About Betsy

Writing is my teacher. I’m endlessly challenged and intrigued by writing: my own, the writing of a writer I’m mentoring, or a published work that carries me beyond the edge of the world as I have previously known and understood it.

I frequently write across genres or in concert/conversation among more than one genre. I have written in all genres except fiction. In my most recent book, Oscar of Between, I write from the narrative position of person of between, which is another way to write into the interface between blank space and inscribed or written space. In other words, the book is both writing and the act of writing.

My bestselling book, Breathing the Page — Reading the Act of Writing, is a collection of essays for students of creative writing, material that came from my 30 years of experiences as a manuscript consultant, editor and teacher. Since 2007, I have been the director and a mentor in Vancouver Manuscript Intensive, a five-month program that matches writers with a body of work in search of a manuscript or an unresolved manuscript with an established author who works one-on-one. As I say to the emerging writers I teach: Everything is writing!

Here you can browse Betsy’s books and order directly from Betsy.

For Betsy’s bio, cv, book list, and pub photos please download from the Press Kit.

Or download the following pdfs:
Bio-short

Bio-long

CV-Professional

CV-Publications

After years of working on my memoir, I finally found the “heartwood” of my story while working with Betsy. “Commit.” I was then able to decide what material could stay and what had to go, thus avoiding ending up with a forty-pound manuscript. I never doubted Betsy’s own tireless commitment to me and my book. Her curiosity, uncanny intuition, and high expectations gave me the belief in myself I needed to produce a book I’m proud of. Photo credit: Jan Redford
Jan Redford, author of End of the Rope: Mountains, Marriage, and Motherhood

On working with writers: Interview with Rachel Thompson

Video courtesy of Rachel Thomas from Lit Mag Love 2019.

Work With Betsy

Writers

Long Manuscript Consult

Short Manuscript Consult

Publishers


Get In Touch

You have Successfully Subscribed!