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What are they?

"Mentor texts are pieces of literature that you—both teacher and student—can return to and reread for many different purposes. They are texts to be studied and imitated...Mentor texts help students to take risks and be different writers tomorrow than they are today. It helps them to try out new strategies and formats. They should be basically books that students can relate to and can even read independently or with some support. And of course, a mentor text doesn't have to be in the form of a book—a mentor text might be a poem, a newspaper article, song lyrics, comic strips, manuals, essays, almost anything."

Taken from- Reading, Writing, and Mentor Texts: Imagining Possibilities (https://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/4090)

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These forms of writing come in all shapes and sizes. Put simply, they require you to think outside of the box and go beyond traditional writing genres.
These styles offer flexibility and the opportunity to try things out.
-Collage/Montage
-Crot
-Double-Voice
-Fragment
-Labyrinthine Sentence
-Orthographic Variations
-Repetition

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These types of writing conform to traditional writing styles. They are much more common than the alternative styles.

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Here is a list of possible genres you can use throughout the multi-genre writing project. If there are genres that are not on the list that you would like to use, please feel free to do so! Remember, think outside of the box and be creative! Easy isn't always better.

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a "never ending sentence." This is long and complex used to make the reader feel that it won't end. It can be used to add rhythm and phrases.

EXAMPLE: "Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby’s house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder."- F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby"

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An alternate style frequently employing a single word or a very short phrase of a only two or three words to suggest separation and fragmentation. This can be used to show EMPHASIS. If this one is selected as a genre, you must create 5 or more.

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Slam poetry is a type of poetry competition where people read their poems without props, costumes, or music.

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Student's viral poem asks 'Why am I not good enough?'

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Diverse elements are patched together to make the whole composition. A collage is a composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface; a montage is a single composition created by juxtaposing a series of pieces of paper, photos or other media to create an artistic image.

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Two-Voice Poems are written from two different points of view on the same topic

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a notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event or publicizing a job vacancy.

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Alternate spellings employed for various purposes, such as to highlight double meanings, connect ideas, or to reflect idiosyncratic speech patterns.

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A digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series, new installments of which can be received by subscribers automatically.

Possible mentor text: https://buffer.com/library/podcasting-for-beginners

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a collection of imagery, charts, and minimal text that gives an easy-to-understand overview of a topic. As in the example below, infographics use striking, engaging visuals to communicate information quickly and clearly.

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/create-infographics-with-free-powerpoint-templates

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Are You A Boss Or A Leader _ Daily Infographic

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a set of instructions for preparing a particular dish, including a list of the ingredients required. In the case of this project, it could be used to convey a particular outcome rather than a dish.

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An interview is a conversation between at least two people used to convey or receive information.

Mentor Text:

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Interviews matter. A good interview is the foundation of good reporting. They are the best way of understanding a complicated situation and seeing it from someone else's perspective. A wise, old editor of mine used to say 'report it out.' She meant 'go talk to people, don't rely on your own opinions and judgment.' It's a good maxim. One of my rules of thumb is to do one interview for each 250-500 words of final copy.
Update 19 July 2016: I wrote this article back in 2006 when I was interviewing and writing pretty much all the time and it was based on my experience as a freelance journalist for Wired, Director and Popular Science. I have reviewed and updated it to make it more relevant to the world of content marketing which is what we do now.
So here are my top tips for a good interview. Your mileage may vary and I'm keen to hear any other suggestions. (See also how to give a good interview and why interviews go wrong.)

Preparation

1. Choose the right format.

Sometimes a face to face interview is good. More often, for me, a phone interview works best.

For a feature about an individual, I like to do several face to face interviews. The first is really a get-to-know session without notes and off the record. It is a reconnaissance. Then the major interview. Finally a follow-up interview around the time I'm writing the piece.

3.Consider phone interviews.

I love phone interviews. There's something confessional about them and it's easy to strike up a rapport with someone.

I type quickly enough to take a more or less real time transcript during a phone interview which makes this form of interview particularly efficient. Also, a phone interview cuts out travel time and waiting around for people to turn up.

Talking on the phone makes interviews much easier to schedule as most people can find 20 or 30 minutes in their diary but a face to face interview seems to require an hour and a lot more commitment.

4. Avoid email interviews.

I've done two or three email interviews in my time and they've all been unsatisfactory. The results have been stilted and unnatural, and you miss out on important things like tone of voice.

For face to face interviews, I prefer to use two recorders or one recorder and hand written notes. Nothing could be worse than getting back from an interview and finding that you didn't have any record.

Mind you I ended up spending 15 minutes of an interview with Google's Sergey Brin talking about digital Dictaphones instead of Google's future. Oops.

I was once promised an hour-long interview. On the day, the PR involved said it would have to be a 15 minute phone interview. However, left to my own devices, I would have pulled out altogether.

PR minders are a frequent nuisance for journalists. They're helpful when they book up an interview and make sure that the people turn up. However, I find their silent presence on phone interviews oppressive and I suspect that it intimidates the interviewee as well.

8. Don't give questions in advance.

I don't prepare questions in advance and I always say no to people who ask me to send them a list of questions. Partly, this is because I don't work that way and partly I don't want people over-preparing.

My interviews tend to be quite free-ranging. Journalists rarely (if ever) give copy approval to interviewees but when interviewing for corporate work it is the rule.

9. Avoid group interviews.

An interview is essentially a one-to-one situation but many interviewees like to have a colleague in on the interview. Often they do this if they feel that their technical knowledge isn't up to scratch.

If I interview two people, it becomes harder to properly attribute quotes. Also, you miss out on potentially valuable contributions. Only one person can talk at a time. I would rather do two separate interviews.

