Why It Works

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

— Lincoln

What people say about Mary Ann Hogan:

“Journalism is changing fast. Mary Ann Hogan, like few coaches I've seen, can keep the human contact strong no matter what the task. She brings out the best reporting traditions, like solid, clear storytelling, and blends them with the latest online tools. Above all, she gets (writers) to follow the reporter's greatest rule: Never lose sight of the reader. A gem.”

— John Sweeney, Editorial Page Editor, The News Journal (Wilmington, Del.); director, Wilmington Writers Workshop

"She has this uncanny ability to see what could be there, and then, to help you reach within yourself to find it."

— Susan Stern, award-winning filmmaker (“Barbie Nation," “The Self-Made Man,” San Francisco)

“It’s one thing to coach for story mechanics. But Mary Ann goes deeper to the heart of excellence, incorporating personal virtues and attacking the stagnation that too often ensnares reporters and editors … It is a reminder to me of how often we put limits on ourselves, forget how much power we have, drown in self-doubt and blame others for it. Mary Ann’s voice is a welcome and inspiring one for anyone in the throes of mid-career angst.”

— Bob Baker, author of Newsthinking

“Mary Ann is part Earth mom, part wizard, part pragmatist. She takes the mystery out of writing, but leaves the magic. Every writer should have someone like her to lean on.”

— Jacqui Banaszynski, Knight Chair in Editing, Missouri School of Journalism

“Mary Ann helped me look beyond the writer's words to the bigger picture and the ultimate message of the story. Most important, she showed me that structure conveys meaning, and how this is true whether the story is print, audio, video, or page design.”

— Cyndi Metzger , Sunday Outlook Editor, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"She digs deep into the brain cells to reveal that most writers have what it takes; they just don't know how."

— Tom Silvestri , president/ publisher, Richmond Times-Dispatch

"She takes the normal excuses about why newsrooms can't produce good writing—and kicks them in the teeth."

— Lon Wagner , storytelling team, The Virginian-Pilot

“I've never taken a journalism class, but after three internships, I am now a full-time reporter at a large paper in one of America's most populated cities. On all the days I've felt ill-prepared for the opportunities I've been given, Mary Ann has been there for me. She has taught me much of what I know—how to become a part of a newsroom, and to understand what it is to be a journalist, a historian, and a storyteller.”

— Meena Thiruvengadam , Business Reporter, San Antonio Express-News

“As a veteran reporter and editor, it was like a light went on after a few story-telling discussions with MA.”

— Alan Cherry, assistant city editor, South-Florida Sun-Sentinel

"A witty, knowledgeable, committed—and most important—effective writing coach.”

— The late Beverly Kees , national newsroom training consultant and former executive editor, The Fresno Bee