The 2023 QWF Writing Mentorship Program
Applications for the 2023 mentorship program are now closed. Applicants will be notified of their results in December.
The QWF Writing Mentorships are designed to help promising emerging writers make the transition to the next stage of their careers. Both mentors and mentees are selected by an independent jury.
Over a period of four months (February–May), each mentee gets one-on-one guidance and support from a professional writing mentor. At the end of the mentorship period, there is a public reading at which the mentees present their work in progress.
Mentors are expected to devote 35 to 40 hours to reading and responding to their protégé’s work and giving guidance towards the goal of publication or production. Mentees are expected to commit a minimum of 15 to 20 hours per month to the program.
Timeline
- Call for applications: September 2022
- Deadline for applications: October 14, 2022
- Notification of results (latest): December 15, 2022 (for mentors), December 22, 2022 (for mentees)
- Mentorship period: Four months (February 1, 2023 to May 31, 2023) with a public reading in June 2022
The Fresh Pages Initiative: The Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship
The Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship, a component of QWF’s “Fresh Pages” initiative, is designed to help an aspiring writer or playwright who is Indigenous, Black or a person of colour to develop their literary writing.
The 2023 mentorship will go to a Quebec-based screenwriter who will work with their mentor over the course of four months (February through May) and participate in a public reading in June.
The LTAC/QWF Mentorships in Literary Translation
The LTAC/QWF Mentorships in Literary Translation are designed to support an aspiring or emerging literary translator.
A joint initiative of the Quebec Writers’ Federation and the Literary Translators’ Association of Canada—L’Association des traducteurs et traductrices littéraires du Canada, the program alternates each year between the Karin Montin Mentorship in Literary Translation, which is for translators of literary work into English, and the Jean Antonin Billard Mentorship in Literary Translation, which is for translators of literary work into French.
Past Mentorship Program Pairs
2022
Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship—Nonfiction: Chanel Sutherland (mentee), Tara McGowan-Ross (mentor)
Fiction: Eilis Quinn (mentee), Catherine McKenzie (mentor); Laurel Páez Brave (mentee), Cora Siré (mentor); Steven Stowell (mentee); Edeet Ravel (mentor)
Non-fiction: Nancy Webb (mentee), Lise Weil (mentor)
Poetry: Barbara Kelly (mentee), stephanie roberts (mentor)
Screenwriting: Sal Eigh (mentee), Gerald Wexler (mentor)
Translation: Alex Boos (mentee); Jessica Moore (mentor)
2021
Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship—Fiction: Lynda Bailey (mentee), H. Nigel Thomas (mentor)
Fiction: Geeta Johal (mentee), Leila Marshy (mentor)
Non-fiction: Suzanne Cerreta (mentee), Robyn Sarah (mentor)
Poetry: Jess Tran (mentee), Yusuf Saadi (mentor)
YA Fiction: Becca Yu (mentee), David Homel (mentor)
Screenwriting: Dara Murphy (mentee), Jacob Potashnik (mentor)
Fiction: Miki Laval (mentee), Claire Holden Rothman (mentor)
2020
Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship—Poetry: Gillian Sze (mentor), Faith Paré (mentee)
Fiction: April Ford (mentor), Lukas Rowland (mentee); Robert Sandiford (mentor), Michael Foy (mentee)
Non-fiction: Ian McGillis (mentor), Carolyn McPherson (mentee)
Poetry: Mark Abley (mentor), Andrew Middleton (mentee)
Young Adult Fiction: Sue MacLeod (mentor), Maureen Marovitch (mentee); Lori Weber (mentor), Lea Beddia (mentee)
- There were no results found.
- There were no results found.
