Calling all writers! Apply to the National Mentoring Programme 2025
A minimum of 35 mentoring relationships are on offer every year as part of the Irish Writers Centre National Mentoring Programme. Applications open via Submittable on Saturday 1 February 2025 and close on Sunday 2 March at 5pm. See below for full details and how to apply.
We are delighted to be sponsoring 2 writers resident in Dublin to take part in this exciting programme.
The opportunity is available to writers of:
- Fiction
- Creative non-fiction
- Children’s / Young Adult fiction
- Poetry
Writers from all thirty-two counties are eligible to apply. Selected mentees get the opportunity to choose the writer they work with from our growing panel of experienced, professional writers (subject to availability).
Each mentorship consists of three meetings with an experienced writer over a period of approximately 6–8 months. The mentor reads up to 10,000 words / 180 lines of poetry in advance, and will give creative feedback at each meeting. They may also provide professional information and advice. All mentees will avail of the relationship for free.
Who are our mentors?
We currently have more than eighty professional writers to choose from on our mentoring list, made up of poets, prose writers and children’s/Young Adult writers. Most writers on our mentor list have published 3 or more books with traditional publishers and have a wealth of teaching and/or mentoring experience. Selection of mentors is always mentee-led. Mentees can also choose to work with writers who are not on our list where they’re keen to work with particular writers. Mentees selections are dependent on mentor availability at any given time.
Eligibility
This opportunity is specifically for:
- Emerging writers who can demonstrate a commitment to writing e.g. creative writing training or courses undertaken, journal publications, awards or notable mentions, or other recognisable achievements.
- Writers who have published one or two books and who feel they could benefit from further professional guidance and feedback on their work-in-progress.
- Writers with 3+ book publications who have begun writing in a form in which they have yet to publish a book
Mentee opportunities are open to writers over the age of 18 who are resident on the island of Ireland.
The Irish Writers Centre encourages applications from writers whose backgrounds are typically underrepresented in Irish literature. We particularly invite applications from Black, POC (person of colour), Traveller, Roma, LGBTQIA+, disabled and working class writers.
Applicants should neither be in full-time education at the time of application, nor planning to undertake a full-time education course at the same time as their mentorship .
If you have received mentoring through this particular mentoring programme within the last three years, you are ineligible to apply.
Applications for mentees will only be accepted through Submittable. Only one submission per applicant is allowed.
Deadline for submission: 2nd March 2025.
This initiative is supported by Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.