Services

Let’s work together! Offering writing workshops, editing services, tutoring and curriculum design for creatives, academics and professionals.

Writing Workshops

Teaching the art of writing is a passion of mine. After minoring in Creative Writing at UC Berkeley, I went on to study at places like The New School, Gotham, UCLA, Catapult and elsewhere, ultimately earning my MFA in Creative Nonfiction. Along the way, I grew as a writer and thinker. Combining the pedagogy of teaching with the craft of writing, and trauma-informed somatic practices, I offer in-person, self-paced, and online courses for most genres. Some places I’ve partnered with include The Porch, Crow Collective, Write or Die Magazine, Writing by Writers, UNLV, Thousand Oaks Library and elsewhere.

Sample workshops include:

  • Foundations of Nonfiction

  • Restorying: a trauma-informed memoir workshop

  • Generative Writing Workshops

  • Writing the Teen Self

  • Writing the Body

For self-paced creative writing classes, check out Write Now Workshops.

Testimonials:

"Professor Berke is a literal ray of sunshine. She encourages everyone to participate and encourages a lot of team work. She is very detailed in her instructions and also very understanding."

"Christina has such a calm, encouraging approach to the virtual classroom. She helps students feel present— and helps them feel her presence— through careful planning, guidance, and sweet extras. So much care and attention goes into her classes. Highly recommend!”

"Literally love the teacher, was so kind and generous. Focused on the students and is willing to help anyone. The class helped my writing and editing skills."

Professional Editing

As a former Managing Editor of an award-winning literary magazine, and former intern at PEN America in New York City, I have over six years of professional experience editing literary, commercial and academic work. Depending on the project, you'll get line edits, developmental feedback, and an overview on your fiction, nonfiction, pitch or application. Explore some of the editing services I offer and experience clarity, next steps and support in a caring environment.

Testimonials:

"OMG, This is brilliant, Christina! You are the BEST editor!!!! This has been SO very helpful and I am SO SO grateful for your edit!!!!! You caught so much that I'd missed."

"Truly no one better or more gifted at what she does... goes above and beyond and is so kind."

"WOW! These edits are so thoughtful, so on point, so intentional and sensitive. You are such a powerful editor."

Sample services include:

  • Manuscript editing

  • Submitting to lit magazines (including cover letters)

  • Applying to the MFA and writing residencies

  • Freelance pitching

  • Personal essays/ college admission essays

Curriculum Design

I’ve been teaching professionally since 2010, both K12 and university level in person and virtually (even before the pandemic). I was a founding English and Social Studies teacher which meant I wrote curriculum from scratch, sourcing all of the material we read, writing lessons, exams and projects with goal posts and kept tweaking lessons until they were the most impactful. Since then, I’ve worked with ed tech companies to develop their curriculum as well as provide feedback to improve their online classes.

Sample services include:

  • Uplevel your Zoom classroom

  • Generating a course outline

  • Grammar and formatting

  • Scaffolded, inclusive lessons

  • Content and assessment writing

  • Classroom visits (virtual and in-person)

  • Teacher coaching

Testimonials:

“We hired Christina to develop the curriculum of an online program for middle school students and found her to be vital in shaping the vision for not only the course outcome, but in the small details of getting all our students to the mastery level through thoughtful and vigorous scaffolding.”

“Like many of us, my team still uses Zoom and I thought we were well-versed, but Christina gave us so many useful tips to make Zoom more accessible for our students. My online teaching and even staff meetings became so much better with her insights!”

"Christina created many project guides that demonstrated her effective strengths and offered clear and easily understandable step-by-step instructions as well as additional resources. She took it on with full gusto and an ownership mindset that received positive reviews from our team.”

Tutoring

As a founding teacher and English professor, I occasionally offer 1:1 private tutoring sessions in person or online. I’ve worked with students as young as 15 months up to re-entry adults and beyond, gifted students, home-schoolers, private and public and others as well as those with learning differences like ADHD and anxiety. I have an MFA in Creative Writing from UNLV and an M.Ed. in Education from UCLA. Highlights include:

  • 15+ years teaching creative writing at universities, private schools and nonprofits

  • Awards from Clint Harper Teacher's Award, the Ventura County Retired Teachers Association, the Latina Leadership Network, and the Delta Kappa Gamma Society for Women Educators

  • International experience in places like Seoul, Korea and Mumbai, India

  • Certification in trauma-informed pedagogy and student-centered practices that help with test anxiety and procrastination

Testimonials:

“She is so patient and really connects with my kids. I can't think of anyone else I'd trust to raise their grades, their confidence, and their abilities.”

"Christina is one of the most compassionate people I know! She's reliable, kind, and knows how to get kids writing. I've been so blown away by her efforts with my son and the progress he's made!!!"

"[She is] a great teacher, and I also enjoyed our sessions. My English writing skills improved a lot with her help; I am more confident, and even motivated to read now."

Freelance Writing

From service journalism to company newsletters, I’ll write for you. I've done freelance writing for several outlets including Teen Vogue, NPR and Catapult.

Sample services include: 

  • B2B and B2C content

  • Service journalism 

  • Interviews 

  • Ghostwriting

Testimonials:

“Christina is a joy to work with, as she is consistently on top of her deadlines and always pleasant!”

“I hired Christina to work on a personal book project and couldn’t be more pleased with the final result! She was patient in listening to what I wanted the book to be, helped me outline next steps and co-wrote with me so that I could have a dream come true— my family legacy preserved.”

“Her approach is so thoughtful and she finds exciting angles for a piece, talks to her sources with integrity and respect and has never missed a deadline!”