Plus, a magical evening of letter writing with Kyndryl
DECEMBER 23-29
25 YEARS OF TRANSFORMATIVE STORIES. 52 WEEKS A YEAR.
Batteries Not Included &
To Those Who Can't Go Home for Christmas
By Krisna Kumar
Batteries not included
Means calling your dad for help for the first time in years
Means asking him how he's doing
Means hearing about what you've missed and finding another
Reason to go home again.
This Giving Season...
Your donation is a gift to every young writer looking for a place to call home. At Girls Write Now, we create that place for writing of all kinds—and for people with all views—to be heard and valued. Our door is open, and there's still time to contribute to the conversation this year.
Community
Spotlight
COMMUNITY RECOMMENDATIONS
The Best Books We Read in 2024
Find Your Next Favorite Read Here
We asked our mentors, mentees, and staff to tell us the best books they read in 2024. From a punk rocker's quinceañera to explorations of whale sounds, our list reflects the rich diversity of our community in all ways. At Girls Write Now, we're nurturing the next generation of bestselling authors. Join us in supporting their visionary work by giving a gift of any amount this holiday season.
LIFE@GWN BLOG
"Take the good with the bad, and always show gratitude."
Featuring Azia Armstead, Community Coordiantor
We're revisiting some of our most popular Life@GWN blog posts from the year, including this one featuring the powerful poet Azia Armstead! Azia's advice feels like the perfect New Year's Resolution, and we hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as we have at Girls Write Now.
FROM OUR COMMUNITY
Prompt of the Week
by Asma Al-Masyabi and Nyilah Thomas
Focus on a social or political issue that ignites your fury. How do you channel this anger into action or expression?
Each month, peer mentees Asma Al-Masyabi and Nyilah Thomas lead participants through prompts that unleash a storm of creativity in their Community Studio, "Spoken Word, Voices Unleashed." Find out more about studios and register for one in the Girls Write Now Portal. Create your free account to join.
EVENT RECAP
Writing Letters to the Future with Kyndryl
A Networking and Writing Event for the Community
This month Girls Write Now hosted an inspiring day of connection and creativity with Kyndryl, the world's largest provider of IT infrastructure services. Bringing together mentees, Kyndryl employees, and Girls Write Now community representatives, the event demonstrated the power of mentorship and collaboration in preparing the next generation for a future defined by innovation and inclusion. Girls Write Now is proud to partner with Kyndryl to empower young leaders through wisdom-sharing and community.
Happening
Write Now
COLLABORATORY WORKSHOP
Refining Your Short Story: A Feedback & Revision Workshop with Penguin Random House
Thursday, Jan. 9, 4:45-6 PM ET, Virtual
We're excited to be joined by a team of editors from Penguin Random House who will help you revise one of your original short stories. Their expertise will help you elevate your story and give you valuable insights to grow as a writer.
Required for Fiction Journey Mentors and Mentees. Open to Penguin Random House employees.
COMMUNITY STUDIO
Audio/Podcasting Career Chat
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 4:45-6 PM ET, Virtual
This Chat will explore the essential attributes and pathways to positions within the audio and podcasting industries. Here is your chance to ask all of your burning questions with a panel that covers everything from podcast production to audiobooks!
Open to all mentees, all mentors, and members. If you don't yet have an account, it's easy to set one up and become a Girls Write Now Member.
COMMITTEE MEETING
Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging: Aligning Communications to Our Values
Thursday, Jan. 23, 7-8:15 PM ET, Virtual
The IV DEIB Committee, Intersectional Voices in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging held its inaugural meeting November 14th to discuss Girls Write Now's Gender Identity Statement. At our January meeting, we look forward to your insights as we develop Community Guidelines for Slack, our primary peer-to-peer communications platform. This meeting is an ideal opportunity to review and test out Girls Write Now's newly refreshed Values as a framework for decision-making and accountability, ensuring that our communications and values are in sync. The IV DEIB Committee plays a crucial role as recommendations from every meeting are shared with Girls Write Now leadership.
Open to all mentees, mentors, and silver members (alum). Both current & prospective IVDEIB committee members welcome.
Read on for even more incredible opportunities—
and thank you for your support!
Get The Gig!
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Adirondack Center for Writing
Program Manager
Adirondack Center for Writing (ACW)'s Program Manager will work in collaboration with the Executive Director and the Communications Manager to present quality and meaningful programs to help fulfill ACW's mission to inspire a love of writing, reading, and storytelling.
ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITY
Project Glimmer
Empowerment Academy
At the completion of this program, high school students who identify as girls or non-binary will receive a $500 stipend (contingent with attendance, participation, and intersession assignments) and walk away with a set of tangible tools to achieve their goals.
Due Date: January 2, 2025
SCHOLARSHIP
New York Islanders
The Islanders Children's Foundation Scholarship
The Islanders Children's Foundation has dedicated its efforts to being an integral part of the community. One of the goals of the Foundation is to assist and raise awareness and support for various causes. The Islanders Children's Foundation has created a scholarship for graduating high school seniors who have made a profound
impact on his/her/their community. This scholarship rewards students who demonstrate hard work, perseverance, leadership and community involvement. This scholarship awards five individuals in the amount of $5K each.
Due Date: February 1, 2025
