“Over nearly a decade of knowing and working with Alina Rios, I’ve come to revere her uncanny capacity to see what a piece of writing needs, whether that’s changing a few phrases or a whole new structure or a subtle adjustment of tone. Bring her a story and she’ll find the moment in it that needs sharpened focus. Bring her a poem and she’ll tell you what lines must go, where you’re hitting it too much on the nose, where you’re being too obscure or abstract…. Alina has never failed to keenly address whatever work I show her, be it essay, article, flash prose, or poem—she has reliably focused me on where the work calls for something, and she’s articulated what that something is with remarkable accuracy. Alina’s help has been crucial to the acceptance of many of my pieces for publication.”

“When in session with Alina, the world I know turns over and upside down, it becomes something wonderful, crazy, scary, and beautiful. Unknown strings of my feelings are touched, creating new tunes and colours. I’m getting sent into multiple universe dimensions, where anything is possible. My imagination bursts. Unforgettable experience, each session, I am grateful for every minute of it.”

“I’ve been working with Alina on my writing prose for over five years and her help has been invaluable. Whether it’s trying to work through a creative block, digging into line edits, or flat out saying that another draft is in order, working with Alina has been a joy, even when it means starting over again. ”

“Alina is not only a remarkable human being, and truly original writing voice, but also clearly a hugely able ‘text expert’. Her breadth of ability as playwright, poet and short-form prose writer give her an incisive, forensic quality when looking at other people’s work. She knows how ideas should develop, how words work, how clichee can be handled, and how a narrative should grow. I’d point anyone in her direction if they want some quality feedback on their work.”