ABOUT TESSA
Tessa has been a writing teacher for 26 years and has taught for The Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, NY, since 2011. She has an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
She teaches two free Zoom writing sprints* with prompts, micro-lessons to improve your craft and submission parties to get your work published.
These are on Zoom every Tuesday at 12 noon PM EST and every Wednesday at 6 PM EST.
In her teaching, she invites writers to practice ‘beginner’s mind’ and apply loving-kindness to their writing process which results in better memory, focus, and productivity.
Please sign up to receive the Zoom links by clicking HERE or above on the ‘Newsletter’ tab to enter your details.
* Sponsored by The Westport Library, CT.
Tessa is an award-winning author who first published in 1996. Her linked short story collection, LONDON ROAD: LINKED STORIES, received a ‘Featured’ review from Kirkus, was an Amazon best-seller, and a gold medal winner in the 2012 eLit Awards.
Her non-fiction book, COCKTAILS FOR BOOK LOVERS (Sourcebooks), was also an Amazon best-seller. Her publication credits include the Connecticut Review and Equinox, a UK poetry journal. She’s currently writing a fantasy novel about witches and selkies inspired by British mythology.
She was founder/editor of eChook Digital Publishing (now closed) and creator of the very first iPhone app for fiction. eChook won a silver and a gold medal in the 2012 eLit Awards and its stories have been read by thousands of readers in 100+ countries.
She is cohost of the podcast, ‘Go Ahead, Write Something’ for Verso Studios at the Westport (Conn.) Library. Tessa also hosts an award-winning digital channel that offers author interviews, book reviews, and instruction for writers. BGTV has 2 million+ minutes viewed on YouTube.
In 2020, she started Bloom Writers’ Studio to help people become writers, establish their (flexible!) writing routine, get inspired every week and feel the satisfaction of finally getting those stories written and published. Bloom offers PitchFests in person and online where writers can pitch their books (or book idea) to top literary agents. Bloom Writers’ Studio has 10k+ likes on FB.
Tessa was born in England, moved to the United States in 1993, and published her first short story in 1996. She’s currently working on a fantasy novel (witches, selkies, and talking animals!). She lives in Connecticut with her family, a black English Lab, a mini black Schnauzer, a red Shih-Poo, a seal point Ragdoll cat, and a black and white Maine Coon.
She teaches the following:
1. On Tuesdays at 12 noon EST and Wednesdays at 6 PM EST Zoom for the Westport Library, Westport, CT (Free and open to all writers of all levels, wherever you live)
2. Her upcoming Zoom class, ‘How to Link Your Short Stories and Memoirs into a Collection’ for The Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College is on Oct 19, 2024. These sessions usually sell out, so please sign up soon if interested.
KIND WORDS FROM STUDENTS
“Tessa was a remarkable teacher, not just of writing in the digital age, but of the art and craft of writing in general. Her vision was timeless and inspired, and her course was truly life changing for me.” – Jeanne Chinard, The Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, NY
“Tessa’s…knowledge of the internet, the publishing world, and the steps to successful digital publishing is current and extensive. She has valuable insight into the psychology of writing and writers.” – Jeanette Gould, The Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, NY
“Tessa Smith McGovern’s class ‘Writing for Digital Media’ is one of the best writing classes I have ever taken. In addition to teaching us step by step how to blog and tweet and link our pieces to Facebook so we could truly begin to build a platform for publishing, Tessa’s advice and critique of our writing was unfailingly helpful and supportive. I cannot recommend this class highly enough.” – Florence Reiss Kraut, The Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, NY
For more information, please email tessasmithmcgovern@gmail.com
Publications
US:
SHORT STORIES/PROSE POEMS: Connecticut Review, Crack the Spine Literary Journal, Evening Street Review, CellStories.net, The Dirty Goat, RiverSedge, Studio One, The Distillery, BCtheMagazine, Happy, Georgia State University Review, Verdad Magazine, Portland Magazine
BOOKS: Cocktails for Booklovers, 2014, Sourcebooks Inc, London Road: Linked Stories, 2011, eChook Digital Publishing
UK:
SHORT STORIES/PROSE POEMS: First Offense, Carillon, Lucid Moon, Equinox Poetry Journal, UK
Awards
2011 – Silver Medal (Editor), eLit Book Awards, ‘Memoir, Vol. 1’, eChook Digital Publishing
2011 – Gold Medal, eLit Book Awards, ‘London Road: Linked Stories, eChook Digital Publishing
2009 – Winner, Connecticut Press Club Creative Writing, ‘When Janice Bailey Walked’
2005-2008 – Honored Writer, the Annual Ultra-Short Competition of the Binnacle (University of Maine at Machias)
1996 – Honorable Mention, the Abiko Quarterly with James Joyce Studies, ‘Night of Glass’