hi, i'm anna.

about me.

headshot of anna mester

Dr. Anna Mester’s extensive academic experience spans roles in teaching, research, and faculty development.

As an educator, she advocates for multilingual, immigrant, and first-generation students, while working to advance equity-driven initiatives at an institutional level. She has also worked in faculty development roles, supporting faculty, postdocs, and graduate students with drafting compelling funding proposals, ethically engaging with community partners, as well as effectively communicating research with community partners and public audiences.

Anna’s work is influenced by her extensive experience abroad. As a practitioner of community engagement, she facilitated creative writing and arts workshops in prisons in Michigan and Brazil. Previously a Fulbright-Hays Scholar in Mozambique, Spain, and Portugal, her travels and research also included field work in Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and Brazil. These experiences continue to inspire her multicultural and pluralistic approach to her work.

She is fluent in 4 languages and holds a B.A. summa cum laude in Romance Languages and Cultures and Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College. She earned her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures with an African Studies concentration from the University of Michigan.

In her free time, Anna enjoys reading, writing, sewing, and folk embroidery–and when the weather is nice she goes gravel cycling and bike packing.

editing services.

I’m a curious, attentive, and detail-oriented editor, specializing in developmental editing, line editing, and copyediting for manuscripts and grant applications in the humanities, area studies, and public scholarship.

I can help you to:

I also offer post-translation editing services for Spanish and Portuguese translations, ensuring that translated texts are polished and accurate, and appropriately convey style and tone.

Whether you’re struggling to get started or need support to get you across the finish line, my tailored services will help you to reach your goals. Shoot me an email to discuss your editing needs.

dissertation coaching.

I support academics in navigating writing and publishing while in graduate school and early stages of their career. Additional coaching support is crucial particularly for early-career academics, international and first-generation scholars, and others who lack effective mentorship.

My approach is tailored and customized. In working together, I can support you with:

Developing a sustainable strategy for completing your dissertation

  • Time management skills to help structure your research and writing time
  • Cohesive strategy and project management skills to juggle the moving pieces of your large-scale dissertation project with other professional responsibilities
  • Stakeholder management skills to support relationship development with advisors, collaborators, and other non-academic partners

Transforming your dissertation into a book-length monograph

  • Move from dissertation voice to book voice
  • Develop scaffolding and weave together through-lines of your book
  • Speak to broader audiences
  • Prepare book proposals
  • Communicate with editors at academic presses
  • Understand and respond to peer review

Overcoming challenges and develop effective habits

  • Create and maintain a sustainable writing practice
  • Provide supportive accountability for your writing goals and deadlines
  • Work through personal challenges like anxiety, procrastination, and lack of motivation
  • Build relationships collaborators, co-authors, and advisors

Whether you need support for 4 weeks or 6+ months, let’s discuss how we can work together. My services are determined on a sliding scale, I’m committed to supporting graduate students and early-career scholars. Don’t hesitate to reach out.

projects.

more soon.

contact.

I would love to hear from you!