Breakthrough Mentoring for LGBTQIA+ Writers
Applications
Breakthrough Mentoring for LGBTQIA+ Writers
This programme will give four talented LGBTQIA+ writers of nine months of mentoring from a published author, plus a tutorial with a literary agent.
Tutor
Jake ArnottTutor
Julie CohenTutor
Kirsty LoganTutor
Michael MannLength
9 monthsLocation
OnlineWriting Goal
Develop your writingFour talented LGBTQIA+ writers of limited financial means will receive nine months of mentoring from a published author.
My time on the Curtis Brown Creative Breakthrough mentorship has been nothing short of a miracle. As a working-class writer, this opportunity has been completely invaluable and a scheme that has noticeably made a difference to my career.
Author of The Lamb
This nine-month mentoring programme is part of the Breakthrough Writers' Programme – our outreach initiative for under-represented authors.
This mentoring will run from June 2025 to March 2026 and seeks to support five aspiring authors with one-to-one guidance from a published author-mentor, plus a tutorial with a literary agent.
Mentoring sessions will take place via Zoom/phone calls. We are able to make accessibility adjustments to the programme if required. For example, by providing a British Sign Language interpreter.
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
View full mentoring programme details
Mentors
Jake Arnott
Jake is the author of seven highly acclaimed novels. The Long Firm was the bestselling debut novel of 1999, and was followed by He Kills Coppers, Truecrime, Johnny Come Home, The Devil's Paintbrush, The House of Rumour and The Fatal Tree. In 2006, The Long Firm was made into a four-part, BAFTA-nominated series for BBC 2 starring Sir Derek Jacobi and Mark Strong. In 2008, He Kills Coppers was made into a three-part series for ITV1, starring Rafe Spall and Kelly Reilly. Jake has previously taught creative-writing courses for the Arvon Foundation.
Julie Cohen
Julie Cohen grew up in Maine and studied English at Brown University, Cambridge University and the University of Reading. Her award-winning novels have sold over a million copies worldwide, and she has twice been selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club in the UK. Julie is a popular teacher of creative writing and runs an online school, Novel Gazing. She is a Vice President of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, a founder of the RNA Rainbow Chapter for LGBTQ+ writers, and a Patron of literacy charity ABC To Read. She won the 2020 Romantic Novelists’ Association Inclusion Award. Her bestselling novel Together has been translated into eleven languages and optioned for television; The Two Lives of Louis & Louise was longlisted for the Polari Prize and has been optioned by Enderby Entertainment as a feature film. Her first historical novel, Spirited, was published in July 2020 and her latest novel is Summer People (Orion, 2022). Under the name Julie Mae Cohen, her first thriller, Bad Men, will be published by Bonnier in July 2023. She lives in Berkshire, UK with her teenager and a terrier of dubious origin.
Kirsty Logan
Kirsty Logan is the author of three novels, three short story collections, a memoir, two chapbooks, a 10-hour audio play for Audible, and several collaborative projects with musicians and visual artists. Her latest books are the novel Now She is Witch and The Unfamiliar: A Queer Motherhood Memoir. Her books have won the Lambda, Polari, Saboteur, Scott and Gavin Wallace awards. Her work has been optioned for TV, adapted for stage, recorded for radio and podcasts, exhibited in galleries and distributed from a vintage Wurlitzer cigarette machine. She lives in Glasgow with her wife, baby and rescue dog.
Michael Mann
Michael Mann is the author of the middle grade novels Ghostcloud and its sequel Nightspark (published by Hachette). Ghostcloud was a Waterstones Best Children’s Book of 2021, a Guardianpick and included in the BookTrust Great Books Guide 2022.
Michael studied on Curtis Brown Creative's Writing YA & Children’s Fiction course in 2018. Michael was an Undiscovered Voices 2020 finalist.
Eligibility
This mentoring is open to anyone over the age of 18, who identifies as LGBTQIA+ and fulfils our low-income eligibility criteria.
Your submission does not necessarily have to be about LGBTQIA+ experiences, although we are particularly interested in stories with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer characters or themes.
Applicants must also fulfil our financial criteria:
- Unmarried and not co-habiting with a partner, with an annual (gross, pre-tax) income of less than £25,000 and personal savings of less than £5,000.
- Married or co-habiting with a partner, with a total annual (gross pre-tax) household income of less than £35,000 and personal savings (jointly or individually) of less than £5,000.
If you don’t quite fit our financial criteria but are nonetheless financially challenged, then do apply, explaining your circumstances in the form.
Terms & conditions
- Applicants to the Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for LGBTQIA+ Writers must fulfil our eligibility criteria. Our form asks you to make statements about your gender identity and sexuality, your financial income and the reason you deserve this fully funded opportunity.
- With respect to the earnings thresholds set out in our eligibility section: for salaried applicants, your current salary at date of application must be under the threshold. For self-employed applicants, your gross pre-tax profits (average figure for the last two financial years) must be under the threshold. State benefits such as jobseeker’s allowance should be counted as income.
- Applicants may be asked to provide proof of their financial circumstances in support of their application.
- Applicants must not be currently represented by a literary agent.
Ready 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.
Don’t worry if you have little or nothing to say in response to questions about e.g. writing experience or employment. Just fill out the form, upload your work and we’ll be in touch soon.
The deadline for applications is Sunday 8 June, and we will respond to applicants by Thursday 12 June 2025. If you encounter any problems during the application process or have any more questions about the courses, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk for assistance.
Head to the blog for tips and advice on preparing your application material.
