WRITING OUR WAY TO WELLNESS

9. Taboos: Wellness in the Black Community 

A Conversation with Ashley Sowers & Dr. Ijeoma Unachukwu 

Wellness should be a right for everyone, so why do so many Black women face barriers to obtaining health care? Special Projects Coordinator Kathryn Destin moderates a conversation between Girls Write Now mentor Ashley Sowers and friend Dr. Ijoema Unachukwu about the taboo of practicing mental wellness in the Black community and the inequities the healthcare system enforces in its practices.

BOOK RELEASE

Celebrating The 'Muse' Cicely Tyson in B. Michael's New Book

Available on January 23 from HarperCollins

When Cicely Tyson spoke at the 2019 Girls Write Now Awards, she quipped that at the age of 94, she was a "girl writing now." Years later, fashion designer B. Michael honored his iconic muse at the 2023 Girls Write Now Awards with a stirring speech about the creativity that she inspired. In Muse: Cicely Tyson and Me: A Relationship Forged in Fashion, he delivers a "poignant and glorious photographic memoir" about their lifelong friendship and their shared desire to break boundaries.

Prompt of the Week

From Annaya Baynes, Girls Write Now Fellow

Describe a fictional setting that you'd like to live in. What is your daily life like there?

After being a mentee with Girls Write Now, Annaya Baynes (she/they) is excited to join the Girls Write Now team as a full-time Fellow. They recently graduated from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French. Annaya has interned at various publishing houses, including Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and The Feminist Press. They have a deep love for literature and film. Fun fact: Annaya is a huge Studio Ghibli fan!

MEDIA MENTION

Mentee Chelsea Zhu Interviews Student Journalists for Los Angeles Times: High School Insider

Young Writers' Thoughts on the Growing Challenges Within the industry.

"It's up to the students to take their microphones and speak about it, and I think writing is the way we do that... Words that are well informed and spoken with kindness can truly change the word." - Emmie Wolf-Dublin, Mentee Alum

COMMITTEE STUDIO

IVEdit: Processing Through Writing

Monday, Jan. 29, 6 - 7 PM ET, Virtual

Writing can be a tool to help us process the events of our lives and the feelings that we have. How can we shift from thinking about writing as a product made for external goals to writing for ourselves? Join us for a session of care and discussion on the impulse to process through creation.

Open to all mentors, mentees, program alum, IVEdit committee members, and the public
Counts towards the monthly studio requirement for mentors and mentees

SPECIAL EVENT

PitchFest Extravaganza: Take Your Best Shot with a Book Agent

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 4:30 - 6 PM ET, Virtual

Don't miss this opportunity to hear from the pros! Pitch your manuscript, and exchange expert feedback with some of the top literary agents in publishing. Participating literary agencies include HG Literary,  Jane Rotrosen, Lowenstein Associates, Sterling Lord Literistic, Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, Inc., Thompson Literary, Triangle Agency, Writers House, and more!

Event Prerequisites: Participants should complete the Query Letter Section Asynchronous lesson, accessible through the portal, and have a drafted query letter.

Open to all mentors and mentee alum; required for Fiction 360 participants aged 19+ and Nonfiction 360 participants.

FRIDAY NIGHT SALON

Zibby Owens & Arianna Huffington at the Girls Write Now Salon

Friday, Mar. 1, 6 - 8 PM ET
Girls Write Now Headquarters, NYC

Come celebrate the launch of the anticipated book Blank: A Novel, by award-winning author Zibby Owens, founder of Zibby Media. Zibby will be in conversation with Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global, founder of The Huffington Post, and the author of 15 books.

Open to the Public. Seating is Limited.

PARTNER JOB OPPORTUNITY

BBDO

Account Executive

Simply put, our goal is to create and deliver the most compelling content for our clients. The Account Executive is the key day to day project contact with lower to mid-level clients and agency partners. They will be expected to manage client expectations and timelines, and communicate changes and directions to internal teams.

For Partner Job & Internship Opportunities, fill out the Employment Interest Form after submitting the application so Girls Write Now can support you during the application process!

Check out more opportunities here.

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

DotDash Meredith

Content Operations Intern (Native Content)

The Dotdash Meredith Summer Internship Program is a full time 10 week program, based out of our New York office. The intern program consists of hands-on learning opportunities to create impactful work, along with workshops in preparing you for post-college life (e.g. resume writing and interviewing) plus, some fun events throughout the summer!

For Partner Job & Internship Opportunities, fill out the Employment Interest Form after submitting the application so Girls Write Now can support you during the application process!

Check out more opportunities here.

SCHOLARSHIP

The Vegetarian Resource Group

Essay Contest for High School Seniors

The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $30,000 in college scholarship money to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian diet/lifestyle.

Application Due Date: February 20, 2024.

Check out more scholarship opportunities here.