More than anything, Jillian is interested in realizing your vision for the project. She is an incredibly generous reader and gives feedback that is concrete and well delivered. She thinks about fiction in a minute and grounded way while being in touch with larger forces at work. During my consultation for my MFA application, we switched between discussing specific scenes to zooming out and talking about plots that were missing, images that weren’t popping, and how the stories in my writing sample fit together. I left with a road map to completing the manuscript, and that manuscript got me an acceptance at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her help and vision have been invaluable.

After having Jillian as my teacher for a GrubStreet class, I knew I wanted to hire her to consult on my manuscript for my MFA applications. Jillian is an expert at identifying the heart of a story and realizing the writer’s intent in telling the story. She provides detailed feedback—first in writing and then in a one-on-one consultation—on how craft elements can be improved to take the story to the next level, consistent with the writer’s style and voice. Jillian also provided feedback on my Statement of Purpose and identified an important gap I had not noticed because I had been so close to it. I was accepted into all of my top choice programs and attribute this success to Jillian.

Prior to working with her on my application, I saw Jillian bring great care and thoughtfulness to the writing course I took with her, and she brought the same attention to my application. Her comments on my essays – while always empathetic and supportive – pushed me to improve my work. I found that her spot-on critique struck the balance of kindness and directness you always hope for in feedback. Her thorough comments and questions made my essays significantly better.