THE PAULINE L. ARTHUR GEN-Z AND WRITERS 50+ MENTORSHIP

December 1, 2026 – April 5, 2027

The Pauline L. Arthur Gen-Z and Writers 50+ Mentorship is Fahmidan's second annual mentorship programme, bringing together writers from two generations who can face very different barriers within the literary world.

The programme is dedicated to Pauline L. Arthur, an English literature scholar, applied linguist, educator, broadcaster, editor, and lifelong student of language and literature.

Why Pauline?

Born in Massachusetts in 1944, Pauline L. Arthur came to Kuwait in 1968, beginning a long and varied career in the country throughout the Middle East and beyond. She worked in education across different settings in Kuwait, including teaching in mainstream schools during the earlier years of her life in the country. Her career would eventually extend well beyond the classroom, encompassing broadcasting, journalism, scientific research, editing, communications, and higher education.

Pauline's academic background reflects her longstanding commitment to English language, literature, and linguistics. Her alma maters include New Mexico State University at Las Cruces, Ball State University, and the University of Warwick, where she undertook postgraduate study.

She holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature and a master's degree in Applied Linguistics, completed at Ball State University in 1982. Her master's work reflected her longstanding interest in language and linguistics, interests that continued throughout her professional life.

During her career in Kuwait, Pauline became one of the early English-language voices on Kuwaiti radio, presenting regular news broadcasts at a time when English-language broadcasting was still developing in the country. She also worked with the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and undertook a range of writing, editorial, and communications work.

Her professional life eventually brought her to the American University of Kuwait, where she taught English as part of its Intensive English Programme. Her work there formed one part of a much broader career that included journalism, advertising and website writing, and editorial work connected to the UN Compensation project concerning environmental damages to Kuwait resulting from the First Gulf War. A one-time refugee with her daughters escaping months into the occupation of Kuwait 1990-91, she went on to also teach throughout the GCC in Oman and the UAE. 

Pauline's career was therefore never confined to a single institution or professional title. She moved between education, language, literature, broadcasting, research, writing, editing, and communications, building a life around her intellectual interests while contributing to Kuwait in many different ways.

Her story is also one of opportunities that were not always available to women of her generation.

Despite her academic ability and ambitions, including the possibility of pursuing doctoral study, circumstances in her personal life, marriage, motherhood, illness, and the expectations placed upon women at the time affected the opportunities available to her. She experienced barriers that shaped the course of her education and career in ways that many women of her generation will recognise.

This mentorship is therefore dedicated to her not simply because of what she accomplished, but because of the importance of recognising what people are capable of when they are given the opportunity to pursue it.

Pauline's generation lived through a period in which many women were expected to place their own intellectual and professional ambitions behind family responsibilities and the needs of others. Younger writers today face a different set of barriers, while writers entering or re-entering literary life later in adulthood can encounter assumptions about age, relevance, and access.

The Pauline L. Arthur Gen-Z and Writers 50+ Mentorship is intended to create space for both groups.

We believe writers should have opportunities to develop their work, pursue their intellectual interests, find community, and participate fully in literary life regardless of their age or whether they followed a conventional academic or professional path.

By bringing Gen-Z writers and writers aged 50+ together, we hope to create meaningful intergenerational exchange while providing practical access to mentorship, publishing knowledge, editorial feedback, community, and literary experience.

Pauline's life reminds us that a person's intellectual curiosity and creative potential do not have an expiration date, and that opportunity should not be determined by age, circumstance, or the expectations placed upon us by others.

Literary Experience & Development

The Fahmidan Mentorship Programme is designed to support mentees not only in developing their writing, but also in gaining a deeper understanding of the literary world and their place within it.

Throughout the mentorship, mentees will have the opportunity to engage directly with editors, writers, publishers, and members of the wider literary community. Through workshops, discussions, feedback sessions, one-to-one mentorship, reading, and collaborative community activities, mentees will develop a stronger understanding of the processes that shape contemporary literary publishing and the ways in which writers can meaningfully participate in the literary community.

Mentees will be encouraged to develop their individual writing practices while learning how to approach revision, editorial feedback, submissions, publishing, literary collaboration, and community-building.

