About Us
​Our team works one-on-one with students to guide them from inception through the final draft of the college application essay. Whether you are just starting to brainstorm or you have completed the first draft of your Common Application personal statement, A Bloc of Writers can help!
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What sets us apart is that our tutors are professional writers, editors, and teachers. We are also all parents of current college students. We work with a small group of students each year and we do not subcontract any of our work to inexperienced tutors.
Our Team
Michele Turk
Founder, A Bloc of Writers
Education: B.A., Boston College, M.S., Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Michele has worked as a professional writer and editor for the past two decades. Since landing her first job as a junior editor at American Health magazine (a Reader’s Digest publication), she has published articles on a wide range of topics, including health, education, parenting and business. Her work has appeared in many national publications and websites, among them BusinessWeek, Parents, U.S. News & World Report, Shape, Glamour, Elle, The Washington Post and USA Weekend. She is the co-editor of “Ink Stained,” a collection of essays by the members of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Class of 1992, and the author of “Blood, Sweat and Tears: An Oral History of the American Red Cross.” Michele also worked as an adjunct professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University. Michele is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).
Daisy Florin
Education: B.A., Dartmouth College M.A., Columbia University M.S. Ed., Bank Street College of Education
Specialties: College application essays, personal essays, book editing
Daisy Florin has worked with students on their college essays since 2015. She is the author of MY LAST INNOCENT YEAR (2023), which was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice as well as a Washington Post Staff Pick. Her articles and personal essays have appeared in many publications including Literary Hub and Cup of Jo. Daisy is a recipient of the 2016 Kathryn Gurfein Writing Fellowship from Sarah Lawrence College and was a 2019-2020 fellow in the BookEnds Novel Revision Fellowship. A former book editor at a New York publishing house, Daisy has worked as a teacher and tutor for children of all ages.
Jennifer Deinard
Education: B.S. Boston University, College of Communication
New York University, Diploma in Coaching
Jennifer is a published author of over 40 non-fiction books for children and adults. She began her career in book publishing where she worked in the marketing, sales, and eventually moved into editorial departments before starting her own freelance writing and editing business twenty years ago. For the last eight years she has worked as a writer, co-author, editor, and pre-reader for Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, honing her skills around crafting a personal narrative. She is also the Owner of Jot Coaching & Consulting, an executive and life coaching business in town.
Doris Freedman
Education: B.A. Binghamton University, J.D. New York University School of Law, Graduate Certificate, UCLA
Doris is a graduate of UCLA's College Counseling program. Since 2017, she has worked as a private college counselor and as a college advisor with Yonkers Partners in Education, a not-for-profit organization, where she guided more than 100 students through the complete college application process. She has conducted frequent information sessions for students, parents and volunteers about strategies for increasing odds of acceptance, developing impactful college essays, building a balanced college list, maximizing the Common Application, and financial aid. To help students develop authentic, compelling college essays, Doris draws on her background as an award-winning freelance writer and as an attorney who has authored persuasive briefs for courts nationwide, including the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling and an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association.