Overview

I'm an experienced editor of award-winning nonfiction, specializing in books that explore the rich and varied intersections of culture and landscape, including literary nature and science writing, food and agriculture, and social and environmental justice. I have proven experience with everything from memoir to how-to, lyric essay to poetry, nature writing to activism (and all combinations thereof).

I love challenging genre conventions and reader assumptions, reading the forested landscape (and Tom Wessels' "Reading the Forested Landscape"), music of all kinds, family histories, good food and drink, and building trusting and empathetic connections with like-minded authors.

I'm proud of all the books, essays, and poems I've worked on for many reasons, including Eager by Ben Goldfarb, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award; Farming While Black by James Beard Foundation Leadership Award winner Leah Penniman, Pawpaw by Andrew Moore, and In Search of Mycotopia by Doug Bierend.

As a published poet and essayist myself, I am a sensitive and collaborative line editor, and delight in helping writers bring more clarity and impact to their work.

Testimonials

"Michael handled the drudgery and protocol of the writing process so that I could focus on my ancestor's errand, which was to midwife a book honoring Black agrarianism. He had my back the entire time, making sure that no one would dilute my message and that the finished product would be beautiful, enduring, and impactful. Working with Michael on Farming While Black was one of the highlights of my career."

—Leah Penniman, author of Farming While Black and cofounder of Soul Fire Farm

"Working with Michael gave me tremendous lift in my writing project. In a very time-efficient way he helped me with specific questions I had about the structure and tone of my non-fiction manuscript and made excellent suggestions about my book proposal. His help definitely propelled my project forward!"

—Dr. Elizabeth Sawin, Co-Director, Climate Interactive

"Working with Michael is a delight. His first priority is preserving the voice and vision of the author, but that doesn't mean you can't count on him to nudge you toward a clear, compelling, and smartly structured book you'll be proud of."
—Sara Bir, author of The Fruit Forager's Companion

"I recently had the pleasure of working with Michael on my first book. On the many occasions when I felt lost or unsure, he provided crucial reflection, reassurance, and a critical perspective when necessary, while also affording me enough space to find a footing in my own process, resulting in a book worth being proud of, and which works in ways that surprise even its author."
—Doug Bierend, author of In Search of Mycotopia