NL North Loop Workshop Adult Writing & Proposal Lab
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Faculty and resident editors


Writing is best taught by people who write and edit for real audiences every week. Meet the faculty, their published work, and what each one teaches.

Founding Director & Lead Editor

Dana Mercer

MFA Iowa Writers' Workshop, 16 years in newsrooms and adult education

Former deputy editor at Midwest Review and staff essayist. Dana has guided more than 400 adult students through nonfiction proposals, essays, and institutional reports.

Courses taught Clear Business Writing, Manuscript Revision Lab
Nonfiction Faculty

Marcus Vance

Author of two memoirs, Pushcart Prize nominee

Marcus teaches personal narrative and structure. His students have placed essays in The Sun, Orion Magazine, and regional anthologies.

Courses taught The Personal Essay Intensive
Communications & Speech Specialist

Evelyn Ross

BA Rhetoric, former speechwriter for Twin Cities nonprofits

Evelyn helps analysts, engineers, and nonprofit directors communicate complex data and civic arguments without leaning on slide-deck crutches.

Courses taught Presenting Dense Ideas Without a Script
The workshop method

Editorial feedback, not academic theory


Traditional writing programs spend months on abstract theory. We run the classroom like a professional editorial desk: we read your draft on Tuesday, mark what works and where the reader gets lost, and hand you concrete line edits to test on Wednesday.

By the end of a cohort you have a finished deliverable and an internal editor you can use for the rest of your career.