The Poem Whisperer
Offering mentoring, book coaching & advice to poets on revising and instant feedback on individual poems along with manuscript consultations for those eager to submit their work for publication.
The Poem Whisperer is an award-winning published LatinX poet with:
- SIX poetry collections, Flashes & Verses…Becoming Attractions with Unsolicited Press, Between the Spine: A Collection of Erotic Poems with Picture Show Press and La Belle Ajar, a collection of cento poems inspired by Sylvia Plath’s 1963 novel, & We Are the Ones Possessed both published with CLASH Books and Speaking con su Sombra, a bilingual poetry collection published with Alegría Publishing and the bilingual poetry collection La Lengua Inside Me with FlowerSong Press along with the poetry chapbook So Many Flowers, So Little Time with Red Mare Press
- The Poem Whisperer has over 300 individual poems published in publications, websites, anthologies, magazines and literary journals.
- The Poem Whisperer has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize and The Best of the Net and 2019 Pasadena City College’s Inscape Magazine’s Poet Alumnus of the year.
- He has earned has a BA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and he is also a graduate of the MFA program at Antioch University in Los Angeles.
The Poem Whisperer
is available for
- Mentoring
- Book Coaching
- Advice on Revising with Professional Feedback on your poems
- Manuscript Consultations
- Guidance on Submitting to Literary Publications
Read testimonials from poets who have found publication success working with
The Poem Whisperer.
"Adrian Ernesto Cepeda has earned the title Poetry Whisperer from writers he helped advance their creative powers. I am one of them. A pied piper of poetic participation, he believes in opening doors to your own creativity and to literary worlds. His keen eye provides fresh perspectives on individual poems, and he can help you navigate entry into journals, lit mags, and literary spaces. The Poetry Whisperer coaches poets through the steps to develop their work to the next phase of flourishing. His encouraging mentorship can help you advance individual poems, and imagine pathways to publication for your chapbook or collection."
–Amy Shimshon-Santo
“There’s just something about Adrian, as the Poem Whisperer, he can see into the soul of a poem and coax out the best version of itself and help you do the same.”
– Madeline Zilelian
“Adrian Ernesto Cepeda is supportive book coach and mentor who can identify the strengths in your writing and help you develop your own voice. He asks questions and respects your choices as a writer while gently offering new directions to explore. The Poem Whisperer listens to the possibilities in a poem. Through his insights, I found myself clarifying the poem’s inherent truth. Adrian has provided me with inspiration and encouragement when I was dry and hollowed in writer’s block. From his suggestions, I was able to move forward in individual poems and in the overall process. I am grateful for his guidance.”
– Leanne Hunt
“It starts with Adrian's heart. His love for poetry, for words, for language, and for all those who embark on the poets journey -- whether you are dipping your toe in or fully immersed, Adrian, as the Poem Whisperer, can guide you to see things in your work you may never have seen before. A shift in the spacing. A pairing of words. A playful prompt. Adrian opens up possibilities and the power of a whisper is where poetry becomes evident.”
– Rochelle Newman-Carrasco
“I have an MFA in creative nonfiction writing but know close to nothing about poetry. With Adrian's expert tutelage and guidance, I have recently published a poem and am continuing to submit others. The Poem Whisperer offers helpful suggestions in terms of line breaks, punctuation, and sensory detail, and he always provides examples of poets who are successfully experts in the genre, as well as suggestions for where to submit. I highly recommend Adrian, whether you are a novice like I am or are looking to otherwise advance an existing poetry practice.”
– Melissa Greenwood
The Poem Whisperer offers:
PERSONAL COACHING.
This covers in-person, Zoom or phone call meetings that we will schedule to work on : manuscript consultations, line edits and revisions for single poems, preparing you to submit your poems for publication, and advice on promoting your writing irl and online.
Email me to start your coaching!
HOURLY COACHING RATE: $150/hr
REVISION & LINE EDITS FOR SINGLE POEMS/
MANUSCRIPT CONSULTING.
The Poem Whisperer will be reading your poems with an eye for clarity, concrete images, & cohesiveness of diction, and an ear for colorful flow that sounds like music to the ears of your readers. My editing philosophy is that I listen to each poem you send me. The poem speaks to me and tells me what it needs to be ready to be submitted for publication; It may be line breaks, more concrete imagery or editing the poem to create a revised ending that resonates more with the reader.
Small poem packets include a maximum of 5 pages, normally 3-5 short poems or 1-2 long poems. Large poem packets are a maximum of 10 pages, generally 6-8 short poems or 3-4 long poems. Larger poem packets are a maximum of 15 pages. The sizes of the packets are organized to help you prepare an assemblage of polished and revised poems that are ready to be submitted to literary magazines/journals for publication.
Manuscript Consulting begins with feedback of Chapbook Manuscript length is between 20 and 35 pages.
Full-Length Manuscripts are between 45-80 pages. The sizes of the Chapbook and Full-Length Manuscript Feedback and Consulting are organized to help you prepare a collection of expertly revised Manuscript of Poems that are ready to be submitted to publishers for publication.
Email me to set up a consultation at one of the rates listed below:
- SMALL PACKET (5 pages): $70 flat
- LARGE PACKET (10 pages): $140 flat
- LARGER PACKER (15 Pages): $175
20-35 PAGES of a CHAPBOOK Manuscript: $300
45-80 PAGES of a FULL-LENGTH Manuscript: $550
The Poem Whisperer will request a packet of your poems to read, a batch you feel are finished and ready to send out. After reading your poem packet, I will guide you to look for the right call for submission and/or publication that matches the themes of your poem. I will guide and help you with a list of a few literary magazines & journals to which I would suggest where you be submitting your work. I will also provide advice on how to craft a cover letter, differentiating the different types of format and guidelines that will help you submit your document of poems, and keeping exact records of each website/magazine/publication where you submit your work.
Email me to set up a consultation:
- FLAT RATE: $125
Hire the Poem Whisperer today:
Email me
Rates are negotiable
* Photography by Jean Pierre Rueda *