Testimonials

“The Glimpse Correspondents program provided me with the opportunity to further examine the society that I’d been living in and get to know some incredible people while doing so. As a correspondent I was able to delve deeper into the coal mining culture that I’d been so fascinated by since arriving in eastern Ukraine two years ago. On the editorial side of it all, I received a great amount of support and learned some valuable lessons on revising and editing, for which I am very grateful.”
Christopher Miller, Ukraine
Fall 2011 Glimpse Correspondent

Once the writing process started Sarah’s intuition was invaluable. My first drafts were completely muddled, but she was able to read through them and extract my underlying intentions. She often seemed to know instinctively what I was trying to say, even when I wasn’t sure myself. She also knew when to kick my ass over some bad writing habits.

I totally underestimated the scope of the work required for the program. Mostly this is down to the impeccable standard Sarah held me too. I would send off a draft that I felt certain looked good; she would return it and ask me to push it further. Every sentence had to justify its own inclusion.

The great strength of the Glimpse program is that it recognises that we all have different abroads, and that great stories aren’t just found out there in the abroad, but rather that they have to be created, shared, worked at, struggled with, and shared again. And again and again.”
Philip Johnson, United States
Fall 2011 Glimpse Correspondent

From the beginning, Sarah was both a supportive and demanding editor. I had to adjust my technique and voice back from blogging to essay writing. I was in the habit of writing little vignettes: parts of stories, anecdotes, and funny wonderings. My blog posts did not necessarily have a beginning, middle, and end. With Sarah’s help, I set about reorganizing my writing, creating a structure to guide my conversational tone.

Working with Sarah helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I needed her critical-eye in editing, and pushing me beyond my comfort zone. She asked me provocative questions that inspired new descriptions of a scene or character. As it turned out, crafting a cohesive essay inside a country of chaos proved a formidable task. There were moments of great frustration that Sarah reminded me were normal; were part of the process.

In the end, Glimpse provided me with an invaluable learning experience. I gained awareness about my creative self, from evaluating my writing habits to understanding the conditions under which I’m able to be most productive. I discovered my weaknesses even as I celebrated my strengths. I began to understand what becoming a professional travel writer would be like. Writing for Glimpse was an incredibly opportunity and one that I would whole-heartedly recommend to any aspiring writer.”
Brittany Jordt, India
Fall 2011 Glimpse Correspondent

“The Glimpse Correspondence program was hugely beneficial for my writing. More than building clips and a byline, the main value of the program for me was the editorial guidance. The editor really took the time to work deeply with my pieces, and the quality of her feedback was on par with what I’ve received in university workshops. With publications strapped and editors stretched, such personalized, professional feedback is rare these days. The fact that Glimpse offers this not just free-of-charge, but actually provides a stipend for participants, makes it a truly unique opportunity for early-career writers.”
Lauren Quinn, Cambodia
Fall 2011 Glimpse Correspondent

“For someone with no background in creative nonfiction, writing for Glimpse while I was farming in Uganda was challenging. I welcomed it, and grew from it, thanks due to an excellent host on site and the thoughtfulness with which Glimpse editors approached my work. This experience pushed me to go back to re-learning the fundamentals of writing – being concise, using precise imagery, and avoiding overused metaphors. My writing improved so much and eventually was of a quality I was unable to produce before.

The program humbled me, showing me that in an imperfect world, I have more than enough room to improve as a writer. I don’t know what this means for my career (now that I am in law school, haha), but I am truly grateful for Glimpse giving me the opportunity to share my perspective in a space that supports critical thinking and dialogue about the world.”
Julian Hill, Uganda
Fall 2011 Glimpse Correspondent