LINKEDIN BLOG

“Hair Is Never Just Hair. It Tells Stories That Often Go Unspoken…” 

Janeece Freeman Clark’s Life@GWN as Told by Mentee Emma Rodriguez

Life@GWN presents the stories of Girls Write Now, by Girls Write Now. In this week's edition, Emma Rodriguez—a mentee in the Art of the Profile Journey—features Janeece Freeman Clark, who performed on Broadway, then founded Vanguard Theater Company in Montclair, New Jersey, and now runs it as Founding Artistic Director. Her new musical, Hairstory, follows a young girl learning what her hair carries: history, identity, resistance, pride. Janeece hoped it would land with young people. She didn't expect the parent who told her, “I know this is for the kids, but you have no idea how much this was for me too.”

PROMPT OF THE WEEK

Finding the Want

Character-Building in Theater

A story runs on what its characters want, what they need, and what they feel when the two don't match—and on what all of that stirs up in an audience. Experimental theater goes one step further: it puts on stage whatever a society, or a moment in time, has decided not to talk about.

Write about a time you were angry. Write about a time you were scared. Write about a time you were sad. Write about a time you were happy.

Now choose two of those emotions and write a list of eight needs for your main character.

AWARDS AUCTION

Meet the Iconic Photographer of Dolly, Whitney, Britney & Prince

Personal Invite + Signed Book and Print. Bid by Thursday to Support Girls Write Now

Randee St. Nicholas is a 2026 Girls Write Now Awards Honoree, and Charitybuzz has two seats beside her up for bid. In New York, join her at the Awards on October 1, meet her, and take home a signed copy of her new book from without…and from within plus a signed print. In Los Angeles, tour her studio, have lunch with her, and leave with signed pieces of your own. Bidding closes Thursday, September 24.

CAREER CHAT

A Design Career Chat & Charrette 

Tuesday, September 22, 6-7:30 PM ET, In-Person

With Eggi Magazine, we are bringing designers, mentees, and members into the same room at our Midtown Manhattan headquarters—first for a panel with working designers, then for a charrette, a hands-on session where small groups sketch what the Girls Write Now Collaboratory could become. You will help design the room you write in.

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

COLLABORATORY WORKSHOP

College Ready: Polishing Your Personal Statement with Macmillan

Wednesday, September 23, 4-5:30 PM ET, Virtual

Bring your personal statement to be workshopped and revised with the publishing pros at Macmillan. Whether you’re applying to college, graduate school, scholarships, or simply looking to hone your narrative skills, this session is designed to help you craft a compelling and polished personal statement, telling your story in your own voice.

Open to all mentees, members & the public.

SALON SERIES

Write a 10-Minute Play in 10 Minutes with Tony Award Nominee Jocelyn Bioh

Thursday, September 24, 6-7:15 PM ET, Virtual

This fall, Jocelyn Bioh's School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play opens on Broadway with Manhattan Theatre Club—her second play there, after Jaja's African Hair Braiding, which earned five Tony nominations. At this Girls Write Now Salon, she tells you how a dancer and actor became a playwright. Then she hands you a prompt and a clock. The challenge: write a 10-minute play in 10 minutes.

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

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Hay House

Editorial Intern, Fiction

You'll sit with Hay House's editorial team while they read submissions for a fiction list that's growing fast: romantasy, contemporary and historical romance, cozy mysteries, fairytale and folklore retellings, healing fiction, and speculative novels that ask big questions. You'll watch how an editor decides a manuscript is worth fighting for, and by the end you'll be able to make that case yourself.

Deadline: October 2, 2026
Create a portal account to apply.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Kat VanCleave

Gurl Grant

If you're a female or nonbinary director with a short film in the works, and your crew is at least 51% women and nonbinary people, this grant is for you. Twice a year, Kat VanCleave gives $2,500 in cash to one filmmaker who has taken the 51% Pledge. Take the pledge, then apply.

Deadline: October 2, 2026
Create a portal account to apply.

PUBLICATION OPPORTUNITY

SAVEUR

Pitches for Food Journalism

SAVEUR wants the story behind the recipe. Pitch them the dish your grandmother never wrote down, the tradition your neighborhood keeps that no guidebook mentions, the cook who feeds a whole block from one kitchen, or the meal that says something about art, politics, fashion, or literature. They give priority to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ writers. Bring them the one only you can tell.

Deadline: October 2, 2026
Create a portal account to apply.