"As my coach, Jake’s program began by teaching me to establish a foundation, my writing routine. I succeeded in this only thanks to Jake’s methodology. His unwavering support over any subject or form I tackled, was integral to my coming so far in such a short period of time. Six months ago I didn’t imagine myself making it to this point; I have now written over 400 pages. Jake Slichter has, in all honesty, taught me how to be a better writer."
Christine — Teaneck, NJ
"Jake is one of the most insightful, truthful, inspiring, and plain and simply, one of the best mentors and teachers in writing and creativity that I've ever had. He is a laser-sharp listener, a powerful creative collaborator, an immense appreciator of the at-first quiet voice of a new story or script or song. Jake meets you where you are and indeed helps you to locate yourself in a given process, helps you follow your own intuition. He has mentored, consulted and taught me not only in the here and now, helping me to sift out the clarified granules of any given song or story, but has offered perspectives, frameworks and a vocabulary for creating that I find myself referencing all the time."
Charlotte — Brooklyn, NY
“Jacob is a most compassionate and intelligent guide to the craft. Rather than forcing his own solutions on me, he has gracefully enabled me to find and perfect my own voice. The way in which he can identify the areas in which my writing can be improved without in the least bit bruising my ego is nothing short of astounding.”
Katie — New York City
"Jake taught me methods of productivity and clarity that significantly improved my writing practice at a granular level and in a daily way. But his warm, generous coaching style also helped build my confidence as a writer so I could turn down the volume on self-consciousness, fear and perfectionism and trust what’s most valuable to any artist — my own creative intuition."
Sarah — Dallas, TX
“Jake has an uncanny ability to ask the right questions. He bypasses the usual fix-it techniques, setting his sights instead on that thing you’re avoiding but shouldn’t be, because it’s at the heart of what you need to say. I’ve left every meeting with Jake with a deeper sense of clarity and a near-forboding sense of challenge. And my writing is far better for it.”
Emily — Brooklyn
"Jake Slichter is one of the most insightful, intelligent and critical readers I know. He has a keen sense of story, character and narrative structure. I’m happy to count him among a small circle of my most trusted advisors — someone to whom I’ve sent multiple drafts of all my screenplays over the past years and who has attended more rough cut film screenings than I can count.”
Joshua Marston
Director of Maria Full of Grace, The Forgiveness of Blood, and Complete Unknown
"Jake is one of the most amazing teachers and readers I’ve ever known. He is inspiring and brilliant, he enters the world he is reading and helps it from the inside out. After reading my (incredibly messy) writing, he sent me ten pages of notes, was glad to meet to follow-up, and everything he said showed his incredible generosity of spirit, his deep intelligence, his humanity and the vastness of his own experience and reading. After every meeting he leaves me wanting to write all the time, with concrete and exciting ways to go deeper into character and story. Of course he is also a truly great writer himself, and a beautiful person through and through."
Sarah — Brooklyn
“Jacob helps you find your truth, the stuff that you know you have to write but that you really don't want to. He does this with compassion and kindness, but with the conviction that the process is writing is also the process of liberation. What will come out of you after working with Jacob will be compelling and right, even though it might scare the pants off of you.”
Mieke — New York City
"I've worked with Jake for five years. He's the first person I turn to for help with my writing, or when my work requires me to edit the writing of others and I get stuck. He has a kind, encouraging style of teaching and a sharp eye for detail. He is able to draw back and ask important questions about the overall themes, purpose and structure of a piece of writing. He's also great at clarifying sentence structure and helping writers to discover the most elegant version of their own creative voices. I recommend Jake as a writing teacher, I can't recommend him enough."
Rachel — Fort Wayne, IN
“Jake goes above and beyond. Never before has anyone encouraged my individuality and intent on the page more than Jake. He is extremely thoughtful and understanding and has pushed me as no one else ever has.”
Sarah —Cherry Hill, NJ
"When it comes to storytelling, Jake is incredibly perceptive. His keen insight allowed him to find connections in my narratives that I hadn’t yet realized. His guidance helped me to arrive at conclusions in my writing that surprised me with how true they were."
Maggie — Yonkers, NY
"In each of our lesson times, Jake expertly supported, critiqued, and encouraged me...his tool kit seemed bottomless-- for guiding and encouraging, getting the best results from our time together. I am also profoundly grateful for his warmth, which was constant, even as he conducted his work with precise professionalism. Jake has become one of a beloved few in my constellation of guiding lights, and a plumb line against which I measure awesomeness in coaching."
-Nancy, Glastonbury, CT
“Jacob Slichter is an artists’ artist. His tool kit for both writing and mentoring starts with a firm grasp of fundamentals of the artistic and critical thinking process, and allows him to see the artist and the artist’s goal without judgment, reservation or doubt. Whether the artist requires one-on-one coaching in order to obtain mastery over fundamentals, or seeks peer-to-peer analysis, provocation, and a unique and sophisticated formal rigor, he brings all of himself to the process. His exuberance and gentleness is unmatched, not only because he knows the process so well but also because he loves art, communication, connection, and artists. His approach is both rigorous and soulful, and without question, he guides the artist to find and hone her or his own unique voice and genius. I wouldn’t engage in any artistic endeavor without him.”
Rebecca Carpenter — Los Angeles
Director of Requiem for a Running Back
"Jake is, admirably, a sensitive reader, a thoughtful artist, and a nuanced, patient teacher. His comments on my fiction were more thorough and complex than I was used to and made me feel like a real writer. As a coach and guide, he is a deep listener, and therefore rare and valuable."
Kathleen — Austin, TX
"Jake has helped me evolve my writing over many years. He's a Michelangelo of the written word; he can see the form hidden inside the unyielding block of text and help the writer bring it forth."
Joan — Auburn, CA
"Jake is a thoughtful and attentive coach. His encouragement combined with insightful feedback--on the rhythm and poetry within the prose, as well as deeper analytical digging into what's true and what is in service to the story--has helped me reach new depths in my work."
Rachel — Brooklyn
"My writing changed when I met Jake. His careful insight opened tightly closed windows and led me down hallways I thought were blocked. Once when I was stuck, he asked me to list 25 things I was afraid of. Wow. Suddenly I had so much to write about. He is honest and direct knows what he is doing. Fair, and direct...never egotistical. Far and away, everything I needed to hear about my work."
Cathy — Rye, NY
Jacob is a dynamic teacher, one with the devotion and investment we all yearn for in a mentor. He read my work with voraciously, committing every detail to memory and helped awaken in me the same hunger for my own writing.
Erica — Queens, NY
"Jake Slichter is to professional life what Vince Lombardi was to football: a coach who turns coaching into an art form and a way of life. A magnificent listener with a clairvoyant sense of both the situation and the future, Jake clarifies and illuminates the path you walk and helps you solve the Rubik’s cubes of daily professional puzzles along the way. His insight is stunningly powerful and grounded in a deep sense of ethics and spiritual commitment. Time spent with him is deeply enjoyable: I think 60 minutes spent with Jake is like a week-long hike in the woods. He is outrageously funny, which means he restores the humanity of all your dilemmas, and he is always, always, always on your side. Be careful, though—he may become indispensable."
— Jamin Raskin, Maryland State Senator