“Working with Tara is the best decision I’ve ever made as a writer. She’s one of those unique poets whose craft equals her teaching skills. She considers every word, punctuation mark, and line break in a poem, and her attention to detail has greatly helped me improve and refine my poems. Tara’s coaching is fun and always a joy, it’s better than a workshop. She’s the perfect blend of supportive and scrupulous. She offers concrete tools to improve your writing and makes sure to explain why something is or isn’t working. Each session is a masterclass in writing. Since working with Tara I have finished my manuscript, been nominated for three poetry prizes, and have had twenty-eight poems (she edited) accepted in literary journals. If you have the opportunity to work with Tara, do it.” —Lexi Pelle

“Tara Skurtu is out of this world. Her first reading of a poem or manuscript feels like a moment from The Queen’s Gambit—her mind matching the work to its potential before returning to the present. Her collaborative approach, both precise and positive, imbued my writing with vigor and ensured that each word, punctuation mark and line break served a poem’s intent, which led to submission success. When it came to our final project, a book manuscript, Tara’s insights gave my debut collection its muscle and flow. Her coaching will inspire you, her laughter delight you and the skills you learn will take your writing far.” —Jane C. Miller

“Having Tara Skurtu as a writing coach is like working with an extraordinarily kind and encouraging word surgeon. Tara will cut into the flesh of your writing mercilessly, but benevolently, constantly pushing you towards the essence of the piece. She'll call you out when you're bluffing, when you're avoiding, when you're twee, when you don't want to go there. Through all of this, she'll still make you feel safe and valuable and somehow, like a good writer, or at least like someone with the potential to become a good writer, and always, like someone whose words matter.” —Irina Hrinoschi

“Tara’s guidance is a rare combination: she will bring to your writing the wonder of simplicity and clarity that’s necessary for prose and the magic of ellipsis that makes any piece of writing ring with poetry. With pure, generous attention, she meets you exactly where you are and makes you stronger. It sounds simple but it's a hard thing to do. The process is surgical in terms of both precision and healing intention: the writing becomes lighter in form as it becomes more laden with emotion.” —Mona Nicoara

“Tara is an exceptional writing coach. Because of our weekly meetings, I regained my motivation to write poetry (after a brutal 2020), submit my work to different places, and participate in readings. My confidence has soared. I even landed a dream poetry job that she helped me apply for. So if you are considering working with Tara, do not hesitate even for one minute. She will bring you the best poetry karma: good energy, kindness, and incredible skill and knowledge about writing and publishing.” —Adriana Oniță

“Tara helped me transform a stack of unpolished poems into a stack of polished poems ready for submission. Word by word she helped me understand my writing better, gently interrogating my thought process to help me gain clarity. And she didn't stop there. After I'd accumulated enough ‘leave-alone-able’ poems, she helped me navigate the submission process. She is thoughtful, compassionate, and results-oriented. Working with Tara is one of the best investments in myself that I've ever made.” —Gina Manola

“‘You sound ready,’ Tara wrote in an early email. She knows when to nudge and when to sit back and allow space for things to grow. She masterfully blends warm encouragement with the meticulous eye of a critic, leaving less room for self doubt. She helps find clarity and order in my cluttered mind. Thank you, 2020, for Tara.” —Serena Burman

“One of the results of working with Tara is a growing list of ‘leave alone-able’ poems. And they truly are leave alone-able—no further editing necessary. This makes submitting so much easier! She also has given me tips on the submission process, helped me write a standard cover letter and compile a simple bio. Now submitting takes less time and I have submitted (and am being published) more than ever before.” —Susan Fuchtman

“My poetry has progressed to a state where it’s sharper with a strong narrative. I’m straight onto potential ideas and the whys. Gone are the days of stating the obvious, the personal story is now specific, I focus on show not tell and the rewrites from first to final draft are less. With Tara’s coaching I’ve got accepted submissions, a writer’s CV and am working on a collection which includes my cultural voice and identity. Thank you and Shukriya.” —Yasmin A. Hussain

“Primarily, Tara keeps me on the rails along my personal writing journey. One time, while taking notes on my random utterances during our conversation, she had me realize I needed to dislodge a piece of heavy craft-baggage from another poet (‘Don’t ever think you can save lines or worse, stanzas, from old poems to patch into newer ones because it never works!’). That baggage, lodged in a corner of my consciousness, was at odds with the way my process tracks—Now it’s a memory, no longer an imprint. She has me question easy solutions (evident, to her keen eye!), and has me examine the dark corners of a piece where elements reside waiting to be revealed. I believe Tara meets each writer where they need to be met. She is at once cerebral and joyous, broad in her literary knowledge, a damn pleasure to work with and we get stuff done!” —SJ Schlossman

“I started working with Tara because I wanted to refine my voice in my poems. Tara helped me find myself in the way that I write. She really functions as my poetry therapist; she treats each poem we have worked on with special care while making sure that I’m okay as I write about difficult content. She is flexible in scheduling sessions and she’s patient with your progress as a writer. I truly feel that I’ve become a better writer because Tara never gives up on poems. This has been one of my most enriching life experiences." —Sara Marie Smith

“The key and final piece in my transition to full-time writer this year has been having Tara Skurtu as my coach. Her top-notch credentials, expertise, interpersonal skills, and focus have all been lauded by others here—deservedly so; she’s immensely gifted in all those attributes. I’ll add two more things. First, in 30 years of knowing legions of leaders, coaches, and world-level literary scholars, I think she is simply the best person at what she does that you could ever hire, anywhere. I promise you, she is the best investment as a writer you will ever make. Secondly, Tara has tremendous intuitive skills that are hard to fully quantify, but are as real as the pen in your hand: we have gotten to the point that she thinks of the next thing I will write before I do—no exaggeration. Tara is the best.” —Robert McTague

“No matter where you are in your writing journey, everyone needs that rare reader who is insightful, honest, generous. A reader like Tara Skurtu. And if being an ideal reader and a masterful poet weren’t enough, she models the power of healthy creative community as well.” —Monica Cure

“I've been working on my poetry with Tara for more than two years. In that time, I've seen noticeable progress in all facets of my writing. Tara's attention to detail, patience, and willingness to plumb the depths of the language and get to the why behind each word have provided me with valuable tools for my day-to-day practice. I look forward to each of our sessions knowing that I will feel challenged, and ultimately encouraged and empowered, to produce the best writing I'm capable of. It is a joy to work with Tara, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity!” —Wilson Taylor

“Tara has helped me become much more aware of every word of my writing and has taught me to be unafraid of experimenting with strange and unique ideas. Every step of the way, Tara supported me and believed in me as a writer.” —Cristina Arama

“Tara's presence is everywhere in the room, inspiring, asking the right questions, so you can go in the furthest corner of your mind and find that creative spark that just needs the proper combustion.” —Alexandra Stoica