Now in its fifth year, The Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program is an entirely free and entirely online program that pairs established writers with high school and secondary students interested in the processes of drafting, redrafting and editing in poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. The program will last from June 25, 2017 until August 5, 2017, and will be capped at sixty-six students. The aim of the mentorship program is not formalized instruction, but rather an individualized, flexible, and often informal correspondence.
We are currently open to applications from high school students on a rolling basis, via our submission manager. As such, early applications will receive the strongest consideration, and applications will be accepted only until seats are filled, or until April 7, 2017 at 11:59 pm EST—whichever comes first. We are currently more than halfway full for the 2017 summer mentorship program!
Click here to start your application!
Click here to view the Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program Information Booklet.
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Carissa Chen
Mentor (’15): Aria Aber
YoungArts Finalist in Writing (Poetry)
YoungArts Finalist in Visual Arts
National Scholastic Writing Awards Gold Portfolio Medalist
The Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program offered me the incredible chance to work with enthusiastic peers and teachers. The program encouraged me to take risks with my writing and my mentor, Aria Aber, worked with me individually to help me find my unique voice. The program also connected me with a supportive community of creative writers. I would strongly encourage the program to any high school student!
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Aidan Forster
Mentor (’15): Cody Ernst
National Scholastic Writing Awards Gold & Best-in-Grade Medalist
Recipient, Poetry Society of America Louise Louis/Emily F. Bourne Poetry Award
Runner-Up, Adroit Prize for Prose
Publication in Indiana Review, Best Teen Writing, Pleiades, and elsewhere
The Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. There, I found a community of young writers who were interested in engaging with poetry in an exciting way and in growing as people and writers. The mentorship helped me find and develop my poetic voice, explore my poetry, stretch the limits of what poetry could be, and make lasting friendships with like-minded artists. I recommend the mentorship to anyone who wants to strengthen their understanding of their own work and build long-lasting, wonderful friendships with other young writers.
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Brynne Rebele-Henry
Mentor (’15): Talin Tahajian
Author, Fleshgraphs (Nightboat Books, 2016)
Recipient, Adroit Prize for Prose
Recipient, Glenna Ruschei Award from Prairie Schooner
Publication in Denver Quarterly, Prairie Schooner, jubilat, and elsewhere
The Adroit Journal Mentorship Program helped me find a steady poetic voice and learn to intensively edit poems. I made lasting friendships with other mentees and mentors—one of the other mentees, Aidan Forster and I, went on to create an online community for young LGBT+ writers once the mentorship ended, as well as an LGBT+ focused literary publication called Fissure. The Adroit Journal, never mind its network of emerging and established writers, never ceases to astound me.
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Alex Greenberg
Mentor (’15): Jackson Holbert
Five-Time Commendation, Foyle Young Poet of the Year Awards
Publication in Columbia Poetry Review, Florida Review, Salt Hill Journal, Third Coast, Washington Square Review, and elsewhere
his 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.
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Rhiannon McGavin
Mentor (’16): Keegan Lester
YoungArts Finalist in Writing (Poetry)
Semifinalist, United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts
Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate
Acclaimed YouTube Personality, The Geeky Blonde
The Adroit Summer Mentorship Program was a fantastic experience for me! I am still in touch with my writing peers and mentor, still swapping poetic inspirations. The editing techniques and structures I was exposed to greatly progressed my writing, and the fact that it’s online makes it way easier for students on the go.
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Oriana Tang
Mentor (’14): Peter LaBerge
United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts (Poetry & Short Story)
Davidson Fellow in Literature
YoungArts Finalist in Writing (Poetry & Short Story)
National Scholastic Writing Awards Gold & Best-in-Grade Medalist
Having seen the mentorship program from both sides, as both mentee and mentor, I can honestly say it’s a profoundly beautiful and affirming experience for both parties. Not only did the program improve the quality of my writing, but also it introduced me to an incredible community of writers that has been a critical support network as I and my writing have grown.
