S.A.S.E. Wings: A Mentorship Program for Young Writers
S.A.S.E. Wings is an innovative mentoring program designed for avid young writers, ages 9-19, desiring more support and guidance than is provided in the traditional school setting. Each participant is matched with an artistic mentor from the creative writing MFA and PhD programs of Hamline University and the University of Minnesota. The mission of Wings is to make the literary arts accessible to a culturally and socio-economically diverse group of young writers eager for artistic development.
Wings mentorships use the screening model developed by Big Brothers/Big Sisters in order to ensure that mentors are not only capable intellectually and artistically, but are also qualified to provide a safe, appropriate environment in which young writers can feel secure enough to form personal bonds and let their imaginations take flight. Together, mentors and mentees explore their worlds and develop their writing skills through guided reading, writing and conversation.
Mentors and mentees meet one-on-one for a total of 18 hours each session; schedules and locations are determined on an individual basis. Additionally, Wings participants engage in a variety of group activities such as:
- workshopping their writing
- attending literary readings
- and exploring the Twin Cities’ literary community.
Each Wings mentorship session culminates in a public reading and reception in which mentees read work created during the program and mentors read from their own body of writing. This event is a community-wide celebration of the artistic talent and accomplishment of vibrant young writers.
SASE at Intermedia Arts also publishes an annual anthology of writings by Wings youth and mentors.
This program is funded in part by the COMPAS Medtronic Arts Access Program, and is co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota's Creative Writing Program and Hamline University.