About this Service

Cocoon Generator is a space for folks with or without a creative writing background to come together and support each other through generating the first 100-ish (no pressure if you don't get there) pages of their work. Cocoon is BIPOC, neurodivergent and queer-affirming. We meet bi-weekly for six months in a creative, affirming space designed to provide practical tips and prompts for sustaining a writing practice.

About this Lister

I'm a novelist and university professor who is based in the Catskills. I've developed Cocoon after talking to numerous people from all walks of life who have spoken to me about the books that they want to write and all of the fears and anxieties they have around starting this huge feat.

Background and Expertise

I teach fiction at Columbia University in both the undergraduate and graduate departments. I gravitate toward fiction that involves queer/trans characters, sci-fi/fantasy elements, some sort of reality-bending, and characters of diverse experience. I also work with folks on many different forms of writing (business school students applying for jobs, high school students applying for college, etc.) and am an open and empathic reader of fiction and non-fiction. This is the second round of cohorts for Cocoon Generator that I am running, and I am happy to provide references.