I am now available to work with students individually to consult on their longer nonfiction projects. I work with writers who are interested especially in formally innovative nonfiction — whether reported and / or memoir, or blends of both. I am especially interested in working with writers coming from historically marginalized backgrounds, in particular fellow trans and queer folks. 

I’m the former Deputy Features Editor of BuzzFeed News and a nonfiction writer whose essays and features have been published by a wide variety of outlets, including The Believer, Esquire, The Cut, and This American Life. I have two degrees in nonfiction writing (from Brown, and then an MFA from the University of Iowa) and have taught this genre widely. My acclaimed debut book, A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise — published initially by Scribner in 2018 — received wide critical attention for its formal innovation and ground-breaking messages. (I’m at work on its sequel.) In general, I am most interested in working with writers who are already serious about their own projects and feel they’d benefit from some coaching and fresh perspective. 

To apply to work with me, please submit ~5 – 10 pages of your project for me to review.  Send our sample to Kate Mabus, kate@theshipmanagency.com 

$500 is my lowest rate, offered to discuss a portion of a manuscript (up to 20K words). For those who’d like me to review longer volumes of prose, we can discuss and agree upon a fair rate (up to $1000 for 60K words or roughly a “full” book manuscript). When we work together, we’ll probably have one or a few video calls to discuss your project, with periodic check-ins afterwards, depending on your needs. We can discuss and agree upon specifics when we speak initially to discuss working together. Looking forward to learning more about your project and how you feel I might be of help.