"Ethan devoted a lot of time to his students, and knowing my strengths and weaknesses with writing (and seeing them from the beginning of my battle with nonfiction), he was able to help me improve."

"I am profoundly appreciative of the time and thought Ethan gave to my writing ... Reading his edits and speaking with him had the wonderful effect of inspiring me to write *more*..." -- Nancy U.

"I was so impressed with how engaging he was both as a writer and an instructor. He kept the class moving at a good pace, and he made it fun, even the scary workshopping, which can be so harsh. I felt like he set strong guidelines for workshopping which kept it from feeling personal, and he really stuck to the positive criticism and what would help and improve our writing. He was also very good at drawing out people like myself who don't speak as much, and got everyone involved. I loved the projects, and I am sad the class ended. I look forward to taking more classes with Ethan, as it makes me want to write."-- Karen L.

"Ethan Gilsdorf has an ability to make even dry facts entertaining. I found his seminar to be well-structured, informative and interesting, his teaching style honest and straightforward. His myriad experiences, handouts, and anecdotes made for a rewarding introduction to the field." -- Jessica Lee

"Ethan was a great instructor. He gave practical, constructive feedback from the perspective of a writer who know what editors look for, and took the time to give us meaningful feedback. ... This workshop gave me a very necessary kick in the ass to get my writing into high gear."

"[Ethan] had great energy and humor to sustain interest through the course of a big data dump. [He's] strong at bouncing off questions and ideas from the class. ... Thanks for a very useful class."

"Ethan did a terrific job with last night's seminar. He has a dry sense of humor and was human and versatile... both of which kept his multitudes of information engaging."

"The handout was terrific, a handbook, actually. He was very available in one to one and in group, generous about follow up if we wanted it. I [recommend] keeping him on your teaching staff."

"GREAT introductory course! ... Ethan's knowledge of the field is thorough..."

"Ethan's enthusiam for his subject is evident ... "

"Ethan has a nice blend of humor, genuine style and general experience."

About Ethan Gilsdorf as a teacher:

Ethan Gilsdorf teaches classes in poetry, memoir, personal essay, op-ed writing, reviewing, general journalism/feature writing, and the business of freelancing writing, for such institutions as Grub Street, Mediabistro, and Emerson College. He is also is co-founder of Grub Street's Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP) in Boston.

He has led poetry workshops for youths of all ages. He has also taught English composition and poetry at Louisiana State University, and has given lectures on poetry and poetry writing and given readings at numerous schools, summer programs and writers conferences, such as The Muse and the Marketplace, Wheaton College (MA), Marlboro College (VT), Boxboro Elementary School (MA), the Putney (VT) School Summer Programs, Oxbridge Summer Program (Paris), High Mowing School (NH), and Menlo College’s (CA) European study abroad program. He has volunteered in the Boston Public Schools system as a writing and English tutor/career enrichment speaker, tutor, guest lecturer and poetry workshop leader (Brighton High School, Monument High School, Madison Park High School, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and elsewhere).