“Deeply attentive, Beverly reads with care and can ask questions that will encourage your best writing. Adept with structural issues, point of view, organization and flow, she generously guides you towards your writing goals.”
Christine Wade, author of Seven Locks: A Novel
Workshop attendee, Connemara, Ireland
“Beverly Donofrio is a fantastic teacher. She is an assiduous guide, relentlessly leading the class in clear conversations and poignant exercises. You walk away from her lessons trembling, knowing you have been forever changed. We all have a lot to learn from Beverly!”
Amanda Hyslop
Workshop attendee, Tiburon, California
“Bev perceived a better version of my work even before I did, bringing to the fore strengths I was either unaware of or afraid of. She then guided me with a confident hand, instilling in me courage to dig ever deeper. This brought to light compelling material – the good stuff, the juicy stuff – which she then inspired me to hammer away at until it ultimately became some of my most potent work. Although the process can be scary, Bev knows from experience the value of powering through doubt and fear, and she creates a space where students take risks anyway. Often just one faithful voice in the dark can make all the difference; for me, Bev was that voice.”
Robert Burke Warren, author of Perfectly Broken
Workshop attendee, Woodstock, New York
“Beverly Donofrio and I first crossed paths at Ossabaw Island Writer’s Retreat in 2017. At that time, my memoir was a disjointed collection of musings, and I was unsure of how to proceed. Beverly, as every exceptional teacher does, met me at my level. She helped me discover where I needed to go and how to proceed. Her devoted direction is an ongoing source of inspiration. Time spent with Beverly at Ossabaw was so valuable that I am making my third trip to the island to work with her again. If you can only attend one writing conference this year, make it the one where you can connect with Beverly Donofrio – purposeful listener, candid critic, and giving soul.”
Meredith Baker
Workshop Attendee, Ossabaw Island, Georgia
“Bev is one of those rare creatures: a wonderful writer who is also a gifted and generous teacher. She combines sharp insight, emotional sensitivity, respect and enthusiasm for what is (or could be) original in each writer’s work, an empathic appreciation for the frustrations and revelations of the writing process, and an ability to articulate just what you might try next, to take your work further in the direction you want it to go. Her ‘tough love,’ and her focused guidance on craft, has given me the courage to write many messy awful first drafts, and the confidence to shape them into effective scenes or chapters.”
Lisa Kaufman, former editor at Viking and PublicAffairs
Workshop Attendee, Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, New York; Connemara, Ireland