MINDY LEWIS: Writer / Editor / Teacher

Since 2004 I've taught ongoing workshops in memoir and nonfiction writing at The Writer's Voice of the Westside YMCA in New York City. My students—intrepid beginners and seasoned writers ranging in age from their early twenties to late eighties—are dedicated readers, skilled in the art of supportive critique, who share a serious desire to shape the raw material of their lives into compelling personal narrative, creative nonfiction, and autobiographical fiction. I also teach creative nonfiction and memoir workshops at The Hudson Valley Writers' Center in Sleepy Hollow, NY. I am also an adjunct lecturer at Brooklyn College, where I teach a workshop in personal narrative nonfiction.

I teach intensive workshops in Publishing Strategies /​ Book Proposal Writing for those who need guidance with fine-tuning their book's focus and structure, developing a marketing platform, and creating an attention-getting summary/​overview, agent query letters, article pitches, and book proposals. I also offer intensives for beginning writers interested in writing memoir and personal essays, and work privately with individuals and groups.

Working privately with individuals, I critique and offer guidance on book-length manuscripts, essays, book proposals, agent queries, pitches.

"Mindy Lewis is an exceptional writing teacher—astute in her criticism, wise in her judgment, and uncommonly generous in the encouragement and support she gives every student in her classes. Even though I've been a professional editor all my adult life, I'd done very little writing of my own before I began attending her classes. Mindy emboldened me to spread my writing wings and to explore my own life experience. I've learned so much from her, and I've also benefited enormously from the wonderful writing selections that she hands out in class. I'd recommend Mindy's classes to anyone—novice or pro—who wants to expand their creativity and sharpen their skills in a nurturing environment."
- Jo Ann Miller, editor

"Thank you for a wonderful class. You are an extremely gifted teacher. You have such a terrific balance of encouragement and much needed criticism, it's no wonder people keep coming back to your class time and time again."
- Judith Green-Berg, psychologist, writer

"I cannot THANK YOU enough for your time. I am so glad that I enlisted your expert counsel—you have clearly found your calling—and I am absolutely fired up about making the additional improvements we discussed."
- Suzanne Gannon, journalist

Mindy Lewis is that rare teacher whose encouragement and support motivates writers to spend even more time at the keyboard. She challenges with an encouraging nudge, and is never satisfied until the words reflect the writer's intention with precise meaning and revealing details. An exacting editor, careful reader, and empathetic listener, she simply makes you want to become a better writer.
- Sam DeFazio, actor

As a career short-form writer, long-form personal narrative was a challenge, but I found Mindy’s insights and guidance to be stimulating and supportive. She creates a “safe to dare” atmosphere that is so important when writers are sharing intimate details of their lives. I’ve been working with her for the last several years, and as I look over the body of work I’ve produced, the “before” and “after” is dramatic. Thanks, Mindy!
- Ellen Azorin, former advertising creative director and current owner/​manager of Cantaloupe Music Productions.

"Thank you for guiding my work to places I might not have explored on my own. Your compassionate, thoughtful and sensitive reading is always remarkable and thought-provoking. The lively and engaging atmosphere of your classes bubbles over with shared ideas and the love of writing, and reflects the steering hand of a supportive and truly gifted teacher. That's why I keep coming back for more."
- Pamela T., lawyer, museum/​auction house professional, writer

"I already knew how to write for academic journals and policy audiences. But in Mindy's class, I learned a different kind of writing—scene, dialogue, gesture, inner response and more. My writing is far richer now."
- Dahlia Remler, Professor of Public Affairs

"I want to thank you for your detailed, thoughtful caring edits. I am learning a great deal from you (and the class) and my narratives help me to clarify my past and fill gaps in my history."
- C.A. Loew, psychotherapist, editor, writer

"I really loved the class. I'm so glad I took it. I don't know how to end this cause I don't think this is an end…"
- Fran McN., journalist