consultant Services

 

Consulting Services

About No More Pyramids

No More Pyramids is a boutique consultancy serving writers, cultural workers, creatives, and organizations across the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. The name—borrowed from a phrase used by journalist Russell Contreras—signals a refusal to uphold extractive hierarchies. Instead, it imagines a future where creatives are not only contributors but architects of culture, equity, and decision-making.

This practice is grounded in over two decades of leadership at the intersection of literary arts and social impact. I partner with creatives and institutions to unlock the full range of their creative, structural, and imaginative power—not just productivity.

Whether mentoring a writer through a breakthrough, guiding an organization through transition, or supporting an executive director in their first season of leadership, I bring strategic clarity, lived experience, and deep attention to what’s possible.

My own work as a poet and editor continues to inform my approach—I am currently at work on a memoir that explores lineage, survival, and the role of the imagination in remaking the self.

Recent engagements include serving as editor of Like a Hammer: Poets on Mass Incarceration (Haymarket, 2025); co-producing a poetry film series with the Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation; teaching the science of grant writing and research fundamentals at DePaul University; and facilitating national workshops and public conversations on art, incarceration, and resistance.

I’ve also served as a judge and curator on numerous panels, bringing a cross-disciplinary perspective to literary evaluation, selection processes, and cultural programming. I believe deeply in poets and poetry—not just as forms, but as ways of being, remembering, and building.

Ways to Work Together

Organizational Strategy & Interim Leadership

I support organizations and cultural initiatives navigating transition, growth, or recalibration. I am especially drawn to those in leadership succession, refining staffing and revenue models, or reassessing long-term mission alignment.

Services include:

  • Interim Executive Directorship

  • Succession Planning & Onboarding Support

  • Strategic Visioning & Facilitation

  • Support for New Leaders

  • Revenue & Staffing Model Refinement

These engagements are best when built on mutual trust, clear objectives, and space for adaptive, creative thinking.

Readings, Workshops & Curated Conversations

I am often invited to anchor public programs where poetry intersects with justice, cultural memory, and collective repair. My engagements—whether as a reader, keynote speaker, or facilitator—offer depth, clarity, and an expansive sense of possibility.

Each year, I accept a limited number of invitations to offer keynote talks, readings, and curated conversations. I’ve collaborated with universities, literary centers, and grassroots organizations to help them shape decisive moments.

If you are curating a program rooted in care, creativity, and craft—and seeking a guide who can hold space for difficulty, resonance, and transformation—I’d love to hear more.

Strategic Coaching for Writers

I work with writers at pivotal moments—those shaping a first book, navigating sustained projects, or approaching an artistic crossroads. My editorial approach is rigorous, intuitive, and grounded in deep literary knowledge, especially in Latinx spaces.

My coaching is also invested in long-term sustainability. I work with writers to clarify not only what they want to say, but also how they want to live as artists—balancing creative ambition with the realities of time, energy, and livelihood.

Offerings include:

  • Manuscript Consultations
    In-depth feedback on poetry manuscripts (40–75 pages), including line edits, structural notes, and a tailored reading list. Includes a 2-hour conversation.

  • Project Development
    Guidance on emerging or in-progress work, with close attention to form, stakes, and voice.

  • Applications & Editing
    Strategic support for fellowships, grants, and residencies—including narrative development, proposal editing, and artist statements. Select creative work is edited upon request.

Connect

This practice was born not from theory, but from lived experience.

No More Pyramids is an invitation-only practice, but I occasionally extend special invitations to collaborators and projects that resonate. If you see yourself in this work—if you’re facing something complex and want company that’s strategic, candid, and creatively invested—reach out.

📧 dianamariedelgado@gmail.com

“I thought, the two things are connected, writing and destroying, hiding and being found.”
— Roberto Bolaño (trans. Chris Andrews)