Wicklow County Council Mentoring Scheme

**Closing date has been extended to Friday May 8th**

Produced by Children’s Books Ireland, Irish Writers Centre and Poetry Ireland

Developed by WORDS Ireland for and in partnership with Wicklow County Council Arts Office

 

WORDS Ireland and Wicklow County Council are offering five mentorship opportunities to Wicklow writers who are seeking to engage with a mentor over a period of six months from May 2015. This scheme is open to writers in any fiction genre: young adult and children’s books, short stories, playwriting, screenwriting, novels or poetry. The mentorships will focus on Manuscript Development in the main, but may include other aspects in the professional development of the writer.

 

Who is eligible to apply?

To be eligible for the scheme the applicant must have been born in or be resident in County Wicklow for the last two consecutive years. The applicant will have with a track record in a professional capacity, such as having poems or short stories published in recognised journals or magazines (print or online), or a book of fiction, or a collection of poetry or short stories published by a recognised publisher.

 

Who is not eligible to apply?

Writers of non-fiction work such as local history may not apply for the scheme. Writers who are beginning to write and have not completed a substantial piece of work will not be eligible.

 

Engagement period:

The mentoring process will be negotiated individually between the mentor and mentee during the 5th May to 5th November period. The scheme offers four sessions of two hours each between mentor and mentee. Each pairing will be supported by one of the four producing organisations. All of the pairings will meet and speak about their experiences at a public showcase event to take place in the week of 16th November.

 

Mentee contribution: While the costs of this scheme are being funded by Wicklow Arts Office and WORDS Ireland, the successful mentee are requested to contribute €100 to help offset costs and to demonstrate seriousness of intent.

 

How to apply:

Applications are accepted by email only to info@wordsireland.com

Please include:

  1. A cover letter including your personal details and statement of artistic intent, clearly and concisely outlining the project you would like to focus on during the mentoring period and what you will gain from the mentoring process
  2. A current Curriculum Vitae (max. two A4 pages) including publications with ISBNs.
  3. Clearly labelled samples of recent work (approximately 20 pages of fiction plus synopsis, or 4 – 6 poems).
  4. A short indication (no more than 500 words) as to why you wish to partake in the scheme and how it would benefit your artistic practice.
  5. A line to confirm your willingness to contribute €100 to engage in the scheme.

Criteria

Applications will be assessed on the following basis:

  • Artistic merit
  • Track record of applicant
  • Benefit to the applicant’s practice
  • Adherence to the conditions and guidelines for application

 

 

Application deadline: 

Friday May 8th at 5pm. Please ensure that your complete application is attached in a single document. No late applications will be considered. Applications will be acknowledged by email on receipt.

 

Selection process: 

Applications will go before a selection committee comprising of a representative from each of the producing organisations, a representative from Wicklow County Arts Office and an independent writer. The successful applicants will be notified by Friday May 1st, 2015.

To learn more click here