Sensitivity Reader services

What Is Sensitivity Reading & Why It Matters

A sensitivity reader reviews unpublished work to identify unconscious and conscious biases against marginalized communities. This isn't about being "politically correct" or "woke"—words weaponized by fascists and their apologists—it's about not perpetuating harm. It's about making your work accurate, effective, and worthy of the communities it represents.

"Write what you know" is the old-school edict, but sometimes you don't know what you don't know. You might have an idea that needs fleshing out from a perspective or lived experience you're not intimately familiar with. Having friends, partners, or colleagues from that community isn't the same as being from that community—and sometimes only insiders can tell the difference.

Here's what's at stake: Unconscious bias doesn't just weaken your work. It perpetuates systems of oppression. It others people who are already othered. It makes your worldbuilding unbelievable, your arguments ineffective, your characterization flat. It signals to marginalized readers that you didn't care enough to get it right—and it tells them they don't matter.

A sensitivity reader covers the gaps in your lived experience so your work can land with power instead of causing harm. We strengthen your worldbuilding and arguments so they resonate. We help you avoid the lazy shortcuts that undermine everything you're trying to say. And yes, we broaden your reach—but more importantly, we help you avoid causing damage to the communities you're writing about, to your readers, and to your own credibility.

My Process & Fees

My process includes multiple read-throughs with comments highlighting problematic content. Depending on what you need, I can offer alternative suggestions, provide context about ongoing conversations in affected communities, or refer you to other readers when a topic falls outside my expertise. We can have as much back-and-forth as you need.

Manuscripts: $400 for works up to 50K words
Longer works: Negotiable rates for manuscripts over 50K
Web content & educational materials: $75/hour or project-based rates
Rush jobs: Additional fee

My Experience

I'm a Black, fat, queer, leftist, polya dyke with moderate to severe PTSD. I've been working in social justice for almost 40 years—organizing, writing, teaching, and learning from some of the finest critical thinkers in activism. That foundation shapes how I read, what I catch, and how I approach feedback.

I've been doing editorial and proofreading work for decades—including a stint as Interim Arts Editor of a feminist journal in the 90s, and as the unofficial editor for partners' and colleagues' writing. When sensitivity reading began emerging as a formalized practice, I was among the early readers doing this work—back when authors were hiring us themselves, before publishers made it standard. I'm also a published author myself, so I understand the editing process from both sides. I know the potential sting of critique, and I know how much better work becomes when we're willing to hear it.

I know what I know, and I know what I don't know. (For example: I can flag when you're littering your corporate manual with words like "pow-wow" or telling readers to find their "tribe," but if you're writing about water rights in the midwest, I'd refer you to a sensitivity reader involved in Indigenous activism.)

If you're ready to proceed—or if you want to talk more before making the leap—submit the form to reach out.