The programme aims to give writers practical literary experience alongside the creative space to experiment, take risks, develop their own voices, and consider where their work might take them.

As part of the mentorship, mentees will also connect with the previous Fahmidan Mentorship cohort and participate in a limited-edition issue of Fahmidan Journal, providing an opportunity to experience the literary publishing process from within.

Our goal is to create a space where writers can develop not only as individual artists, but as engaged members of a broader literary community.

Note*: Our site does not have updated details BUT you can see a bit about our inaugural mentorship currently (2024-25) if you'd like to see more. 

What the Mentorship Includes

Each mentee will receive and take part in:

• 8 group sessions throughout the mentorship               
  • 5 confirmed sessions
  • 3 additional writing, craft, or community sessions, TBD

      

• 2 individual 30-minute one-to-one sessions with Editor-in-Chief A. R. Arthur
• 4 digital chapbooks
• 2 reader feedbacks + 1 editorial feedback.
• Participation in a limited-edition issue of Fahmidan Journal featuring the mentorship cohort
• An opportunity to meet and connect with members of the previous Fahmidan Mentorship cohort
• Additional writing and community sessions throughout the mentorship
• Opportunities to develop work, exchange ideas, receive feedback, and build connections within the wider Fahmidan literary community

Programme Value

The combined benefits, resources, feedback, publications, mentorship, and community opportunities provided through the programme have a value of over $150 per mentee.

Programme Dates & Schedule

The mentorship will run from December 1, 2026 through April 5, 2027.

Sessions will generally take place on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 AM EST.

Exact session dates will be confirmed following the close of the application period.

Confirmed Sessions

1. The Submission & Editorial Process: Understanding the Literary World

Informational + Q&A | A. R. Arthur

An introduction to the submission and editorial process, including how the literary world works and what writers should consider when submitting their work.

2. The Chapbook Editing & Publishing Process

Informational | A. R. Arthur

An introduction to the process of developing, editing, and publishing a chapbook.

3. Becoming an Editor: Become the Editor You Want to See

Informational + Q&A | A. R. Arthur

An introduction to editing and the role editors can play within the literary community.

4. Reading to Write

Informational + Q&A | Yasmine Dashti

Before we put words to paper, we begin by understanding the words of those who came before us.

This session will explore different literary approaches to reading and how they can be incorporated into writing in new and experimental ways.

5. Literary Mechanics: From Working Draft to Finished Work

Generative, Collaborative & Informational | Rashna Wadia

How do we move from a working draft to a place where we are ready to share our work? How do we stay authentic to our voice while revising? What publications might care for our work and be a good fit?

This session will explore revision, developing a deeper understanding of your own writing, and considering where your work might sit within the wider literary landscape.

Additional Sessions

Three additional sessions will take place throughout the mentorship and will focus on writing, craft, and community.

Session 6 | TBD by Elijah Steiger, Prose Editor 

Session 7 | TBD Previous Cohort Guest Session

Session 8 | TBD

Guest Writer Conversations

As part of the mentorship, mentees will also have the opportunity to hear directly from established writers through guest conversations and Q&A sessions.

We are delighted to welcome writers including Trish Hopkinson and Donna Vorreyer as guest speakers, giving mentees an opportunity to discuss writing, publishing, literary careers, community, and their experiences within the literary world.

These sessions will provide another opportunity for mentees to engage directly with writers beyond the core mentorship team and to ask questions about the realities of developing a sustained literary practice.

Eligibility

To apply for this mentorship:

• You must be a member of Gen-Z or over 50 years of age.
• For the purposes of this mentorship, Gen-Z is defined as those born between 1997–2012.
• Applicants must be over 18 years of age.
• You must be a writer without a full-length published book.
• You must not currently be enrolled in an MFA programme.

The programme is designed to provide writers with access to literary community, mentorship, feedback, publishing knowledge, and practical literary experience outside of traditional academic pathways.

We believe that writers should not need a particular age, academic qualification, financial background, or established literary network in order to have the opportunity to develop their work and participate meaningfully in the literary community.

Please send in your application on the next page.