WRITE WITH US

Prompt of the Week

By Kayla Dudley & Lorraine Olaya,
Community Studio Facilitators

What stories live in your blood, even if no one ever told them to you?

As we reflect on the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it's important to connect to the people who paved the path for us to be where we are today. Join mentees Kayla Dudley and Lorraine Olaya at their Community Studio, Ancestry, Belonging & Healing: Resistance through Poetry on January 21 to explore your connections to your ancestors and lineage.

PARTNER HIGHLIGHT

Girls Write Now Partners with Storyshares for a Multicultural Journey

How Our Writing Supports Literacy For All

For Girls Write Now’s Fall 2025 Cycle, we partnered with Storyshares to create the Storytelling Across Languages and Cultures Journey. This joint venture brought together our communities in exciting and surprising ways, including the fact that Shira Engel, Storyshares' Chief Academic Officer, was a Girls Write Now mentee when she was in high school! The stories produced in this Journey represent people across different cultural backgrounds, ensuring that readers at every level see themselves in the media that they consume.

GET CERTIFIED

Learn How to Better Support Your Loved Ones

Earn the Be There Certificate by January 31

We’re honored to partner with Jack.org and Born This Way Foundation on promoting a new mental health course.
The Be There Certificate is a free, self-paced learning experience designed to increase mental health literacy and provide you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to safely support anyone who may be struggling with their mental health. Now through January 31st, Girls Write Now will raise $25 for every person who earns their Be There Certificate! Help us build a kinder community together.

CAREER CHAT

Commit to the Bit: A Comedy Career Chat

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025, 4:45-6 PM ET, Virtual

Getting an audience to laugh can make you feel on top of the world, but comedy can be one of the toughest genres to write well. In this Career Chat, you’ll have a chance to ask all of your burning questions with a panel that covers comedy from multiple angles!

Open to all mentors, mentees, members & the public. Create your free Portal account to register.

MENTOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Beyond Barriers: Supporting Undocumented & First-Gen Youth

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2025, 6-7:15 PM ET, Virtual

This Mentor Professional Development offers an overview of the legal, financial, and social barriers faced by undocumented and first-generation students and their families. The session also covers essential federal, state, and local protections for undocumented individuals, guidance on rights during encounters with immigration officers, and key resources available to support those impacted by detention. By the end of the workshop, attendees will be equipped with practical knowledge to better support undocumented and first-gen students, and to create more inclusive environments.

Open to mentors. Create your free Portal account to register.

SPECIAL EVENT

Literature to Life: The Great Gatsby

Saturday, Jan. 24, 2025, 2-4 PM ET, Virtual

Literature to Life in partnership with Girls Write Now presents The Great Gatsby. Considered to be one of the greatest American novels, this story explores the glittering promises and devastating illusions of the American Dream. The actor embodies multiple characters, conveying the lengths each will go to attain their desires. This event will feature a 60-minute solo stage adaptation, preceded by a 10-minute introduction to the show, and a discussion following the show.

Open to all mentors, mentees, members & the public. Create your free Portal account to register.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY

Words Without Borders

Momentum Grant for Early Career Translators

The grant is intended to facilitate the completion of a substantial sample of a book-length work of prose translation suitable for submission to English-language publishers, and will be awarded to an individual translator who has not yet received a book-length contract for translation work. Submissions will be judged by translator Julia Sanches and the editors of Words Without Borders. An excerpt of the winning sample translation will be published in Words Without Borders, and the recipient will receive $3,000, funded by the Malecha Family Foundation.

Deadline: Saturday, February 28, 2026

FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY

PEN America

Emerging Voices Fellowship

Through curated one-on-one mentorship and introductions to editors, agents, and publishers, in addition to workshops on editing, marketing, and creating a platform, the five-month fellowship nurtures creative community, provides a professional skill-set, and demystifies the path to publication—with the ultimate goal of diversifying the publishing and media industries. An iteration of the fellowship, the Emerging Voices Workshop, offers an intensive in person week-long workshop, offered twice annually, in Los Angeles, California.

Deadline: Saturday, January 31, 2026

FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Center for Book Arts

Book Arts Fellowship

Researchers and scholars in art history, literature, book history, library science, museum studies, conservation studies, or other relevant fields are invited to submit research proposals that draw upon CBA’s unique collections of materials related to book art. The individual(s) selected for the Fellowship will have access to CBA’s collections, receive institutional support during the research process, and earn a $1,200 stipend.

Deadline: Saturday, February 28, 2026