Applications for The Writers’ Block’s Young Writers Mentoring Programme 2023-2024 are now open!
Six lucky applicants will FREE access to:
- 4 x one to one creative writing mentoring sessions
- 12 monthly creative writing workshops, including online sessions and live masterclasses with published writers
- A chance to share your work at a final celebration event
The programme is aimed at writers aged 11-16 (from Year 7 upwards), whatever their genre or form. Mentoring sessions will offer a chance to share work and receive feedback, ask questions about areas of writing you are struggling with, discuss your ambitions for your future as a writer and how to work toward this, and receive support in producing a piece of work to share at the end of the project.
Funded by the Amazon Literary Foundation, the Young Writers Mentoring Programme will run September 2023 – May 2024.
To apply, answer the following bullet points and email your responses to [email protected]
- What are your ambitions as a writer?
- How do you think you would benefit from partaking in this scheme?
- How will the workshops and mentoring fit with your other commitments?
- Send us a sample of some writing of which you are proud (up to one A4 page).
- Include your name, age, address, and a contact phone number. Please include an email address of a parent or carer.
Deadline for applications is 5pm on Thurs 27 July 2023
We will let you know if your application has been successful by Fri 4 August 2023.
Workshops will run on Saturdays: the eight Online sessions are 10am-12pm using Zoom, and the four Masterclasses will be held in-person 10am-1pm at The Writers’ Block in Redruth. We will publish the workshop dates by end of July.
Successful mentees will be expected to attend all of the 12 workshops, though of course we understand there may be unforeseen circumstances affecting attendance. Young people with exams in May 2024 are welcome to attend the April/May workshops but we understand they may need to focus on revision.
Due to face to face masterclasses, this programme is only really suitable for young people within 2 hours of Redruth.
- Our Young writers workshops are run by Cornish writers Olivia Lowry and Casey Bottono. They are a relaxed environment to meet fellow writers, practice your writing and find your voice. These workshops involve quick creative writing exercises and opportunities for writing longer pieces. Each session has a different theme, decided in response to the group’s interests.
- Masterclasses are led by published writers based in Cornwall and offer a chance to meet professional writers and learn from them the skills of writing in their style. We have poets, journalists, travel writers and directors speaking.
4 Responses Subscribe to comments
Hi, I’m Nikole.
My ambition as a writer is to create strange horror stories and maybe, when I’m older, they can turn into films. I think I would benefit from this program by learning different ways of writing and improve on story telling. I will be able to do this every Saturday, since all of my clubs are on school days and one of my parents are free every Saturday. I will send one of the stories I’m most proud of from my mums email address above.
Thank you for your time.
Jul 23, 2023 @ 5:40 pm
Hi Nikole, we have emailed you. Look forward to reading your work!
Jul 25, 2023 @ 9:10 am
Hello,
I believe this is slready underway but wanted to enqire fot my 12 yr old daughter… is this going to happen again next year?
Thank you
Sep 21, 2023 @ 3:39 pm
Hi Olga, We expect the mentoring programme to run again next year, funding dependent. In the meantime, the Young Writers workshops are available for any young person to book. We have monthly online sessions and then 4 face to face masterclasses on specific genre. I’ll email you with details.
Sep 25, 2023 @ 8:42 am
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