Apply Now! 

Acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis.

Please do not pay for the mentorship until you receive a formal acceptance notification via email.

Click HERE to Apply. Early applications are encouraged as space is limited.

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Mentor Samantha Ladwig's writing has appeared in publications such as The Cut, Vulture, Literary Hub, Vice, HuffPost, Real Simple, Bustle, CrimeReads, Vox, Brevity, BUST, and The Kitchn, among others. She is also a longtime book reviewer for BUST and a creative writing instructor and mentor. Over the years, her work has provided her opportunities to attend, and sometimes cover, the Academy Awards, Telluride Film Festival, AFI Fest, and the Seattle International Film Festival. She lives on a small island in the Salish Sea.

This mentorship is designed for writers seeking guidance on how to turn a significant experience, large or small, into an essay that will resonate with readers.

During our time together, we will meet monthly over Zoom with bi-weekly check-ins via email. Our first meeting will be spent identifying your unique perspective, writing into the experience, and preparing clear goals for the weeks ahead.

Writers will submit their essay - somewhere between 1,000 to 4,000 words - at the end of the month, as month two will focus on editing your draft and developing strategies for editing future work independently. Writers will spend the rest of month two implementing that feedback.

With a polished draft in hand, month three will center on pitching: how to find appropriate magazines, how to find the right editor, and how to develop a pitch that will catch that editor’s eye, all with the goal of submitting your pitch by the end of the month, if not sooner.

The goal of this mentorship is for writers seeking to complete and submit a polished draft.

Assigned Craft Essays & Articles will be determined depending on the needs of individual writers.

TESTIMONIALS

"Sam brings a genuine curiosity and openness to different writing styles and creative goals. She really thinks about her students as individuals, and tries to understand where each is with their work and what they are needing in order to continue and develop. She works to meet them there, sharing her expertise and perspective, but steering clear of applying her own agenda or preferences on their writing." -Student

"Samantha is a confident teacher and deftly and respectfully manages group classes. She's supportive of her students’ writing. She has a gift for editorial insight and feedback—she just sees things, and very quickly, and couches her critiques positively in terms of possibility and growth. She’s helped create a sense of community with her students." -Student

PROGRAM OUTLINE:

• Month 1: Our initial Zoom meeting will focus on identifying and unpacking the essay you’d like to write. Students will leave with a solid framework for a first draft and clear goals for completing it before the second meeting.
• Month 2: Students will submit a draft of their work before the start of the second meeting. The rest of the month will be spent reviewing my edits and learning tools for editing your work in the future. Then, students will implement those edits and send a fresh draft before the start of the third meeting. 
• Month 3: Month three will be spent polishing your draft for submission. We will spend our last meeting discussing pitching guidelines, identifying potential magazines for your piece, and working together to create a memorable pitch that will catch an editor’s eye.

MENTORSHIP TAKEAWAYS:

• Learn how to turn an experience into an essay that will resonate with readers.
• Develop strategies for editing your work.
• Leave with a polished draft between 1,000 to 4,000 words.
• Learn the ins and outs of pitching to editors with the intention of sending a completed pitch during the third month.

• Mentor: Samantha Ladwig

• Apply Now!

• The Mentorship is fully online and students may participate from anywhere.

• NOTE: Shifting some dates around may be necessary but any changes will be communicated well in advance, if possible.