J.J. Reneaux Mentorship Award

The application period for the J.J. Reneaux Mentorship Award is closed. Please contact the NSN office if you have any questions.

Application Process

1. Before applying you should identify and come to a preliminary agreement with a storytelling mentor (who must be a well-respected, seasoned storyteller) from whom you would like to receive coaching. With the mentor, plan coaching and/or workshop sessions that both of you feel are appropriate to your needs. The mentoring must take place within the 2021 calendar year.
2. Submission of videos: By October 26, 2020, you must provide the committee the URLs to 10-20 minutes of online video recording of your storytelling that demonstrates your strengths and performance characteristics. (We recommend, but do not require, that you record performances before an audience.) Your application submission should contain samples of two different pieces of work (if possible, one complete). Please review your recordings for video quality and clear sound before you submit them.
3. Applications must be submitted by midnight, Central time, October 26, 2020, using the online form below. Applications must include:
   1. A letter (no longer than 700 words) describing:
      • Your background and the path you are on as a performer;
      • Your sense of your current artistic strengths;
      • What you feel you need to develop at this point to move your storytelling gift forward;
      • Why you would like to work with the mentor you have chosen;
      • The URL(s) of the video(s) you have submitted;
      • Descriptions of the stories you have submitted: titles, dates and venues of performances, how the stories relate to your repertoire and your qualities as a storyteller.
   2. A letter from your potential mentor, explaining:
      • The mentor’s willingness to provide coaching and/or workshops;
      • The skills that will be the focus of your mutual work;
      • The plan of mentoring work that you and the mentor will undertake.
   3. Your resume (no longer than two pages).
   4. The mentor’s resume (no longer than two pages).
   5. References: Names and contact information (telephone, email, postal addresses) for three people who can comment knowledgeably on your storytelling – preferably either professional storytellers or sponsors of venues where you have performed. You should identify these people and tell the committee briefly when and where they have seen your work. (The review committee may contact the references, should they need further information.)

Notification: The results of the Mentorship Grant competition will be announced in December 2020.

Application

Deadline: Midnight, Central Time, October 26, 2020

There is no option to save and return to your application. The entire application must be completed at one time or your submission will not be saved. We recommend applicants prepare all materials prior to beginning the application process to ensure you have everything needed to complete the application.

Please note: Applications are not saved until you click the “Submit Application” button at the end of the application process.

The results of the Mentorship Grant competition will be announced in December 2020.

Past Recipients of the J.J. Reneaux Mentorship Award