Introducing this Year’s Sheldon Oberman Mentor Pairings

The Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program held its annual celebratory reception on Friday, Jan. 25, to hear from last year’s mentor/apprentice pairings and introduce this year’s cohort.

It was a positive literary affair, held this year in a house because Artspace was closed for building repairs. Last year’s mentors talked about the relationship they developed with their apprentices and complimented them on how they took to heart the lessons and suggestions they offered. The apprentices spoke about how they appreciated the close attention they received and how their confidence and skills grew as writers. We were treated to a short story by Yvonne Kyle — well-written, full of irony, humour and comment. It was a treat to hear.

  • This year’s writer/apprentice pairings are:
  • Jonathan Ball with Jenna Brignoly (short story)
  • Donna Besel with Judy Stoddart (novel)
  • Angeline Schellenberg with Kelly Bernadin-Dvorak (poetry)

Unfortunately, Judy was unable to attend, but Jenny and Kelly talked about what brought them to writing and their goals for the next several months. The program starts at the end of January and terminates at the end of May. Over the months, each participant must submit two reports: one at the end of March and the other at the end of May.

The program is named for the late Sheldon Oberman, who was passionate about giving newer writers the assistance they needed so their work was good enough to be submitted to a publisher. Over the course of the evening, author Jonathan Bell spoke about how he admired Sheldon’s commitment to mentoring, and how he has made it a personal project to volunteer.

The evening was a casual affair and, perhaps because we were sitting on comfortable cushions, people stayed far longer than usual. Thanks to our host for providing a delectable array of bakery-style desserts, which also kept everyone happy.

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