The recipient of the 2025 Editorial Mentorship at carte blanche is Sarra Mirghani, who will be mentored by Photography Editor Shaney Herrman.
A component of QWF’s Fresh Pages Diversity Initiative, the Editorial Mentorship at carte blanche is a temporary, part-time, paid opportunity designed to help an aspiring literary artist who is Black, Indigenous, or a person of colour develop skills in selecting and editing work for a literary journal.
Learn about editing literary magazines and help curate a special section of the Quebec Writers’ Federation’s online literary magazine, carte blanche.
Each year, the mentorship goes to a Quebec-based writer who shows promise and has demonstrated an interest in the chosen genre, but who has not yet had an opportunity to work as an editor.
The editorship provides:
- Approximately 15 hours of mentorship
- An $800 honorarium
- A free one-year membership in the Quebec Writers’ Federation
The 2025 Mentor
Shaney Herrmann is an artist and educator from Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), currently based in Tkaronto (Toronto).
Her work explores themes of home, comfort, rituals, and folklore, examining the emotional and physical connections between individuals and place. As a second-generation Canadian, her practice is shaped by the experience of growing up away from places of deep personal and cultural significance. Photography became a way to remember, commemorate, and preserve their essence.
Shaney completed a BFA in Photography and a Master of Design from Concordia University. She now teaches part-time at Humber Polytechnic and has been the photography editor for carte blanche since 2023.
Website: www.shaneyherrmann.com/
Instagram: @shaney.herrmann
Photo by Anders McDonald
The 2025 Mentee
Sarra Mirghani is a Sudanese-Egyptian interdisciplinary storyteller based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Her work is a collaboration of text, image, and performance that aims to subvert genre and weave authentic stories.
Sarra recently wrote and directed Porch, which premiered at the 2025 Montreal Fringe Festival. Sarra also has extensive experience in video production, finishing her latest short film Silk Salad & Ruby Vinaigrette in 2024.
Her recent creative training includes Imago Theater’s Nested Circles Residency and the Sortie De Résidence with Le Recif Collectif. Sarra also writes for Forget The Box and takes artsy pictures of her cat.
Photo by Collective Studios
It was such a pleasure to work under the mentorship of Greg Santos as the Fresh Pages guest editor at carte blanche this autumn. It was such a rich experience that taught me a lot about the curatorial process—something that I was completely new to. I am so grateful to have been offered this mentorship with the help of Quebec Writers Federation. I am so happy that learning opportunities like this exist for BIPOC writers and creatives to explore the literary publication process.
Mahta Riaza, 2022 editorial mentorship
2024 Program – Managing Editor
Guest Editor: Rachel Chin
carte blanche Managing Editor: Zoe Shaw
2023 Program – Fiction
Guest Editor: Gabrielle Cole
carte blanche Fiction Editor: Liana Cusmano
2022 Program – Poetry
Guest Editor: Mahta Riazi
carte blanche Poetry Editor: Greg Santos
2021 Program – Non-Fiction
Guest Editor: Poonam Dhir
carte blanche Non-fiction Editor: Jenny Ferguson
2020 Program – Poetry
Guest Editor: Carolin Huang
carte blanche Poetry Editor: Marcela Huerta
