Stay tuned for calls for applications for Mentors and Mentees in May 2024!
Thanks for attending our 2022-23 Mentorship Program Readings!
(May 26, 2023) – A huge thanks to everyone who came out to the A. C. Hunter Public Library on Wednesday, May 24 to hear readings from our 2022-23 Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers Mentors and Mentees.
It was so refreshing and inspiring to hear about what these pairings accomplished during their Mentorship, and to get a sneak preview of their in-progress works!
Thanks to all Mentors and Mentees, and our friends at NL Public Libraries for their help with this event. The Mentorship Program is made possible by Canada Council for the Arts– we thank them for their longtime and ongoing support of writers and artists nationwide.
Stay tuned for future calls for submissions for Mentors and Mentees for the 2023 Mentorship for Emerging Writers!
Photo by Alick Tsui Photography.
Join WritersNL for our 2022-23 Mentorship Program Readings!
(April 25, 2023) – You are invited to join WritersNL and the local literary community at the A.C. Hunter Library in St. John’s this May to hear readings from the 2022-23 Mentorship Program Mentees.
The 2022-23 Mentorship Readings will take place on Wednesday, May 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. NST. This event at the A.C. Hunter Public Library is free to attend and open to WritersNL Members and the general public.
• Mado Christie mentored by Bridget Canning
• Paul Moorehead mentored by Douglas Walbourne-Gough
• Kira Sheppard mentored by Tracey Waddleton
• Monique Tobin mentored by Agnes WalshEach Mentee reading features an introduction from their Mentor, giving the audience an overview of the material they are about to hear as well as some information about the featured emerging writer.
WritersNL’s Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers is funded by the Canadian Council for the Arts. WritersNL would also like to thank the City of St. John’s and Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries for their support.
(Are you experiencing technical issues when registering for this event? Email WritersNL’s Member Services and Communications Coordinator Wendy Rose at membership@writersnl.ca for help.)
Meet the 2022 Mentor + Mentee Pairings!
(August 31, 2022) – WritersNL is ecstatic to announce the pairings of our 2022 Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers.
The WritersNL Emerging Writers Mentorship program is designed to serve the needs of emerging Newfoundland and Labrador writers who are committed to the development of their writing. It is aimed at writers who are on the cusp of professional publication and who have a substantial work-in-progress.
The Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers program is made available through generous funding by the Canada Council for the Arts.
To facilitate this program, WritersNL accepted applications in two rounds for two positions: mentors and mentees. The 2022 mentors were selected by a jury, and mentorship pairings were also facilitated by a jury.
We are happy to announce the 2022 Mentorship Pairings are:
• Bridget Canning + Mado Christie
• Douglas Walbourne-Gough + Paul Moorehead
• Tracey Waddleton + Kira Sheppard
• Agnes Walsh + Monique Tobin
For more information on the mentors, please click here!
Meet the Mentees!
Mado Christie
Mado Christie is a writer and classical pianist living in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Their fiction has appeared in Acta Victoriana and The Spectatorial, and they were a founding editor of Augur Magazine. They teach and work at the School of Music at Memorial University, and perform regularly in collaboration with other musicians and arts organizations in the city. When not writing or playing, Mado can usually be found cooking, reading, or catering to their cat Penny’s every whim.
Paul Moorehead
Paul Moorehead is a physician and emerging writer living in St. John’s. His poetry will appear in Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts, and his creative nonfiction has appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Kira Sheppard
Kira Sheppard (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in St. John’s, NL. She works with the mediums of writing, music and theatre performance. Kira is currently working on her fourth studio album and a collection of short stories.
Monique Tobin
Monique Tobin is a writer, researcher and journalist who has worked with CBC Radio and Television and in independent documentary film production. She is volunteer Chair of the St. John’s Public Libraries Board and a mother of four.
WritersNL Mentorship Program 2022: Mentor Listing & Call for Mentee Submissions
(June 30, 2022) – WritersNL is now accepting mentee applications from individuals interested in its 2022 Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers.
The WritersNL Emerging Writers Mentorship program is designed to serve the needs of emerging Newfoundland and Labrador writers who are committed to the development of their writing. It is aimed at writers who are on the cusp of professional publication and who have a substantial work-in-progress.
The Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers program is made available through generous funding by the Canada Council for the Arts.
To facilitate this program, WritersNL accepted applications in two rounds for two positions: mentors and mentees. The 2022 mentors have been selected by a jury.
