POETRY mentoring & critiquing services

The idea of exposing your writing to feedback can be intimidating.

Lorraine draws upon her years of experience and insight to offer critiques that validate the strength in your writing while encouraging you to embrace the idea of change. She focuses on enhancing the already-established momentum you have going, and motivates and steers new direction with positive, honest and encouraging feedback. She values the trust you put in her by sharing your work.

but what if i'm......

Beginner? Polished professional? Somewhere in-between? This individualized service for critiquing your poetry journey, regardless of your writing level, is specifically designed for each artist. You and only you.

what does the critique involve?

Your work will be read a minimum of two times, with focus on content, format, flow and power. You will receive a written, comprehensive response, including line edits, comments on the works’ strengths, and a summation paragraph with general feedback.

what services are available to me?

Find the option that works best for you, once, twice or every time.

standalone poems

3-5 one-page poems $ 90

10 one-page poems $190

manuscript review

Chapbook manuscript $390

(up to 30 pages)

Full Length Manuscript $790

(up to 70 pages)

Add a footnote if this applies to your business

what other poets are saying ...

Camille Norvaisas, author of “Rare as the Kotuku”

Bill Wunder, author of "Welcome to Paradise, New and Selected poems"

Lorraine helped me tremendously with my manuscript – the enthusiasm she exudes is most contagious and sparked my writing further than I imagined. She showed a genuine interest in helping me realize the arc my manuscript was taking and suggested other poems to write to further enhance that arc. Lorraine provided me detailed feedback on each poem, generously celebrating the parts she loved and gently suggesting edits in parts that weren’t as clear. I recommend Lorraine as an ambassador to your poetry, whether it be two poems, ten poems or a whole manuscript.

The result will surpass your expectations.

Bill Wunder, author of "Welcome to Paradise, New and Selected poems"

Lorraine Henrie Lins is a poet, editor, and author with whom I have had the privilege and good fortune to work with and learn from for over 20 years.

First and foremost, she is a poet’s poet, with an exceptional sense of what belongs and doesn’t belong on the page. And perhaps as important as her poetic skills, is the knowledge that your work is in the safe hands of someone

you can trust. Take it from me.

Tom Mallouk, author of “Nantucket Re-visited”

Bill Wunder, author of "Welcome to Paradise, New and Selected poems"

Bernadette Karpa, author of “And She Does Shine,” “Heirlooming, “ and “Chocolate Brown Satin Hot Pants and Other Artifacts”

Lorraine Henrie Lins loves poetry, writes sense of what the poet is trying to accomplish. By that I mean she has no particular bias about what a poem should be but provides feedback that will augment the poet’s and the poem’s intent. She has a keen eye for what works on the page and ear for the music of the spoken poem. Perhaps most importantly for those seeking her feedback, she is kind and understands how the best poems are written from a place of acute vulnerability. That said, she has the courage and compassion to give the criticism the poet and the poem may require to realize their ambitions. I have experienced these qualities firsthand

and can wholeheartedly endorse

her editorial abilities.

Bernadette Karpa, author of “And She Does Shine,” “Heirlooming, “ and “Chocolate Brown Satin Hot Pants and Other Artifacts”

A great workshop partner is not prescriptive or overly directive. A great workshop partner will sink down into the speaker that you have created and help them get to what it is they need to say and how they need to say it. A great partner will help you discover a speaker’s voice and honor it by finding the authenticity and honesty that makes that voice reverberate. That is what

you find when you work with Lorraine Henrie Lins: a great partner who helps you honor

your work and the voice that

only you can create. She helps identify what resonates from a reader’s perspective and

supports authors as they

explore possibility and potential.

Carolina Morales, author of "It Came from Outer Space" and several other poetry collections

Bernadette Karpa, author of “And She Does Shine,” “Heirlooming, “ and “Chocolate Brown Satin Hot Pants and Other Artifacts”

Carolina Morales, author of "It Came from Outer Space" and several other poetry collections

Having been involved in poetry workshops with Lorraine Henrie Lins for many years, I have benefited from her critiques and can testify to Lorraine’s generous abilities as an editor. Lorraine examines individual poems and/or collections, emphasizes their strengths while providing respectful suggestions for enhancements in word choice, imagery, rhythm, line breaks, symbols, arcs, and intention to help each work realize its full potential. I highly recommend her services to everyone.

Jane Edna Mohler, author of "Broken Umbrellas"

Bernadette Karpa, author of “And She Does Shine,” “Heirlooming, “ and “Chocolate Brown Satin Hot Pants and Other Artifacts”

Carolina Morales, author of "It Came from Outer Space" and several other poetry collections

I highly recommend Lorraine Henrie Lins’ editing skill and style. Yes, she meets your commas and semicolons at the door, but quickly asks them to hold her coat. She wants to enter your poem to see what that aroma might be coming from the kitchen. Then she plops on your couch to see how (or if) it fits in the poem. Lorraine understands that poems have their own soul and direction. She works to find that soul and to assist the poet to make it thrive.

Connie Wrzesniewski, author of “One More Time”

Former Pennsylvania county poet laureate, Lorraine Henrie Lins rides the crest of a wave when it comes to polished poetry; whether she reads, writes or critiques it. She is always at the head of the class while others look toward her for leadership. Often giving feedback and coaching others in the master class that we have shared over the years. Her direct style in her initial book, "I Called It Swimming," is evidence of her easygoing style, yet firm reliance on principle. She tells it like it is.