2027 Program—Fiction
Deadline: Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET
The 2027 Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship for Underrepresented Writers is accepting applications from emerging and aspiring writers and literary artists. This year’s mentorship will be in poetry and is open to writers working in any poetic form, including mixed-genre and hybrid forms.
A component of QWF’s Fresh Pages Diversity Initiative, the mentorship is designed to help an aspiring Quebec-based writer or literary artist who is Indigenous, Black, or a person of colour to develop their craft and transition to the next stage of their career.
The 2027 mentorship will go to an aspiring writer who has a demonstrated interest in fiction. The selected writer will work with the mentor over the course of four months (February through May 2027) and participate in a public reading in early June 2027, alongside the other participants of the 2027 QWF Mentorship Program. Applicants should be prepared to dedicate at least 15 to 20 hours per week to their writing during that period. The selected writer will receive an $800 honorarium and a free one-year membership in QWF.
The 2027 Mentor: Dimitri Nasrallah
Dimitri Nasrallah is the author of four novels. His most recent, 2022’s Hotline, was a national bestseller in both English and French that was nominated for CBC’s Canada Reads, the Giller Prize, a Relit Award for Fiction, and the Prix des Libraires du Québec. He was born in Lebanon in 1977 and moved to Canada in 1988. His previous books include 2018’s The Bleeds, 2011’s Niko, and 2004’s Blackbodying. He has translated novels by Blaise Ndala and Eric Plamondon from French to English. From 2013 to 2025, Nasrallah served as editor for Esplanade Books, Véhicule Press’s fiction imprint. He teaches creative writing at Concordia University.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicants must live in Quebec and be Indigenous, Black, or a person of colour.
- Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in fiction
- Applicants must be able to devote at least 15 to 20 hours a month to their writing from February to May 2027.
- There is no age or publication requirement
- Preference will be given to those who are not currently enrolled in a graduate writing program or working with a professional editor or publisher
Timeline:
- Call for applications: September 16, 2026
- Deadline for applications: October 28, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET
- Notification of results: By December 18, 2026
- Mentorship period: February 1, 2027 to May 31, 2027
- Public reading: June 2027
How to Apply:
Send the following to zac@qwf.org, or mail it to or drop it off at the QWF office (address below):
- A cover letter describing the writing you’ve done so far and how the mentorship would make a difference in your writing life (maximum one page)
- A 5- to 10-page sample of your writing, ideally from the project you want to work on with the mentor
- A short statement about your background and writing experience, including the reason you are eligible for this initiative
- Your full name and a way to contact you
Address for mail submissions:
Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship
Quebec Writers’ Federation
1200 Atwater Ave., Suite 3
Westmount, QC H3Z 1X4
About Mairuth Sarsfield
Mairuth Sarsfield (1925-2013) was born and raised in the Little Burgundy district of Montreal. She achieved distinction in every arena she entered: as a best-selling novelist and a journalist; working for Canada’s External Affairs Department at home and abroad; serving as press secretary for the Canadian delegation to the United Nations and as a senior information officer for the United Nations Environment Programme based in Nairobi, Kenya. She also served on the Board of Directors of the CBC. Among the many awards and honours she received are the Chevalier à l’Ordre national du Québec, the National Congress of Black Women Foundation’s First Literary Award for her novel No Crystal Stair, and the declaration of “Mairuth Sarsfield Day” by the City of Cleveland for her work on the “For Every Child a Tree” environmental campaign, which led to thousands of tree-planting projects around the world.
These accomplishments were nothing short of remarkable for any woman in twentieth-century North America. The fact that Mairuth Sarsfield achieved them, and more, as a Black woman, ensures her role as an inspiration for all future generations of young people from marginalized communities. With this mentorship program, the Quebec Writers’ Federation is proud to shine a spotlight on Ms. Sarsfield’s life and contributions to her city, her country, and the world.