Open for Applications: 20 writers mentorships are available under Words Ireland’s National Mentoring Programme. We’ll be initiating twenty relationships between emerging/emerged writers and professional writers. The deadline for applications is 31 July and we hope to initiate relationships by October 2019.
Details on the National Mentoring Programme
The National Mentoring Programme is open to writers of
• literary fiction,
• creative non-fiction,
• children’s / YA fiction,
• poetry
It is ideally for:
• Writers who have published one or two books and who feel they could benefit from professional guidance and feedback on their work-in-progress.
• Emerging writers who have yet to publish a book but can demonstrate a strong commitment to writing e.g. journal publications, awards, significant training/courses undertaken or other forms of recognition from the literature sector.
• Writers with three or more books published in one form but who are proposing to work in a new writing form in which they have yet to publish a book (e.g. a published novelist working on their first collection of poetry).
Mentee opportunities are open to writers of any age, race, gender, nationality who are resident in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. Mentees will avail of the relationship for free. There is no fee for application.
Mentoring consists of four meetings with an experienced writer over a period of up to eight months. The mentor will read your work in advance of each meeting, and feedback and advise at each meeting. They may also provide information and advice on professional and publishing matters.
Thanks to their generous support, one mentoring opportunity is guaranteed for each of the following local authority areas: Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Fingal (x2), Galway, Kildare (x2), Kilkenny, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Roscommon, South Dublin (x2), Wexford and Wicklow. There are 5 Words Ireland mentorships guaranteed to writers from all other counties.
How to Apply
It’s free to apply. Applicants are asked to submit the following information through Submittable:
– A Statement of Intent outlining what project you will focus on during the mentoring process (max 200 words)
– A Statement of Benefit outlining why and how you think you’ll benefit from mentoring (max 200 words)
– A writing CV: listing any previous publications, writing experience, awards or recognition, creative writing classes or mentoring.
– maximum of 4,000 words of Literary Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction or YA OR 4 poems/180 lines of poetry OR writers for young children can submit a lower word count that is appropriate to their writing project.
Only one submission per applicant is allowed. Applications for mentees will only be accepted through Submittable.
In 2019, applications will be scored through a combination of externally judged blind readings of work-in-progress and a Words Ireland panel review of additional information (CVs, Statements, etc), with a respective 75%/25% split between these two.
Deadline: midnight 31 July 2019 & for more info please click here.
