SPEAKING IN FIRST DRAFT PODCAST

Speaking On Children's Book Writing

With Mentors Linda Marshall, Ashna Shah & Candice Jalili

Have you ever been told, "Okay, now explain it to me like I'm five years old," and then realized that prompt is much harder than you thought it would be? This week, we're learning about children's book writing from authors and mentors Linda Marshall, Ashna Shah, and Candice Jalili. In this thoughtful and enlightening conversation, our guests go through the many steps of children's book writing from brainstorming to collaborating with illustrators. You might even learn a thing or two as they share how they creatively explain challenging topics like the AI revolution and political instability to our world's most impressionable minds. 

PARTNERSHIPS

Colleagues Looking For Ways to Connect?

Girls Write Now Provides Custom Engagement Opportunities, Community Networking & Professional Development to Women, Men, and Gender Expansive Professionals at All Levels of Experience from any Department Across Industries.

At Girls Write Now, we make the case of how crucial writing and communication are no matter your background or career path—from advertising and marketing, to HR, finance, and beyond. We're excited to tell you and your colleagues about all of the ways to get involved that fit your interests, goals—and your busy schedules.

Join a one-hour virtual workshop to catch your breath, hear from mentees about their experiences, bond with your colleagues, write and reflect with community—and discover how Girls Write Now can enrich your life. 

To schedule an event for your workplace, contact Senior Community Manager Emily Rigby at erigby@girlswritenow.org.

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

Prompt of the Week

By Olivia Abtahi,
Friday Night Salon Artist

Build a realistic character by making a list of what your character likes and dislikes. What does your character want? How are they going to get it?

Finding your narratorial voice is about honoring YOUR writing style. In this salon, Olivia Abtahi, author of Perfectly Parvin, goes over tips, tricks, stumbling blocks, writing hacks, lists, and more for narrowing down your writing voice.

LUNCH WITH LITNYS PODCAST

Adirondack Center for Writing with Natalie Thill

How Do You Create a Literary Community Across Six Million Acres?

Nathalie Costa Thill has been the Executive Director of the Adirondack Center for Writing, the literary organization serving the entire six-million-acre Adirondack Park, pretty much since its inception in 1999. In this episode, Nathalie brings us closer to the stories and writers who call the Adirondacks home. She talks about bringing literary events to a sprawling, rural region in all kinds of ways (including hosting story slams in bars), and the need for her organization to "catch up with [their] own momentum" as they expand their audience.

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH HIGHLIGHT

Girls Write Now On The Go!

Girls Write Now Booked & Busy During Women's History Month

Our mentees had opportunities to raise their voices for important causes, perform their original work, and network with inspiring women and trans professionals. Girls Write Now was featured by Born this Way Foundation, Athena Film Festival, and a Networking Event for International Women's Day brought to us through our partner, Kyndryl.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION

Coping Through Comedy

Thursday, March 27, 7-8:30 PM ET, Virtual

These are hard times and sometimes, we just need a break. In light of recent government actions that threaten our community, we are opening up a space where we can take a moment of reprieve to share our thoughts and laughs. The session will be broken up into two parts. The first half will include an open space for anyone to share or shed heavy loads we might be carrying from the world. The second section will transition us into a more lighthearted conversation/open space to share the things we're using to get through these hard moments (memes definitely count)!

Open to all mentees, mentors & members.

FRIDAY NIGHT SALON

How to Begin & Sustain Your Novel with Author & Journalist Elizabeth Harris

Friday, Mar. 28, 6-7:15 PM ET, Virtual

Join acclaimed author and New York Times reporter Elizabeth Harris for an insightful and inspiring salon! Elizabeth will share the process she used to write her debut novel, drawing on her experience as a journalist. She'll discuss how her experiences helped her juggle the demands of a full-time job and parenting two young children, all while pursuing her passion for fiction. Plus, we'll do some writing exercises to get the ball rolling on our own projects!

Open to members of the public, including all mentees, mentors & members.

CAREER CHAT

Demystifying the World of Publishing with Macmillan

Tuesday, Apr. 8, 4-5:15 PM ET, Virtual

Come discover the various roles and opportunities at Macmillan Publishers! Whether you'd like to someday have your work published or just be part of the publishing industry, this Career Chat is made for you. Meet employees from different departments and hear their professional journeys. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Macmillan and to help you chart your future career goals.

Open to all mentees, mentors, & members.

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Macmillan

Summer 2025 Internship

Macmillan Publishers is currently offering paid, full-time, remote internship opportunities for Summer 2025. Those hired locally will be given the opportunity to come into the office, if interested. Internships will be available in areas such as Editorial, Marketing, Publicity, Art & Design, Sales, Managing/Production Editorial, Production, Publishing Operations, Subrights, Creative Services, and Author Events. All interns will participate in Macmillan's sixth annual summer intern project. In teams of 6-9, interns will be asked to develop a cohesive plan and presentation in response to an assigned publishing-related topic or issue facing the business today.

Create your Portal account and click on "Opportunities" to apply!

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Penguin Random House

Assistant Editor, Manga

Penguin Random House Publisher Services is seeking an assistant editor to oversee manga titles on behalf of their client Kodansha Comics. Since it began publishing in 2009, Kodansha's English-language manga program has been a runaway success, with hits including Sailor Moon, Attack on Titan, Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, AKIRA, and A Silent Voice vaulting it into the top ranks of global English-language graphic novel publishers. The successful candidate will have a passion for comics and Japanese culture, strong Japanese literacy, good editorial judgment, English-language writing, and editing skills, and professional comportment.

Create your Portal account and click on "Opportunities" to submit!

SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITY

The Feminist Press

Spring Submissions Open

The Feminist Press's reading period opens Tuesday, March 25 and will close when they reach reading capacity. This can happen quickly, so they recommend submitting as soon as possible. For the spring open submissions, they are seeking novels and novellas only. 

Applications Open March 25
Create your Portal account and click on "Opportunities" to apply!