ABOUT TANYA

A writer and editor with over twenty-five years of experience as a creative writing teacher, Tanya specializes in articulating deep story and clarifying story arc and structure. In addition to coaching fellow writers, she works with visual artists and filmmakers on documentary and narrative projects.

Based in Portland, Maine, she is a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Program. From 2001–2006,  she taught Composition, Introduction to Literature, Creative Writing, and Advanced Fiction courses for the University of Southern Maine. Following that, she was the Associate Director of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program (January 2007–August 2016). In that role, Tanya helped to develop an Applied Track in Pedagogy and core curriculum for graduate writing students across genres.

She has also created craft and professional development seminars for the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance (MWPA), Lesley University, and the Stonecoast Writers’ Conference.

In her work with individual storytellers, Tanya fosters an environment that promotes mutual respect. She encourages her clients to take risks. She models strategies for creating adventurous new work while emphasizing story structure and craft.

As both a writer and editor, her goals are to help clients achieve greater authenticity, narrative cohesion, and structural integrity in their work.