Mentorship Programs Across Canada

Below is a brief summary of mentorship programs run across Canada. The Writers’ Union of Canada does not endorse any of the programs on this list. Always visit program websites for full information, including eligibility and application guidelines. 

NATIONAL

• CSARN Mentoring Program
  CSARN offers emerging and transitioning artists the guidance of a mentor at least 60 years of age with a minimum of 20 years’ professional experience. CSARN pays mentors a fee and covers approved expenses of mentees.

• Diaspora Dialogues Mentoring Program
  Diaspora Dialogues has a long form (national), long form (Greater Toronto Area), short form (national), and short form (Winnipeg) mentorship. 

• Writers' Trust Mentorship
  This program pairs developing writers with established writers for a mentorship that runs for five months.

• ECW Press BIPOC Writers Mentorship Program
  The goal of this program is to find and nurture upcoming writers from BIPOC communities and equip them with tools and information to navigate the industry, submission process, and publishing process. The program is only open to writers who have never published a book and are currently living in Canada.

ALBERTA

• The Writers' Guild of Alberta’s Mentorship Program
  This program matches five mentors with five apprentices for a mentorship taking place January-April.

SASKATCHEWAN

• The Saskatchewan Writers' Guild Mentorship Program
  This program allows developing writers (the apprentices) to work in a supportive environment under the guidance of professional writers (the mentors). The mentor provides the apprentice with one-on-one instruction (not editorial services) in the craft of creative writing. The program runs from January to April each year

MANITOBA

• The Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program
  Administered by the Manitoba Writers' Guild, this program pairs emerging writers with established, professional writers to work together one-on-one for a five month period.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

• Vancouver Manuscript Intensive
  VMI is a global and local literary mentoring service based in Vancouver, Canada. They work with writers in all genres and writers with all levels of experience — writers who are published authors, writers who have had training in creative writing programs, and writers who have been working mostly on their own. 

QUEBEC

• Quebec Writers' Federation Mentorship Program
  This program is designed to help promising emerging writers make the transition to the next stage of their careers. The program is approximately four months in duration, and remuneration for mentors is $1500.

NOVA SCOTIA

• Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program
  Administered by the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, this program is design to support apprentice writers who are on the cusp of of professional publication. It includes apprentices and mentors from around Nova Scotia, as well as a mentorship pair from PEI. Mentorship lasts five months.