to writing compelling pitches and optimizing my public profile. Lisa’s depth of experience and insightful advice has been critical in guiding my transition from academic writing to more general interest and creative non-fiction publications.

—Natasha Varmer

I spent several months in a writing mentorship with Lisa, and she helped me break loose from my academic writing to make my work more publishable. I am writing about the lives of criminals, and she was right there with me—understood the nuance I was trying to capture. She is thoroughly professional as well as kind, and very productive. She taught me how to get out of my rut and be more creative. Very helpful.

—Kate Allen

I am in the early stages of working with Lisa, but already the change in my productivity and outlook on writing is palpable. She has provided valuable advice and recommendations, and helped cultivate a mindset that has re-energized my writing practice. Not only does she offer practical help with deadlines, suggestions, and attainable goals, she also sees me as a writer, understands my unique challenges and my voice, and has shown me that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm so excited for what's to come!

—Devi Singh

Working with Lisa Levy is rewarding and inspiring. She keeps me focused, productive, and up-to-date on the latest publications in my areas of expertise. I recommend her without qualification as a mentor and writing coach.

—Amy Stambach (author of Faith in Schools and Lessons from Mount Kilimanjaro)

I came into my three-month mentorship program with Lisa with very tactical expectations, and left with so much more as a writer. I had three essays I wanted to work on, and I hoped that Lisa could help me prepare them for submission. Not only did Lisa provide me with guidance and edits on those pieces, but she helped me become a better and more serious writer, in multiple ways. She helped me build a rich and regular writing practice, she guided me through the ups and downs of writing, she made excellent and inspirational book recommendations that nourish my writing life, she helped me set ambitious and attainable goals as a writer, and she exposed me to resources, templates, and strategies for the publishing side of things. I got so much out of our time together, and would highly recommend Lisa to anyone looking for guidance, excellent edits, accountability, and someone who will support you as a whole writer.

—Julie Shah Lamba