I am a retired high school teacher and chairperson in the NYC school system who has also taught English for many years in the City University system (and at Hofstra University).  I feel qualified to enthusiastically endorse Ms. Alexandra Shelley.

I was a student in The Great American Short Story workshop.  Ms. Shelley is a gifted teacher; each of our classes had an organic theme, woven together with interesting readings…. She provided us with challenging, creative ways of thinking about how to make our writing come alive.

Her scholarly, insightful comments were coupled with her wonderful ability to draw out students and have us interact in the learning process.    

Everyone looked forward to class meetings: by fostering an atmosphere in which students felt relaxed and connected to one another and to her, what resulted was a sharing of clear, analytic thought and constructive, supportive suggestions. As we entered the rewrite phase, editing our stories was a time that we looked forward to as we attempted to incorporate ideas offered by our peers and Ms. Shelley.

I, and other members of our class, found her masterful, yet congenial, approach to thinking, writing and molding the written word, so intriguing that many of us took advanced classes in short story writing with her to continue our development as writers. The oral presentation of sections of ''works in progress'' by their authors at the term's end was a most enjoyable moment for all of us. 

Ms. Alexandra Shelley is a gem of an instructor; she loves what she is doing as a master teacher and she imparts that joy and her love of ideas to all students fortunate to have been in her classroom!

-Robert Allen Levy