Fall Manuscript Intensive – Poetry Focus

In-Person – In-person at Harvey Milk Center, on the phone, or online via zoom

Instructor: SFCWI Writers

Schedule: asynchronous

Oct 1 – 31, 2026

Tuition: $1200

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Get one-on-one editing, coaching and support to polish your first poetry collection

Send your poetry book out without uncertainty, wondering, or self-doubt. Instead, work with one of our editors to get your manuscript in shape. In this month-long one-on-one intensive, an experienced published author will closely read your entire book and mentor you, giving focused editorial feedback on the first 25 pages and an editorial letter to guide the revision of the rest.

There will be significant opportunity for extended correspondence with your mentor, who will provide specific suggestions for revision and offer general advice on the current state of publishing, and next steps for you to take in your publishing journey. Work with us before sending out your manuscript to help your book really shine!

How it works:
The San Francisco Creative Writing Institute Manuscript Intensive is a four-week, one-on-one mentorship with a published writer to get help with your completed poetry manuscript and receive valuable feedback for revision or submission to agents or publishers. If you have a completed manuscript and want to know what the next steps to take are, this is the course for you.

Next Steps:
After you register, you’ll email the manuscript to us at admin@sfwriting.institute along with tendering a retainer fee. We will look at your manuscript and assign you one of our mentors based on your work and their specialties. Read up on our list of mentors here.

Weekly Schedule:

Week 1 – Your mentor will spend the first week of the month reading your entire book.

Week 2 – In the second week, you will receive an editorial mark-up of the manuscript and an editorial letter oriented toward revision.

Week 3 – In the third week, you can initiate an email conversation about the edits and feedback, and even offer a revision of the first pages for a “second look.”

Week 4 – In the final week, your mentor will respond to your commentary and any possible revisions to the opening pages and offer final guidance for revision or submission.

SFCWI Poets

This workshop is curated by Alexandra Kostoulas at the SF Creative Writing Institute. We have a number of SFCWI writers on our roster who are experienced editors and published authors. Based on the work you provide, we will select an appropriate mentor with expertise in that specific type of writing or editing project.

Enroll now

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