WRITING OUR WAY TO WELLNESS PODCAST

Artivism: A Conversation

Featuring Sharjah M'Bodji and Katherine Vargas

In this powerful Part 1 of a two-part series, spoken word poet, photographer, activist, and Girls Write Now mentee Sharjah M. Bodji sits down with artivist, community organizer, spoken word poet, and author of Hues of Magic, Katherine Vargas, for a compelling conversation on the intersection of art, activism, and identity. 

GIRLS WRITE NOW MEDIA

2025 Anthology Title: Hope Lives in Our Words

Announcing The Latest Installment in Our Anthology Series

Each year, Girls Write Now publishes an anthology showcasing the work of today's next-generation voices. These books, published by Penguin Random House's Dutton, showcase stories that stretch our understanding of the world. Led by our Print Editorial Committee, Intersectional Voices in Print, we developed the title of our 2025 collection: Hope Lives in Our Words. Both a motto and a call to action, it reflects the unstoppable power of our voices to confront the immense challenges that lie ahead.

For current mentees, submit your piece for the 2025 anthology in the Portal by January 31.

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

Prompt of the Week

By Katherine Vargas,
Writing Our Way to Wellness Guest

Your ancestors' wildest dreams have always been the freedom of happiness. How will you choose to honor that today? Tomorrow? Always?

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we are reflecting on the path to liberation for ourselves, our communities, and our future lineages. Use this prompt from the most recent episode of Writing Our Way to Wellness to honor your ancestors' dreams.

LIFE@GWN

National Mentoring Month: Gati and Judith

Talking to Our "Mentors-in-Chief"

As Chair and Vice Chair of our Board, these remarkable women guide, coach, inspire, encourage, and lift our team, and more broadly, our community. In celebration of National Mentoring Month, we invited Mentors-in-Chief, HarperOne Group President and Publisher Judith Curr, and Elite Media President Gati Curtis, to share their stories. We are immensely grateful for the talent, compassion, and access they bring to the work they do.

COMMITTEE STUDIO

Digital Editorial Committee Working Session

Wednesday, Jan. 22, 6-7 PM ET, Virtual

Join us for an interactive, live editing session of mentee writing! Special guests from the Nonfiction Journey will share excerpts from their memoirs in progress and receive feedback from members of our Committee on Intersectional Voices in Digital Editorial.

Open to all mentors, mentees, and members.

COMMITTEE STUDIO

Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging: Aligning Communications to Our Values

Thursday, Jan. 23, 7-8:15 PM ET, Virtual

Please join us for the next Committee Meeting of Intersectional Voices in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (IV DEIB) where we'll be applying Girls Write Now's values—Trust, Evolution, Community, Creativity, and Expression—to the development of guidelines for our community's online communications.

Open to all mentors, mentees, and members. Open to both current & prospective IVDEIB committee members.

MENTOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Trans Inclusivity: Best Practices for Supporting Transgender Youth

Friday, Jan. 24, 6-7:15 PM ET, Virtual

Join us for this engaging mentor professional development session dedicated to fostering empathy, promoting inclusivity, and equipping participants with practical skills to support transgender youth. Don't miss the chance to learn, connect, and contribute to a more inclusive future.

Open to all mentors, peer mentees, & staff

COLLABORATORY WORKSHOP

Plays to Comic Books & Comic Books to Plays! Let's Get Episodic

Saturday, Jan. 25, 2-4 PM ET, Hybrid
Girls Write Now Headquarters
247 W 37th Street, 10th Floor

Many playwrights use their skills in dramatic storytelling, breaking story, world-building, and strong dialogue to foster new work not just in theater but in television, graphic novels, and musicals. We’ll explore these skills in several fun short writing exercises, diving deep into a medium that is new to you.

Required for Playwriting Journey participants.
Open to mentors, mentees and members. If you don't yet have an account, it's easy to set one up and become a Girls Write Now Member.

SPECIAL EVENT

STARS Youth Summit

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 10 AM-4 PM ET, In-Person
The Riverside Church
490 Riverside Dr
New York, NY 10027

This year's STARS Summit "Self-Care to Community-Care: WE Got US!" will highlight the transformative power of community-care, building on the success of our #SelfCareSaturday initiative, and inspiring attendees to uplift one another to drive change in their communities.

Open to all mentees and youth in NYC

JOB OPPORTUNITY

The Cutting Room Floor

Video Editor, Podcast

The Cutting Room Floor is looking for a Senior Video Editor & Multi-Camera Operator who's ready to take the reins of our production and help transform The Cutting Room Floor Podcast into a polished show that stands out. In this role, you'll wear multiple hats—editing, shooting, and leading the video production process with a focus on creating high-quality, polished content.

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Art New York

Theatre Bookings Manager

A.R.T./New York provides vital services to New York City's nonprofit theatre community through funding, training, and affordable space. The ideal candidate for this role will be mission-driven and assist with a variety of tasks having to do with rental coordination and theatre operations.

Applications Close February 7

GRANT OPPORTUNITY

Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, INC

$500 - $2000 Individual Artist Grants

Grants from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, INC support projects that are well underway and for which you have substantial work to show, including translation projects. They accept applicants from feminist writers and visual artists who are women (cis, transgender, or nonbinary) and use feminism as their central interpretive lens.

Due Date: January 31, 2025