ABOUT

MIRROR Mentorship

 

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.

the deal

 

Three multilingual artists will be mentored for a year by Scribble, LOST IN BOOKS and industry mentors 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 2024-2026 program, three literary artists will be selected to work 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+

*We’re defining a literary artist in this instance as writers, illustrators, and writer-illustrators. We’re particularly interested in linguistic diversity and in the richness and breadth of representation in literature for Australian children to read.

expected outcomes

 

  • Co-creation of a new published work to experience the process of taking an idea to a published outcome

  • Progression of an independent project

  • Acquisition of skills, knowledge and experience relevant to your career aspirations

  • Stronger interpersonal professional relationships and networks in the Australian and international books and publishing industries

  • Increased profile and market recognition.