MIRROR Mentorship 2024 is now open!
Expressions of Interest are NOW OPEN for bilingual writers and illustrators to join our MIRROR Mentorship Program in 2024!
MIRROR’s aim is to identify, support, and mentor up to three writers and/or illustrators as they make new bilingual Australian children's literature that reflects a diverse and curious reading public.
Artists will be matched with a mentor who supports the needs the artist identifies, and participate in a year-long program of skills development, industry networking and market development.
The MIRROR Mentorship program exists to broaden development opportunities and industry access for talented artists who come from historically marginalised communities and who are developing literary work for children and young people (0-14 years) for publication in English and in languages other than English (bilingual works).
The MIRROR Mentorship recognises the factors that exclude literary artists from seeing themselves reflected on Australian bookshelves. When one in five families in Australia speak a language other than English at home (and growing!), MIRROR is an exciting opportunity to give children and young people better access to stories that reflect the linguistic diversity of the Australian reading public.
Three multilingual artists are being mentored for a year by Scribble, LOST IN BOOKS and an industry mentor who is matched to the needs articulated by each artist.
The MIRROR program is working with artists and mentors to widen access and deepen opportunities for the creation of new Australian children’s literature that reflects an increasingly diverse, curious and multilingual reading public.
In the 2022-23 program, three literary artists were selected and worked on:
Delivery of a shared project, facilitated by Scribble, to provide an end-to-end experience of how a literary work moves from a creative concept to a published work
Career pathway guidance and profile development to develop new bilingual work for children aged 0-14 years
Financial support via an artist’s stipend of A$4,000 to support your practice
40+ mentorship hours with a dedicated industry professional who holds an established practice in Australian children’s literature
Development of their own literary practice inspired by mentoring, webinars and peer support
Acquisition of skills, knowledge and experience relevant to individual career aspirations
Stronger personal and professional relationships, and networks, in the Australian and international books and publishing industries
Connections to peers and the industry both nationally and internationally through career pathway guidance, networking and profile development;
Industry-specific webinars including publishing, marketing and other related topics
Market development opportunities both nationally and internationally
Publishing opportunities both nationally and internationally
Inclusion in an industry-specific online directory
Support by Lost in Books bookselling and Scribble publishing teams
Total monetary and in-kind support valued at A$10,000+
*A literary artist could be a writer, illustrator, or writer-illustrator. We’re particularly interested in linguistic diversity and in the richness and breadth of representation in literature for Australian children to read.