Welcome to my website. I've been active in the Bay Area writing community for over 40 years as a writer, writing teacher and writing consultant. I am the author of four books and numerous articles, essays and reviews. I've taught poetry and fiction writing at San Francisco State University, U.C. Berkeley Extension and Napa Valley College, and have recently published a new book of poems, Catalogue of Surprises. Take a look!
Make your book the best it can be! I can help you develop, shape and hone your writing project to be competitive in today's marketplace, whether you're self-publishing or going the traditional route.
book proposals
query letters
finding an agent
memoir
fiction
general nonfiction
"Dorothy understands exactly what agents and editors are looking for. The proposals written under her guidance are superb—and they sell books!"
~ Susan Page, author of If I'm So Wonderful, Why Am I Still Single? (Viking Penguin)"I was lucky to be led to Dorothy. She was the finest kind of coach: quiet, razor-sharp and confident in me. Her guidance was structured, lucid and perfectly placed. I could only listen—and write."
~ Sofia Shafquat, author of the novel The Shadow Man (The Permanent Press)
Read Dorothy Wall's Tips for Writing Creative Nonfiction and Memoir »
Learn more about writing coach / writing consultant services »
Read more about Catalogue of Surprises »"[Wall's] wise poems look clear-eyed deep into the chasm -- at illness, family history, despoliation, and mortality. At the same time, she finds beauty in the most unexpected places....You will find beauty, too, in Dorothy Wall's exquisitely crafted poetry."
~ Susan Cohen, author of Throat Singing, A Different Wakeful Animal, and Democracy of Fire."This poetry possesses the skill of an engraver, and the broad brush strokes of a fine artist."
~ Joseph Zaccardi, Marin County, California poet laureate (2013-15)"The poems are elegantly crafted and radiate a light of their own."
~ Lucille Lang Day, author of Birds of San Pancho and Other Poems of Place, and Becoming an Ancestor: Poems"[A] terrific collection!"
~ Charles Rammelkamp, Editor, The Potomac
In this collection, culled from 30 years, are desire, illness, loss, grandchildren, whimsy, grief, and always "the necessity of seeing." Clear-eyed, precise, evocative, these poems confront the radiant promise of the world and the limits of each small life, where "to continue is what matters, the daily, graceful stumbling."
Read more about Identity Theory: New and Selected Poems, 1980-2010 »"Dorothy Wall's pen leaves nothing unturned, unexamined–joy and grief receive the same scrutiny."
~ Stewart Florsheim, A Split Second of Light"This body of work...deserves to be read over and over."
~ Andrena Zawinski, Something About, Oakland PEN Award recipient"A master poet."
~ Charles Entrekin, Listening: New & Selected Work
"Not only a wonderfully readable, beautifully detailed account of Dorothy Wall's experience of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but also an intelligent review of the history, science, and politics of the illness."
~ Kathryn Montgomery, Director, Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine"An important investigation of a little-understood illness with much to teach doctors and patients alike. General readers will find Dorothy Wall's personal story compelling as well as beautifully told."
~ Lynne Sharon Schwartz, novelist and author of The Fatigue Artist"A remarkable book that could help huge numbers of people."
~ David Bell, MD
Winner of the "2007 Sand Castles Author & Book of the Year Award" from P.A.N.D.O.R.A.
Read excerpts, interviews, reviews and more about Encounters with the Invisible »
"This illuminating guide mixes creative inspiration with practical advice about the craft to help writers discover their most powerful writing tool: the voices that are uniquely their own."
~ Ingram"This book will help writers find their own voice–helping them move from raw outpourings to polished prose....The authors have focused on a writing skill that is very hard to teach, and they have done so successfully."
~ Library Journal"A meaty little book....I came away from it aglow, in love (again!) with my quest as a writer."
~ The Writing Self
Read more about Finding Your Writer's Voice: A Guide to Creative Fiction »
