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Sally-Anne Watson Kane has 25 years’ experience in editing other people’s poems and coaching poets in self-editing their poetry. She has a lifetime of  experience in writing, reading and studying poetry. Her favourite things have always been reading, writing, talking about poetry and editing poetry.

Another poetry editor, Deb Wain, has recently joined Sally-Anne on the poetry editing and poetry coaching team. Deb has 15 years’ experience in both editing poetry and creative writing, and running poetry and creative writing training courses. She holds a Graduate Diploma of Professional Writing, Graduate Diploma of Deaf Studies (Auslan), and PhD in Creative Writing.

Some of our experience in editing poetry

• Currently in progress (to be self-published in hardcopy in 2024): Sally-Anne has been collaboratively editing (with the poet client) a poetry book manuscript, and  is now supervising the design and production stage. NB: this client lives with a number of disabilities.
• Currently in progress: Sally-Anne is coaching and editing (via Track Changes comments) a client’s memoir that incorporates poetry as well as narrative. It is expected the  memoir will be ready for design and production in late 2024. NB: this client is an NDIS participant.
• Among the Wildflowers, by Sally-Anne Watson Kane, Delia Tobin and Seamus Foley, self-published 2023. We three poets self-edited our poems and then collaborated to workshop and edit one another’s poetry – structural editing and copy editing. On Time Typing Books and Life Stories designed the cover and inside pages and produced this self-published book.
• Bright Lights by Shirley Reynolds, self-published by Shirley in 2021. Sally-Anne coached her in self-editing and edited her memoir-based short stories and poems. NB: this client is an NDIS participant.
• Hope unfeathered by Kate Erlenbusch, self-published by Kate in 2020. Sally-Anne edited her collection of poetry: a structural and developmental edit and a copy edit. We then designed the inside pages of this book.
• Where? by Solene Anglaret, self-published by Solene in 2020. We coached Solene in self-editing her poetry in 2019, and she went on to edit all of her poems and self-publish this book.
• Rohingya Dreams, anthology by Rohinga Refugee Poets compiled by Emily Reid for The Danish Refugee Council. We edited the book (on a voluntary basis), and Risen Writers self-published the anthology in 2020.
• A life: I am what I am by Joan Sammon, self-published by Joan  in 2019. We collaboratively edited this memoir including a number of poems. NB: this client lives with a number of disabilities.
• Rocket Power by Evie Watson, self-published by Evie in 2011. We produced and helped Evie self-publish this collection of poetry.
• Various poets who we have coached in self-editing their own poetry, and collections of poetry (which are not yet published so their names are confidential): these projects were in 2019, 2018, and 2004.

About our poetry editing services

We provide poetry editing  using a ‘collaborative poetry editing’ process. We provide detailed feedback on your poems 1) via Track changse, 2) as you read through them aloud while we take notes, or 3) both methods combined. Our method of consultation is via  telephone or Zoom, or occasionally face to face.

If you wish to learn how to self-editing your own collection of poems, we edit just a few poems and teach you, via verbal coaching sessions, how to edit your own poetry. You can then go on to self-edit your other poems.

For more information about our approach to editing poetry go to: Collaborative poetry editing.

Image: Darren Kane.