SULEIKA JAOUAD X GIRLS WRITE NOW

Announcing the
Alchemy Fund

Your Donation Spreads the Magic of Creativity

Girls Write Now proudly partners with bestselling author Suleika Jaouad on The Alchemy Fund to support the transformative power of writing, mentoring, and community. Suleika’s new publication, The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life is a guiding light for people tapping into their creative energy through journaling, with contributions from Jon Batiste, John Green, Elizabeth Gilbert, among 100 literary luminaries. This is a community effort—when you donate to the Alchemy Fund, you spark the magic of brilliant writers to shape culture and bridge worlds. Will you join us?

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

Prompt of the Week

By Sherry Reiter PhD, LCSW, NAPT, NADTA,
Community Studio Facilitator

R. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold, making the pottery even more valuable than before.

Can you use metaphor to write about a time when you were broken or someone close to you was broken: What held you up? Try to either extend or change the original metaphor to describe the transformation.

Mentees, join us on Thursday, April 24 for Writing to Heal, a Community Studio with poetry therapist, Sherry Reiter. This Studio was made specifically for our mentees to decompress and learn to process their emotions through writing.

SPEAKING IN FIRST DRAFT PODCAST

Speaking on Environmental Justice

Featuring Robyn Lam, