Coupling Royster's (2000) conceptual framework of "zamani" with Rosenblatt's (1978) reader response theory, the researcher explores the ways African American women's writings supported, nurtured, and "mentored" the writings of adolescent girls. Findings show that the mentor texts helped in generating ideas for writing, thinking about identities, understanding the structure and style of genres, and invoking reader response through critical language. Understanding the purpose of literary mentors is useful for English educators in appreciating the varied utility of texts and their use in advancing the writings and identities of youth.