Breakthrough mentoring programme for disabled writers

Closing date for applications: 2 November 2025

This exciting opportunity offers four talented disabled writers nine months of mentoring from a published author, plus a tutorial with a literary agent.

This nine-month mentoring programme is part of Curtis Brown Creative's Breakthrough Writers' Programme – our outreach initiative for under-represented authors. Mentoring will run from November 2025 to August 2026 and seeks to support four aspiring authors through one-to-one guidance from a published author-mentor, plus a tutorial with a literary agent.

Mentoring sessions will take place via Zoom or phone calls. We are able to make accessibility adjustments to the programme if required. For example, by providing a British Sign Language interpreter. Mentors include renowned authors Polly Atkin, Lisette Auton, Nydia Hetherington, Chloe Timms and Claire Wade.

You can apply to be mentored for a project at any stage of writing (from just starting to redrafting) and written in any of the following genres/categories:

• Novel written for adults
• Novel written for children (older than 7) or young adults
• Collection of short stories
• Memoir
• Narrative non-fiction

Eligibility

This mentoring is open to all disabled writers over the age of 18.

Applicants must have a disability, as defined by the Equality Act 2010. You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

Our form asks you to make a statement about why you should be awarded this mentoring opportunity.

• Applicants to the Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Disabled Writers must fulfil our eligibility criteria.
• Applicants must not be currently represented by a literary agent.

To apply

Curtis Brown Creative offers mentoring places on the basis of proven writing ability. We ask applicants to send us the first 3,000 words of a novel/memoir/short story/narrative non-fiction project in progress, with a one-page synopsis, and to fill out our application form. Mentoring places will be awarded to applicants with submission material that shows the greatest potential and promise in our view. The decision will be made by the Curtis Brown Creative team.

Our application process is simple, and we encourage all writers meeting the eligibility criteria to apply.

Please state in your application that you found this opportunity through Creative Access.