Creative Writing Mentorship Program
Creative Writing Mentors are a cohort of energized and experienced student volunteers who are registered Creative Writing PhD students in advanced years of study. Creative Writing (CW) Mentors provide advice, support, friendship, and information to help acclimate a Creative Writing graduate student during their initial years of study.
Program Benefits
- The opportunity to help a fellow creative writing graduate student
- Professional development and additional experience on CV
- Supervisor reference based on performance
- Foster community and solidarity among creative thinkers
Program Commitment
- One academic year, September - May
- One group orientation
- One meeting per semester
- Average one to two hours per week for advising
- Participation in occasional meetups and brief meetings with mentee(s) as needed
Program Eligibility
- Binghamton University graduate Creative Writing PhD students who have completed two years of academic study.
- Successful participation in the Creative Writing PhD program for which Binghamton recognizes strong academic performance
- Availability for occasional meetings with mentee(s)
- Accessibility over email and phone with mentee(s)
- Willingness to be matched with a minimum of one mentee
Program Objectives
- Engage in thoughtful information sharing among peers
- Facilitate communication and accountability
- Build community within the program
- Create leadership opportunities for mentors
- Offer learning opportunities for mentees
Program Responsibilities
(Responsibilities may vary based on cohort size)
- Be familiar with general Creative Writing PhD resources, guidelines, and deadlines
- Guide students with regard to questions about the Creative Writing program, campus life, classes, and other questions associated with academic advancement
- Maintain confidentiality regarding information and shared data
- Effective communication with Creative Writing staff with questions or matters that arise during the advising experience
- Respond to mentee inquiries received via email, phone, and during advising hours
- Initiate communication with mentee at least three times a semester
- Promote the Creative Writing program through conversation, social media, and outreach where appropriate
- Submit photos and pertinent updates for Creative Writing website and other media
- Submit a brief assessment of mentor experience at the end of the one year commitment.
Meet the 2022-2023 Creative Writing Mentors
Our mentors are advanced-year students dedicated to helping their peers succeed in the program. Learn about each mentor below.
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Jordan Franklin Jordan E. Franklin is a poet, Clark fellow, and second-year doctoral candidate from Brooklyn, NY. She received her MFA from Stony Brook University where she served as a Turner fellow. Her work has appeared in Breadcrumbs, Frontier, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, the Southampton Review and elsewhere. She is the winner of the 2017 James Hearst Poetry Prize, the 2020 Gatewood Prize, and a finalist of the 2019 Furious Flower Poetry Prize. |
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Shin Watanabe (swatana1@binghamton.edu) was born in Gainesville, Florida and has lived in New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Nevada. He studied philosophy at the University of Minnesota and received an MFA in poetry at the University of Las Vegas. Shin is currently a PhD candidate in English with a creative dissertation in poetry at Binghamton University. "I’m excited to get to know our incoming students and help them learn from my struggles and joys!" |
Questions?
Please email any Creative Writing Mentorship questions to Suzanne Richardson, Assistant to the Director of Creative Writing, at sricha18@binghamton.edu
