Rachel Sherman
Rachel Sherman holds an MFA in fiction from Columbia University. Her short stories have appeared in McSweeney’s, Fence, Open City, Conjunctions, Los Angeles Review of Books, and n+1, among other publications. Her first book, The First Hurt, was short-listed for The Story Prize, and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, and was named one of the 25 Books to Remember in 2006 by the New York Public Library. Her first novel, Living Room (2009) was called “…edgy, moving, smart, funny, and altogether human,” by author Dani Shapiro, and “perfectly paced” by The New York Times Book Review. She has taught Creative Writing in the MFA Program at Columbia University and at Rutgers University.
Student Feedback for Rachel
Rachel Sherman is an incredible editor and book consultant. She helped me shape my memoir, Replacement Child, and I am grateful that I found her at exactly the right time in my writing process. Rachel is proficient at taking a broad brush view of a story as well as digging in to the technical fine-points of writing. On top of that, she is a pleasure to work with and ever sensitive to our writers thin skin. Judy Mandel
When I completed the first draft of my debut novel, The Takeaway Men (SparkPress, August 2020), I hired Rachel Sherman to take a look at my work. Of course, I was very nervous, since this was uncharted territory for me. My experience with Rachel overcame my trepidation and exceeded my expectations. I was so delighted the way she offered constructive criticism in a kind and supportive way. Her edits, comments and suggestions — from dialogue, to description, to character and plot — all helped me to craft a better book. At all times, she was kind, considerate, and encouraging. Her assistance and support empowered and inspired me. Meryl Ain
My debut story collection Last of Her Name would not have been possible without Rachel’s early encouragement and guidance. She gave invaluable feedback on individual stories and helped me form what would be the first iteration of my manuscript. Her notes were always succinct and insightful, and made me excited—and hopeful!—about my writing. Mimi Lok
