About
After getting her start in the storied William Morris Agency mailroom, Liza left the business side of creativity to pursue her calling as a writer.
Her books include the novels The Distractions and Mexican High, the memoir The Marriage Act: The Risk I Took To Keep My Best Friend In America And What It Taught Us About Love, and Seeing As Your Shoes Are Soon To Be On Fire, a collection of personal essays based on one of the “most popular, provocative, and unforgettable” columns for The New York Times’ “Modern Love” column and a voicemail from an ex. Another of her “Modern Love” installments was selected and read by Malin Ackerman for the series’ podcast.
Liza’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, O (Oprah Magazine), Poets & Writers, Marie Claire, Longreads, Newsweek, Guernica, Catamaran, The Village Voice, Everyday With Rachael Ray, Jane, Self, Psychology Today, Jezebel, Publishers Weekly, Bust and many other publications and anthologies, including The New York Times’ Best of Modern Love, Goodbye To All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving New York, Oprah’s Little Book of Calm and Comfort, Best American Food Writing, One Big Happy Family, and the forthcoming Surfer Stories.
She was the inaugural John E. Nance Writer-in-Residence at the Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio, and has also been writer-in-residence at the Jack Kerouac Project of Orlando and The Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska.
A graduate of Emerson College and Columbia University’s School of the Arts, Liza has taught writing at Columbia University, Stanford, UCLA Extension, UC Santa Cruz, and at numerous retreats and workshops.
When not wordsmithing, she loves surfing, reading, dance, traveling, drinking coffee, and vegan cooking.
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Work with me
Liza works with select clients who may be writing fiction, essays/creative nonfiction, academic work, and/or journalism. Clients and students have been published in The New York Times, Newsweek, Salon, and many other top outlets. She offers editing services and manuscript consultation, as well as other coaching and advice for those looking to revise, polish, and publish, as well as consulting on finding an agent, choosing and getting into MFA programs, or — for writers and non-writers alike, finding satisfaction on your creative journey. Use the contact form to get in touch!
Client Testimonials
"Initially, I reached out to Liza for her editorial and consulting services because I was a big fan of her writing. What I quickly learned, however, is that Liza’s writing expertise is only one of the many benefits she offers her clients. Since she has worked at literary agencies, Liza’s understanding of the business side of publishing is something that sets her apart from other editors, consultants and coaches. Liza’s 360-degree understanding of the publishing world — as both an art and a business — is invaluable to anyone who is serious about pursuing publication, whether book, essay, or journalism. She also has this uncanny ability to push you to take your writing further and further without it ever feeling like you’re being pushed. Liza’s passion for helping you succeed is evident from Day 1, and her feedback is always thorough, insightful and timely. When I started working with Liza, I had nothing but an essay and the germ of a book idea. I now have a full proposal and several chapters of a first draft. This simply wouldn’t have been possible without Liza.” –Jared Bilski