I sensitivity read for a variety of experiences and identities from a personal perspective. My professional experience as a humanities PhD candidate and college professor also lends a level of expertise to several broad areas.

Areas of Experience

  • fatness (with a framework of fat liberation)

  • chronic illness/disability, including autoimmune disease & cancer; as a disabled person and as a caretaker (please contact for more specific information if desired)

  • depression, anxiety

  • neurodivergence (esp. ADHD, autism)

  • queer, trans, & nonbinary identities (esp. AFAB* nonbinary, genderqueer, bisexuality, omnisexuality, asexuality)

  • military brat (specifically Air Force)

Professional Areas of Interest and Research

  • gender and sexuality studies

  • queer theory

  • disability studies

  • monster studies (with attention to race, queerness, disability, and fatness)

  • American history

*The use of “assigned gender at birth” (i.e., AFAB or AMAB) is not always appropriate, but I feel it is a simple and easily-understood marker when discussing identity-based sensitivity reading needs.

Why do I provide my professional areas of interest and research?

I will always recommend hiring a sensitivity reader with lived experience over a generalist sensitivity reading. However, I can provide a generalist perspective based on my professional experience as a supplemental sensitivity read.

“What stood out most for me was how Mat fully absorbed the manuscript and wasn't only reading it on a surface level. They took the characters, their varying backgrounds, their arcs, and their flaws into consideration, so any issues could be tweaked to fit the context of the overall story and make it stronger without being out of place. They also supplied extremely detailed reasonings and sources along with their advice—which, I really appreciated—and it was obvious from the get-go not just how knowledgeable they were on the subject, but their passion for it, too!”

— Eryn Hawk

Process & Cost

Please email or DM me on Facebook. Tell me about your book and what specific concerns or topics you want me to focus on. Depending on the work you want, we’ll discuss the timeline and if we’re a good fit. If we move forward, you will send me a Word document or Google doc. (I also accept PDFs or ePubs, but I prefer Word/Google for commenting ease.)

Prices for sensitivity reading and consulting are flat rates (with potential additional fees to account for reviewing revisions). All prices will be negotiated before work begins.

As part of a sensitivity read, I will

  • note any problematic areas or points of concern

  • identify areas where marginalized characters’ identities can be explored more fully and authentically

  • provide resources for further education when necessary

  • provide honest, empathetic feedback through in-depth comments

Sensitivity Reading: comments within the document and a 1-page summary of my evaluation and feedback

Sensitivity Consulting: evaluation of initial plans, including synopsis and character design, through conversation and/or in-document comments

Sensitivity Reading

Less than 50,000 words — $100 (2-3 weeks turnaround)

50,000 — 100,000 words — $150 (2-3 weeks turnaround)

100,00 — 150,000 words — $200 (4-6 weeks turnaround)

150,000 — 200,000 words — $250 (4-6 weeks turnaround)

200,000+ words — please email to discuss

Note: All sensitivity reads include a re-read of revised sections (please highlight or excerpt the revised portions). If you would like another full sensitivity read, an additional fee may be added.

Content Notes/Warning Lists

If you would like a comprehensive list of content notes and/or warnings as part of the sensitivity read, a flat rate of $5 (fewer than 10 total list items) or $10 (11 or more total list items) will be added to your total. 

Developmental Sensitivity Consulting

Developmental sensitivity consulting takes place before writing has begun (or very minimal writing has happened). This is perfect for the author who wants to talk through ideas and get started on the right foot when writing a marginalized character.

Because we all have communication preferences, consulting can happen synchronously (video call or scheduled online chat) or asynchronously (comments within a document or email). The flat rate for consultations is $20/hour.