emerging and youthful speculative fiction mentoring
Mentorship Applications have now concluded.
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Fantastic Queensland is providing a professional mentoring opportunity for an emerging and talented speculative fiction author in 2005-06.
Several organisations offer mentoring for emerging and early-career writers. The Fantastic Queensland scheme is tailored specifically for authors of speculative fiction. Many current mentoring initiatives fail to give speculative fiction authors connections with experienced mentors working in that genre.
The successful candidate for this scheme will collaborate with a seasoned genre mentor for 20 hours across up to six months. The successful candidate will also gain complimentary membership to the 2006 National Science Fiction convention – Conjure, and receive an invitation to present and participate on a panel at the convention.
To qualify for this opportunity, you must:
• be between 18 and 30 years of age inclusive (not turning 31 before May 1, 2006)
• have published no more than two books (or be unpublished)
• have had no more than five short stories published in professional outlets (ie publications paying five cents per word or more)
• have a significant work of speculative fiction underway and completed to at least first draft form
• reside in Queensland
If you wish to apply, please download the full application details and the application form.
Applications close at midnight, Friday October 07, 2005.
Enquiries and applications to [email protected]
This initiative has been supported by the Australian Government via the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Prospective guides
Rowena Cory Lindquist (Explore her website)
Writing as 'Cory Daniells', Rowena Cory Lindquist enjoys international publication across novels and short fiction. Her fantasy trilogy The Last T'En was released in Australia, the US and Germany. She has authored more than 25 children's books distributed across Australia, France and Korea. She has released various short stories including contributions to the prize-winning anthology Dreaming Down Under and Aurealis magazine. She currently serves as convenor of the EnVision Manuscript Development Workshop. In 2001 she founded "ROR: wRiters on the Rise" an annual residential workshop for professional writers.
Rowena has formerly served as a mentor at the Queensland Writers Centre. She has delivered workshops for schools, the QWC's Young Adult Master Classes, Romance Writers of Australia, libraries, and state and national writing conferences. In 2001, 2002 and 2003 she served as convenor of the Aurealis Awards, along with holding positions as a panel chair and judge.
Geoffrey Maloney (Visit his site)
Geoffrey Maloney's short stories have been featured consistently in Australia's premier speculative fiction periodicals from the early 1990s onwards. He has published more than fifty short stories, with his work receiving four Aurealis Award nominations and frequent inclusion on Year's Best honourable mention lists in the United States. In 2000 he received the Aurealis Award for best fantasy story for 'The World According to Kipling'. His debut collection, Tales from the Crypto-System was released by Prime Books in the United States in 2003. In 2001 he edited Nor of Human… the inaugural anthology of speculative fiction by Canberra authors. As associate editor, Geoffrey is presently collaborating on a new anthology – The Devil in Brisbane – alongside the internationally recognised Serbian author, Zoran Zivkovic.
Geoffrey has previously undertaken various initiatives supporting young and emerging writers. He offered guidance and editorial assistance on K J Bishop's novel The Etched City, which was shortlisted for a 2003 World Fantasy Award. He was instrumental in providing early feedback on structural matters and connecting Ms Bishop with overseas publishers. He currently mentors several developing Australian writers, offering thorough commentary on their stories and helping with line editing to prepare their work for submission. He is supporting one author in assembling a collection of stories for international publication.
Marianne de Pierres (Visit her site)
Marianne de Pierres has works published throughout the UK, US and Australia. Her debut novel, Nylon Angel, was released by Orbit Books (UK) in January 2004, with sequels following, Code Noir and Crash Deluxe. Her novels have been rendered into German, Thai and Hebrew. She has published over a dozen short stories across Australian and international publications and has received an Aurealis Award nomination for best short fiction. She has provided mentorship to emerging novelists at the EnVision Manuscript Development Workshop in 2003 and 2004 and has functioned as a peer judge for the Aurealis Awards (national literary achievement awards for speculative fiction).
Marianne has also reviewed manuscripts from professional colleagues at ROR: wRiters on the Rise in 2001 and 2003. She has attended the Brisbane Writers Festival, Tasmanian Writers Festival, the National Speculative Fiction conference and the Summer of Speculative Fiction as a guest. In December 2004 she signed a contract for her fourth novel, the first in a four-book series, with Orbit Books (UK).