We are happy to announce the 2022 Mentors are:
• Bridget Canning
• Douglas Walbourne-Gough
• Tracey Waddleton
• Agnes Walsh
For more information on the mentors, please click here!
Selections Process:
In addition to the usual submission requirements, applicants also list their first, second, third, and fourth choices of Mentor from the listing on the WritersNL website. If you have no particular preference, you can elect to have the selection committee assign a pairing.
The committee will then match mentors and mentees to work on a one-to-one basis over an intensive five-month period. Decisions for the mentor application will be made on the basis of the best-suited match between the mentee and the mentor.
WritersNL is committed to greater inclusion of traditionally marginalized communities. In an effort to encourage the development of a more diverse writing community, we strongly encourage applications to the Mentorship Program from all members of Indigenous communities, members of culturally diverse groups, members of disabled communities, and members of official language minorities, whether or not they are current members of WritersNL.
Who can apply as a mentee?
The mentee position is for writers who have a substantial work-in-progress and who are committed to the creative development of their writing.
- WritersNL members in good standing with a substantial work-in-progress in any genre. (Individuals interested in mentorship can become WritersNL Members upon submitting their mentee applications.)
- Individuals prepared for a disciplined, focused period of work during which writing is a priority
- Individuals who did not participate in this program in the previous year.
- Individuals 19 years and older
How to apply as a mentee:
For a mentee position, please submit the following:
- Your first, second, third, and fourth choices of Mentor from the listing on the WritersNL website. If you have no particular preference, you can elect to have the selection committee assign a pairing.
- A typewritten, double-spaced, ten-page sample of your work (poetry submissions are exempt from the double-spacing requirement); include length of manuscript to date (i.e., word count or number of poems);
- A statement of what you hope to achieve during the mentorship and how you think it will assist you with your manuscript;
- A summary of your recent writing history, how long you’ve been writing, and your publication credits, if any.
- Send your submission in a .doc or .pdf file to info@writersnl.ca by the deadline of Monday, August 1, 2022 at 5 p.m. NL time.
- Late submissions will not be accepted. Ineligible and/or incomplete submissions will not be returned.
WritersNL Mentorship Program 2022: Call for Mentor Submissions!
(April 18, 2022) – WritersNL is now accepting mentor applications from individuals interested in its 2022 Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers.
The WritersNL Emerging Writers Mentorship program is designed to serve the needs of emerging Newfoundland and Labrador writers who are committed to the development of their writing. It is aimed at writers who are on the cusp of professional publication and who have a substantial work-in-progress.
“The Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers is one of WritersNL’s flagship offerings,” WritersNL President Ainsley Hawthorn shares.
“In 2022, with generous funding from the Canada Council for the Arts and after a thorough review of the program by a committee of dedicated volunteers, we’re pleased to be piloting a new approach to selecting mentors and apprentices for this opportunity. We encourage all members to have a look at the updated program guidelines, and we look forward to providing a revitalized version of this popular program in the years to come.”
The Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers program is made available through generous funding by the Canada Council for the Arts.
To facilitate this program, WritersNL will accept applications in two rounds for two positions: mentors and apprentices.
The mentor position is for writers with a history of publication and a commitment to the craft of writing. The deadline for Mentor submission is Friday, May 20th at 5 p.m. NST.
An assembled committee will select four mentors for the 2022 Mentorship Program. WANL will announce the four available mentors with a dedicated program page on our website which will include:
• The genre(s) the Mentor is both qualified and willing to work in;
• a short, selected record of publications and awards relevant to the mentorship genres listed above;
• a Mentorship Philosophy Statement;
• any voluntary self-identification (regarding cultural community, sexual orientation, gender, disability) that the Mentor would like to share with potential applicants to the program.
Responsibilities & Remuneration
• Mentors are expected to contribute 25 hours of one-on-one conferencing, either in person or online—as appropriate;
• 25 hours of reading/prep work over the course of the 5-month membership (Please note: This ratio is flexible and should be adapted to accommodate the needs of individual pairings. Depending on geographical location, some mentorships may be conducted virtually).
• Mentors will be paid a total of $2,500, spread over two equal installments — one at the beginning and one at the end of the mentorship.
Who can apply as a Mentor?
