CALL FOR MENTORS: The Adroit Journal’s Summer 2016 Mentorship Program

CALL FOR MENTORS

Though writing can be a solitary experience—necessarily one so, at times—communities of mutual support can grow, shape, and sustain artists and artistic creation. Through dialogue and feedback, writers can hone their visions and voices. These ideas are fundamental to The Adroit Journal’s Annual 2016 Summer Mentorship Program.

            The idea of Mentorship is as ancient as writing. Now in its fourth year, The Adroit Journal’s Summer 2016 Mentorship Program will take this ancient idea of Mentorship and weave it through a 21st century platform, where experienced writers work with high school writers online via tools in a structured, supported format. This year, the journal is open to Mentor applications in one or more of the following genres: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, which may optionally include journalism.

            The Adroit Journal is pleased to invite experienced writers with strong publication records to apply to be Mentors for the summer 2016 program. Mentors will work with the Program Director (Douglas Ray), Editor-in-Chief (Peter LaBerge), and Managing Editor (Lucia LoTempio) in selecting two high school students with whom to work over a span of six weeks, from late June to early August.

“Hearing Color” by Olga Belyanina ( The Adroit Journal,  Issue 11)

            Mentors must be at least eighteen years of age, and may be previously affiliated or unaffiliated with The Adroit Journal. The ideal Mentor is organized, knowledgeable about either contemporary poetry or prose, and able to work well with others, and plans to be reachable for the duration of the program. The ideal Mentor has experience in the classroom with creative writing, whether as a student, as a teacher/professor, or as both. If selected to participate in the program, Mentors may create an original syllabus, use one of three syllabus models provided by the Program Director, or use an outside syllabus.

            To apply to be a Mentor, submit a current curriculum vitae and a statement of interest detailing why you’re interested in this program. Applications should be uploaded here: https://adroit.submittable.com/submit/48884.

            The deadline for Mentor applications is Tuesday, January 19th at 11:59 p.m EST. Mentors will be selected by mid-February at the latest.

            The Mentees will go through a competitive application process; applications for Mentees will open in February. Here’s what past previous summer Mentees have said about the program:

“This mentorship program was truly a remarkable experience. Not only were the mentors and mentees professional and thorough, they were open-minded to my ideas and ideologies, my beliefs and personal predilections. They didn’t rewrite my work for me but pushed me towards discovery and revision through their thought-provoking questions about imagery, form, and syntax.”

Alex Greenberg, New York (USA), 2015 Mentee

“Besides learning to experiment with the technical elements of poetry, I also learned to find inspiration for writing all around me. It wasn’t too hard to find some in the work of my peers and mentors, who constantly amazed me with their passion and skill. … This summer, I learned that life is imbued with poetry — you just have to see it.”

Jamie Uy, Singapore, 2015 Mentee

For more information:

Visit the Summer Mentorship Program.

Learn More about The Adroit Journal.

Please direct any additional questions to the Editors at editors@theadroitjournal.org.

Peter LaBerge

Peter LaBerge founded The Adroit Journal in 2010, as a high school sophomore. His work appears in Crazyhorse, Harvard Review, Indiana Review, Iowa Review, Kenyon Review Online, Pleiades, and Tin House, among others. He is the recipient of a 2020 Pushcart Prize.

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