2020 NZSA Writer Mentorships Announced

Recipients have been selected for the New Zealand Society of Authors Mentorship Programme 2020, with thirteen chosen from a pool of 71 applicants. There were a wide variety of projects on offer and all applicants showed a high level of commitment to the craft of writing. This made it a difficult task for judges Siobhan Harvey, Fiona Kidman and Lawrence Patchett.

NZSA 2020 mentees are emerging writers with unique voices who have chosen to write in a diverse array of genres including: creative non fiction, autofiction, Children's and YA fiction, poetry, contemporary fiction, thrillers, spec fiction and suspense.

The 2020 recipients are:

Sherry Xu, Phoebe Wright, Sophia Wilson-Gunther, Jill Varani, John Tipper, Erica Stretton, Alissa Smith, Jessie Puru, Himali McInnes, Scott Butler, Gay Buckingham, Scarlett Bailey, Sarah Bailey

They will spend the remainder of 2020 honing their skills and developing their craft under the mentorship of some of New Zealand’s finest professional writers.

Photos and info about 2020 mentees.

Selection panel convener Siobhan Harvey commented that:

‘The NZSA Mentorship scheme is a vibrant platform for writers of all disciplines and genres, and so it was heartening to see that, of the applications, writers from across the literary spectrum applied. Likewise, the dedication and achievements of these beginning and emerging writers impressed us greatly, and we were saddened not to be able to award all of them mentorships this year. Our congratulations to these authors. We trust your journeys through the 2020 NZSA Mentorships will prove creatively fruitful. We look forward to seeing your names on the covers of forthcoming books. To those who missed out, we offer encouragement. Keep writing!’

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. Many previous mentees have gone on to win awards and receive accolades for their work. The

NZSA Mentor programme

is supported by funding from Creative New Zealand.

Read more about the 2020 mentees

More about the NZSA Mentor Programme

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