Last week at Free Word Centre, Arvon launched Binned, the anthology of work produced by the nine writers who took part in the 2011 Jerwood/Arvon Mentoring Scheme.

The Jerwood / Arvon mentoring scheme nurtures emerging writers through an annual mentoring programme supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

Over the past three years, nine writers each year, all of whom have attended tutored Arvon courses,  benefited from a year of mentoring by leading writers. This year, they were poet Daljit Nagra, novelist Maria McCann, and playwright Nell Leyshon. The scheme began with a week at The Hurst, the John Osborne Arvon Centre, followed by a year of the writers working regularly with their mentors. The mentees were given the chance to focus on their writing during a retreat week at The Hurst in February 2012, a selection of which is showcased and culminated with the launch of their anthology, with each writer performing their work at Free Word.

Shonagh Manson, Director of Jerwood Charitable Foundation, said ‘Each of the mentoring exchanges is different and gives differently; and they truly are exchanges, as any mentor worth their salt will tell you of the experience.’

Poetry mentor Daljit Nagra said ‘The scheme enabled my team to develop from scratchy, would-be writers to fearlessly committed warrior poets!’

The 2011 Jerwood/Arvon mentees are

Fiction
Martha Close
Julie Mayhew
Fleur Sinclair

Poetry
Liz Berry
Anita Pati
Richard Scott

Playwriting
Georgina Burns
Charlotte Bogard Macleod
Helen Saarma

View the Jerwood/Arvon digital sampler created by if:book

Read more about the Jerwood/Arvon Mentoring Scheme