We are absolutely delighted to announce the launch of the Fawn Press Mentorship Scheme, in partnership with Beatfreeks, made possible by the FUEL funding.
What was apparent in the submissions we received during our open call for poetry for our debut publication “Elements; Natural & The Supernatural“, was the absolute wealth of talent and skill the writing community has to offer. The whole process of selecting poems for publication was made extremely difficult by the outstanding standard of writing that we received, and it became immediately obvious that we would have more poems which deserved to be published, than room to publish them. Even as we were in the meeting to set up the anthology, the conversation arose between myself, Lexia and Konnie that there HAD to be something we could do to give back to the Poets, and “wouldn’t it be great if we could not only give feedback as to why their poem just fell short of selection, but also offer some kind of guidance and editing services?”
That conversation has manifested as the Fawn Press Mentorship scheme, offering 3 poets from the shortlist, and also 2 spaces to poets who were unable to make the deadline, or otherwise did not submit to the anthology, as much help and guidance as possible. I am extremely passionate about not only providing a platform for poets through our publications, but also about nurturing people’s personal writing journeys, and figuring out ways we can tackle the problem of the lack of diversity in publishing. We are super excited to be able to offer the following:
Fawn Press Mentorship Scheme:
-Feedback from submissions to the Elements anthology- why it wasn’t selected for publication and proposed tweaks.
-An additional 5 poems editing, proofreading, observational comment and suggested advice.
-A 1:1 face to face zoom feedback session where we will discuss your goals, steps available to you on your writing path, and the notes made from editing the 5 poems.
-A 60 minute creative writing workshop filled with prompts and exercises to get you putting pen to paper. Will include workshop guidance document.
-A zoom session dedicated to discussing Cover letter formatting and structuring for submissions.
-Guidance in what publications to submit poems to, according to what best suits the writer’s personal style, and personal goals.
-Access to a private writing circle Facebook group where mentees will be able to offer and get feedback amongst one another.
-20-30 minute Performance Poetry Advise talk given by a guest speaker.
-An Ig LIVE showcase performance date where mentees will be able to share their poems, and gain further exposure.
–In addition to this, the selected poets will get FREE entries to future Fawn Press anthologies.
*These offerings will be available to schedule according to when you are available, and will take place across a 4 week period. It is important to us that we are flexible to cater for your needs.
How To Apply
We are offering the 2 remaining spots to writers from marginalised and/or under-represented areas of the community.
Please email info@fawnpress.co.uk subject title of your email “Mentorship Scheme Application” and tell us your name, age, location, and a bit of a writing bio.
Applications close midnight Sunday 28th November UK TIME. This offer is only available to people living or working within the UK or Republic or Ireland. This is so that we can ensure that the advice and submissions guidance we give is as accurate and relevant as possible.
We don’t want you to have to jump through hoops, or feel you have to justify why you are applying – we just want to offer what we can, to people who will benefit. If you have any feedback about other services that would be valuable, please feel free to drop us an email, we are always looking for ways we can improve!
We are only sorry that we can not offer more spaces, but work is taking place to apply for future funding to try and increase the work we can do.
-Scarlett Ward-Bennett