Teen Writers Mentorship Program
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024

Catholic Literary Arts is excited to offer a writing mentorship program for teens during the 2023-24 school year. This program offers virtual instructional sessions followed by writing assignments and revisions of those writing assignments.

We’re excited to watch your growth in writing skills, and we’re here to partner with you and your parents. Our professional faculty will mentor you by using individual feedback and focused instruction in addition to their own writing, editing, and publication experience.

We bring the fun of writing to you while also helping you attain additional writing skills. This is a positive environment for you to explore your love of writing and reading, while also beginning to submit your polished pieces to writing contests and to journals and magazines offering publication opportunities.

Virtual meetings will held monthly (with the exception of Christmas vacation) on Saturday mornings during the academic year 2023-2024.

Exciting opportunities for learning and enjoyment of the writing arts will be featured:

• focused discussion with a Christ-centered basis

• instruction in writing poetry, fiction, and personal essay

• monthly virtual meetings

• one in-person Writing Session at an area museum

• bi-weekly check-in via email

• sponsorship for contest entries, and

• strategic assessment of publication opportunities.

Important Dates To Remember

August 22, 2023, Virtual Orientation Session for Parents and Students, 6 p.m. CDT
September 9, 2023, Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CDT
October 7, 2023, Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CDT
October 28, 2023, Museum Writing Session, 10 a.m. CDT followed by Lunch (location to be confirmed)
November 4, 2023, Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CDT
February 3, 2024, Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CST
March 2, 2024, Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CST
April 6, 2024, Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CDT
May 4, 2024, Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CDT

Policies

Please read through these policies before applying:

•  Each applicant must be registered in high school or in a high-school level home-school course of study. The minimum age is 14 years.

•  Each applicant will be able to use Google Classroom to access virtual teaching sessions and to turn in homework.

•  Parents will provide a parental email address and telephone number to be used for all communication between CLA faculty/staff and students.

•  Students will commit to attend monthly virtual sessions and to complete writing exercises by the due date.

•  Students, parents, and CLA faculty/staff will follow Safe Environment guidelines of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

•  Students will complete a one-page essay by May 31, 2024 summarizing their experiences in the Mentorship Program.

This year’s cohort will receive new students who will be selected from applications submitted between the dates of July 15, 2023, and August 1, 2023.

Each selected student for this year’s cohort must attend a virtual Information Session on August 22, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. with a parent. At that meeting, you will receive the following items:

• the academic year’s schedule, including due dates for writing assignments

• the software requirements and procedures

• the genres to be covered in classes.

The cost of this program is $400.  

APPLICATIONS

Applications may be submitted by email until 11:59 p.m. on August 1, 2023.

Please email your application package to cathla.org@gmail.com [Subject line: Application for Teen Mentorship Program.]

APPLICATION PACKAGE

Your application must include the following:

• a statement from the student's parent(s) or legal guardian giving the student permission to apply and be included in the program, if selected,

• a letter from the student saying why he/she wishes to participate in the program and what he or she hopes to learn,

• contact email and telephone number for parent/s.

The application deadline is August 1, 2023, at 11:59 p.m.

Please understand that each year we receive more applications than we have room for in this program. 
Only a few limited spots are available.

Email us or call if you have questions: 713-331-9342 or cathla.org@gmail.com 

MEET OUR STAFF

Our experienced faculty-mentors are Ms. Brittany Guzman, Ms. Claire V. Jones, and team leader Mr. Norson Fernandez.

Norson Fernandez

Norson Fernandez has a M.A. in Catholic Education from the University of St. Thomas and holds a B.S. in Corporate Communications from The University of Texas at Austin.  He currently serves as Coordinator of Communications at Prince of Peace Catholic Community and was previously the Upper School Department Head and Campus Minister at St. Francis de Sales in Houston, TX where he also taught Theology. He is a two-year faculty member of Fearless Catholic Writing Camp at the University of St. Thomas.

Brittany Guzman

Brittany Guzman is a dedicated educator who works with students to express ideas clearly through writing. She has a M.A. in Liberal Arts and a B.A. in Government from Houston Baptist University. She has been an adjunct professor of English since 2019 at HBU and worked with college and high school students to review and edit papers for seven years.  She is a faculty member of Fearless Catholic Writing Camp and CLA’s High School Writers Institute at the University of St. Thomas.

Claire V. Jones

Claire V. Jones is a creative writer who enjoys working with students to refine their skills in writing. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing from Houston Baptist University. She served as a writing tutor at HBU for two and a half years and maintained a leadership position in that department. She is a faculty member of Fearless Catholic Writing Camp at the University of St. Thomas and has worked as an educator in Catholic Literary Arts After-School Program.