10. Prepare and research in advance.

I don't usually prepare a list of questions, although I'll usually have a list of topics to cover. I also like to look up the interviewee on LinkedIn and Google as this can reveal interesting angles for questions and common ground to build rapport.

I have an interview template in and I usually set this up before the interview with all the contact information and some initial thoughts and topics for the interview.

11. Avoid the word 'interview'

Most people think an interview is a scary thing. They think of job interviews or the kind of TV interviews that politicians do. Neither model works for a good journalistic interview. I prefer the words 'chat', 'conference call' or 'conversation'.

12. Confirm the time and date in advance and send reminders.

People sometimes don't turn up for interviews. This is why I prefer sending a meeting request from Outlook or using to book up the call. It's also helpful to send an email reminder the day before.

The interview itself

1. Introduce yourself

I like to introduce myself at the start of every interview. I tell people who I am and who I'm writing for. I call it the Government health warning. It's a courtesy but it's also a kind of protection. Doing it consistently means that any interviewee knows exactly where they stand.

2. How to record interviews.

I do interviews using RingCentral and record them for future reference. I use a Plantronics headset so I can also take notes during the call.

3.Observe the legalities.

In the UK, you have to tell people you're recording a conversation because of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, or RIPA as it is charmingly known.

I tend to say 'I'm keeping a record of this conversation to make sure I don't forget anything.' Even if it weren't a legal obligation, I think it is a courtesy to say so. I don't record all my interviews.

4. Be yourself.

My interview style is discursive, subjective and personal. My favourite interviews are the ones where I find common ground with the person I'm talking to and we have a fun, stimulating conversation. This means I have to come to the party dressed as myself.

I interviewed Stephen Bungay a while ago for this blog and I had expected to chat for an hour. We ended up talking for four hours.

5. Be enthusiastic.

People like people who like them. They are also conditioned to think of an 'interview' as a potentially hostile situation and be on their guard. Consequently, you should be upbeat and positive. Do this genuinely if you can. Otherwise, engage your sincerity simulator.

6. Shut up

You should be talking about 10-20% of the time at most. (This is my biggest weakness - I often end up talking too much and interviewing myself!)

7. Listen hard

Sometimes you can pick up a word or a phrase in an answer which you can play back to the interviewee and get something much more intimate, interesting or honest. Interviews aren't scripted Q&As, they are intense professional conversations and you need to concentrate.

8. Capture the basic information

I use a template form for all my interviews that captures: name (get the spelling right), job title, contact details, time and date of interview and intended publication.

9. Job titles can be difficult

Sometimes people have very long-winded or obscure titles. These don't work well on the printed page. If this is the case, I like to get a more informal job description agreed with the interviewee.

Tech companies are notorious for acronym-laden job titles. The important thing is to get the interviewee's agreement to whatever you use. I like to ask: 'how would you like me to describe you in the article.'

10. Get past the canned speech

If an interviewee has been media trained, my heart sinks. Usually, it means I have to listen to 10-20m of self-important waffle prepared for them by their PR department.

Building a rapport with them on non-controversial subjects (like their job title or their recent career history) can put them at their ease. I'm not trying to trick people into saying something they don't want to say. I'm just want them to say something in a natural, human way.

A good interview sounds like an intelligent conversation over coffee not a standup PowerPoint presentation.

11. Don't lose control

Sometimes, especially with self-important interviewees, you can get into a bit of a tug-of-war over who is in charge of the interview. Never forget that you are the CEO of the interview. You don't have to be bossy but it's important that you get what you need from the interview and you steer it in the direction you want to go.

12. Focus on what you need

Sometimes people get absorbed in details or get too waffly and abstract. Sometimes you need a specific quote or a good story. A timely intervention is sometimes required to redirect the interview.

Phrases like 'do you have any stories that illustrate that point,' or 'how does this relate to the bigger picture' can be very useful ways to do this.

13. Respect the interviewee's privacy

I don't like to share them with anyone else. I know this is an ironic position but corporate clients often ask for the transcript as well as the finished article.

There are three problems with this. First, redacting a transcript for public consumption is a task in itself, not a freebie. Second, it encourages clients to start rewriting my piece. Third, it's not fair to the interviewee because an interview has some usable bits and a lot of filler.

14. Be courteous.

Say thank you afterwards. If you can provide a copy of the final article, do so.

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How to interview someone like a journalist

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Interviews matter. A good interview is the foundation of good reporting. They are the best way of understanding a complicated situation and seeing it from someone else's perspective. A wise, old editor of mine used to say 'report it out.' She meant 'go talk to people, don't rely on your own opinions and judgment.'

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A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. It could be a list of "I can" or "I will" statements.

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This is just your typical letter that one might send to a friend. It would be one you might use to convey thoughts or information with a friend or family member, or associate.

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Little bits. It can range from one sentence to twenty or thirty or beyond. It needs to convey meaning. This one is EXTREMELY open to interpretation.

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A feature article gives information of human interest. Feature articles are generally the stories in newspapers and magazines other than straight news stories, editorials, or advertising. In addition, because of their human interest, they attempt to involve the reader emotionally.

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Why kids stick their tongues out when they concentrate_ A scientific investigation - The Washington Post

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This is intended for performance. Spoken word is a performance art that is word-based. It is an oral art that focuses on the aesthetics of word play such as intonation and voice inflection. This can be about any real topic surrounding you.

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an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, an official statement, or making an announcement.

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a written message, especially in business. This may be used to relay concerns that one has.

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a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings.

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an account of past events in someone's life or in the evolution of something