Recipients have been selected for the New Zealand Society of Authors Mentorship Programme 2019 with thirteen chosen from a pool of 79 applicants. With a high level of commitment shown by the applicants and a wide variety of fascinating projects the judges had quite a task making their selection.

Our 2019 mentees are emerging writers with unique voices who have chosen to write in a diverse array of genres including Poetry, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary fiction, Short fiction – flash, speculative, Young adult fiction, Poetry, Biographical Novel, Short fiction and Biography/Memoir.

The 2019 recipients are: Semira Davis, Frank Eggleton, Saige England, Mia Gaudin, Jenna Heller, Katie Levendis, Anna Mahoney, Ria Masae, Simone McKegg, Sinead Overbye, Jackson Payne, Marnie Walters, Anna Woods.

They will spend the remainder of 2019 honing their skills and developing their craft under the mentorship of some of New Zealand’s finest professional writers.  Photos and info about 2019 mentees.

Selection panel convener Mandy Hager commented that: ‘It was a privilege to meet these writers through their work. Everyone who applied showed dedication and a serious approach towards their craft. It was a daunting task trying to whittle down 79 applications to just 13 but the successful applicants stood out for their interesting projects and strong writing samples. It’s exciting to see the range and depth of our writing talent’.

Mentorships are offered by the NZSA every year with the intent of fostering and developing emerging writers with the support of established practitioners. The NZSA has run a highly successful mentoring programme for writers since 1999 and it is supported by funding from Creative New Zealand.

Read more about the 2019 mentees