These young writers now have a special opportunity to hone their writing skills and develop their craft under the mentorship of four of New Zealand’s finest professional authors.

The 2019 recipients for the NZSA Youth Mentorship programme are Reza Zareian from Wellington High School, Ruby MacComber from Northcote College, Emma-Kate Coleman from Onslow College, and Kate Twomey from Wellington Girls College.

Honourable mention also goes to the two shortlisted writers: Cathy Zeng from Logan Park High School and  Isabella Frances-Moore from Hutt Valley High School.

Selection panel convenor, award-winning author David Hill, who worked with poet Ivy Alvarez to reach a decision, commented “The 24 young writers who applied for this programme show great energy, impressive technical skill, plus a willingness to tackle all sorts of topics and issues. They’re acutely aware of many literary genres and topics. We look forward to seeing their names in print over the next few years”.

“The four successful applications stood out instantly. These were confident in voice and tone; understood structure and form; knew how to evoke characters / setting / mood; knew how to focus.”

The NZSA Youth Mentorship Programme was established in 2010 to foster and develop emerging writing talent around New Zealand with the support of established authors. It is one of The New Zealand Society of Authors successful mentoring programmes for writers and is made possible with the support by Creative New Zealand.