“The Manuscript Appraisal process went above and beyond my expectations as Colm cares about his mentees and bringing out the best in their work. He is incredibly thorough in analysing and fine-tuning each piece within the collection, and I valued his attention to detail. No matter how long it took, Colm was dedicated to giving each poem the necessary space to breathe. We left no rock unturned. I felt that my work had been valued, and I appreciated that level of attention, time and care.
Colm was excellent in cultivating a space for critically thinking about the collection. He supported me in arriving at the crux of each piece, and I found the creative dialogue between us during our exploration of the manuscript to be invaluable.
Colm’s understanding and encyclopaedic knowledge of poetry must also be credited. Whether we were discussing structural playfulness or various themes, Colm was always able to illustrate his points with poetic examples. My understanding of the relationship between poetic structure and narrative has also largely developed thanks to Colm’s mentorship.
Through working with Colm, I have begun to figure out my own writing style; and how I can carve out my poetic position while in dialogue with the ecology of the writing community. There are not enough superlatives to emphasise how indispensable his manuscript appraisal has been. I came away feeling invigorated, inspired to write and with countless reflections that ultimately had an extensive influence in shaping my work. Colm’s mentorship has been second to none, and I am immensely grateful. I would recommend it in a heartbeat. ”