Since the Australian Society of Authors piloted Australia’s first mentorships for creative writers in 1995, programs connecting emerging authors with guidance from established industry professionals have become an established part of the nation’s literary landscape. Yet over this thirty-year period, only one academic study of Australian writing mentorship practices outside of the academy has been undertaken (Krauth & Baranay, 2002). Using Krauth and Baranay’s survey as a comparison point, this paper re-examines the Australian field to map the availability and practices of creative writing mentorship in 2025. It finds that mentorship remains a popular activity, centred on creating pathways to equity for writers who are underrepresented in Australian publishing. However, rather than being offered as a stand-alone, dyadic practice, it is now frequently supplemented by other activities that seek to develop emerging writers and strengthen communities of practice. As hybrid forms for developing and guiding writers evolve, mentoring appears increasingly likely to come from within communities of shared cultural experience and to be only one element among multiple practices that provide support and enrich author networks. The article concludes by suggesting further pathways for research into creative writing mentorship. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following content may contain voices or names of people who have died.
Delia Falconer (Wed,) studied this question.