I am writing to highly recommend Rafi Zabor as writing coach. I attended a workshop Mr. Zabor taught in 2017 and 2018, and have continued to utilize his invaluable services since.
He brings a musician’s ear, an intensely creative and analytical mind, and a passion for compelling storytelling to everything he does. Zabor’s vast knowledge, dialectical dexterity, and the improvisational nature of his presentations enliven and broaden the discussions in class, and his deliberate care makes you feel individually tended to. His dizzying command of details and apt social critiques inspire me to read, write, and live more thoughtfully and fully.
I came to Rafi as a writer who had some measure of talent but who’d lost discipline and inspiration to write. I’d always felt constrained by the unspoken rules of the workshops at Vassar and Columbia. I still possessed that adolescent voice in the background of my mind which always cheered for destruction. I wanted my writing to be in a position where it was entertaining and absorbing enough that I didn’t feel the need to question the endgame. Simply put, I was still an emotionally immature writer. Thankfully, Rafi’s guidance changed this. He forcibly nudged me to confront my conditioned assumptions and limitations, and I broadened my perspective in form and content. A fiercely intelligent and admirably adventurous person, Rafi is relatable and accessible. He urged me to grasp onto my own personal truth and stand with it. Rafi’s teachings for me were an entry point into a new world of unforeseen sensibility.
He provides inspiration, accountability, and thoughtful analysis. His engaging discussions form a call and response method with his students. His openness and readiness to adapt to students’ questions and opinions lend a strong sense of respect and enthusiasm. His personality and compassion shine through everything he does. He possesses an exquisite consideration for all. I recommend Rafi Zabor without reservation.
Rafi Zabor 