The Loft Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose offers twelve emerging Minnesota writers the opportunity to work intensively with six nationally acclaimed writers. There are two mentors each in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Four writers in each genre are selected for the program by the mentors through an anonymous competition. Three of the mentors spend an extended period of time working with the group in craft seminars, intensive genre-specific workshops and individual manuscript conferences. The other three come in for an intensive weekend of seminars, craft talks and one-on-one consultations.

The 2011-2012 Loft Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose contest is now open. You can download the following application materials:

Mentor Application Guidelines 2012 (pdf)

Application Cover Sheet (pdf)

Mentor Series FAQ (pdf)

The Mentors
The 2010-2011 Loft Mentor Series will feature Leslie Adrienne Miller and Tracy K. Smith (poetry), John Hildebrand and Dinty W. Moore (nonfiction), and Marlon James and Lan Samantha Chang (fiction) serving as mentors.

Check the monthly Loft Calendar of Events for Mentor Series readings.