• Any WritersNL Member in good standing;
• who has previous mentorship or teaching experience, in either an official or unofficial capacity;
• who did not participate in the program in 2020-21;
• and who qualifies as a “professional artist” according to the criteria laid out in the provincial Status of the Artist Act;
Definition of Professional artist:
5. A person shall be considered to be a professional artist for the purpose of this Act if that person satisfies 4 of the following criteria, including at least one of the criteria referred to in paragraphs (a) to (c):
(a) the person receives or has received compensation which can be included in professional or business income;
(b) the person has a record of income or loss relevant to the history of his or her work and appropriate to the span of his or her artistic career;
(c) the person has received public or peer recognition by publicly disseminated critical reviews or appraisals or by similar means;
(d) the person has presented his or her work to the public by means of exhibitions, publications, screenings, performances, readings or by other means appropriate to the nature of his or her work;
(e) the person is represented by a dealer, publisher, agent or similar professional representative appropriate to the nature of his or her work;
(f) the person devotes a reasonable proportion of his or her professional time to promoting or marketing of his or her work;
(g) the person
(i) has received professional training in an educational institution from a practitioner recognized in his or her profession, or
(ii) is self-taught within the established practices of the person’s cultural traditions;
(h) the person has membership in a professional association, appropriate to his or her artistic activity,
(i) whose membership is or categories of membership are limited under standards of the association, or
(ii) which is a trade union or equivalent appropriate to his or her artistic activity; and
(i) the person holds copyright in his or her own work and has received royalty or residual payment based on that copyright.
How to apply:
• Genre(s) you are interested in mentoring.
Who can apply as an apprentice?
The apprentice position is for writers who have a substantial work-in-progress and who are committed to the creative development of their writing.
• WritersNL members in good standing with a substantial work-in-progress in any genre
• Individuals prepared for a disciplined, focused period of work during which writing is a priority
• Individuals who did not participate in this program in the previous year.
• Individuals 19 years and older
Selections Process
WritersNL publicizes a call for Apprentices for the coming year’s program when the mentors are announced. In addition to the usual submission requirements, applicants also list their first, second, third, and fourth choices of Mentor from the listing on the WritersNL website. If they have no particular preference, they can elect to have the selection committee assign a pairing.
The committee will then match mentors and apprentices, to work on a one-to-one basis over an intensive five-month period. Decisions for the mentor application will be made on the basis of the best-suited match between the apprentice and the mentor.
WritersNL is committed to greater inclusion of traditionally marginalized communities. In an effort to encourage the development of a more diverse writing community, we strongly encourage applications to the Mentorship Program from all members of Indigenous communities, members of culturally diverse groups, members of disabled communities, and members of official language minorities, whether or not they are current members of WritersNL
Previous Mentorship Pairings
The WritersNL Emerging Writers Mentorship program is designed to serve the needs of emerging Newfoundland and Labrador writers who are committed to the development of their writing.
It is aimed at writers on the cusp of professional publication and who have a substantial work-in-progress. Emphasis is on producing a work ready for the marketplace.
2020 Mentorship Participants
Vanessa Cardoso-Whelan mentored by Sharon King-Campbell
Tia McLennan mentored by Mark Callanan
Joe Mitchell mentored by Heather Nolan
Hannah Jenkins mentored by Michelle Porter
2019 Mentorship Participants
Emily Hepditch mentored by Alexis Koetting
Marie Pike mentored by Sara Tilley
Rob McDonald mentored by Helen Escott
Robert Badcock mentored by Paul Butler
2018 Mentorship Participants
Angela Antle mentored by Trudy Morgan-Cole
Penelope Hansen mentored by Jamie Fitzpatrick
Shelly Kawaja mentored by Charis Cotter
Jennifer McVeigh mentored by Larry Mathews
Monica Walsh mentored by Andy Jones
2017 Mentorship Participants
Diane Carley mentored by Megan Gail Coles
Terry Doyle mentored by Ed Kavanagh
Allie Duff mentored by Agnes Walsh
Sarah Bennett mentored by Marjorie Doyle
2016 Mentorship Participants
Sasha Boczkowski mentored by Leslie Vryenhoek
Lee Burton mentored by Paul Butler
Chloe Edbrooke mentored by Claire Wilkshire
David Benson mentored by Frank Holden
2015 Mentorship Participants
Bridget Canning mentored by Ed Kavanagh
Matthew Hollett mentored by Mark Callanan
2014 Mentorship Participants
Glenn Deir mentored by Ed Riche
Matthew Lewis mentored by Paul Bowdring
Heather Paul mentored by Annamarie Beckel
Niquae McIntosh mentored by Shoshanna Wingate
This program is generously supported by funding by the Canada Council for the Arts.
