I was fortunate enough to have Alexandra Shelley as a teacher in the "Great American Short Story" and "Advanced Short Story" workshops.  Her keen ability to give critiques, her success in eliciting cooperation from a diverse group of people, and her practical knowledge of the publishing world make her the best writing teacher I have ever had.

Alexandra's critiques of my work were always incisive, helpful, and targeted.  She always made her comments in a diplomatic and gentle manner, careful not to harm any fragile egos.  More importantly, in the long term, I learned from her how to critique my own work and the work of others. 

Alexandra always made sure that the group participants made their comments in a constructive manner….  She took all of the members of the group seriously as writers, discussing our goals with us and giving us practical advice.  As an editor, her knowledge of publishing strategies and venues is quite extensive. 

Not only did she include creativity-inducing exercises and the reading of classic short stories, Alexandra also supplemented the workshop with a wide variety of materials.  She presented poetry to discuss the use of language, drama to illustrate good dialogue, and classic anthropological writings to improve the students' ability to observe…..

Her ability to teach writing and critical analysis, combined with her ability to facilitate cooperation among people of different backgrounds, and her expertise at assigning supplementary materials and exercises make her an invaluable contribution to The New School.

-Brendan Huhn