Four secondary school students will each have the opportunity to be mentored by one of New Zealand’s best professional authors in order to develop their craft and hone their writing skills.
The NZSA Youth Mentorship Programme offers aspiring young writers (aged 15-18) a mentorship, from May to November. The intent of the mentor programme is to foster and develop emerging writing talent with the support of established authors.
Deadline: 6 April 2023
Aspiring writer Ella Quarmby had bestselling author Rosetta Allan for her mentor and said this about her experience: “Working with my mentor was a great opportunity to connect with someone from the writing world and extend myself and my abilities as a writer. The kindness, support, and guidance I received from Rosetta was amazing – I would recommend this mentorship to any young writer.”
Hannah Turnbull of Gisborne was partnered with award winning novelist Anna Mackenzie for her mentorship, and she commented: “I feel like I can go on from this with the skills needed to write a decent story. I still have a lot to learn, but that comes with the process, and I’ve been given the guidance I need from Anna to make that journey on my own”.
The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa is the principal organisation representing writers in New Zealand. We offer support through advocacy and representation, professional development opportunities, information and guidance on publishing and the literary arts, administer prizes and awards and provide a contract advisory service. We work to protect authors incomes and are affiliated to International PEN, whereby we are a voice that upholds freedom of speech and protest against writers falsely silenced and imprisoned around the world.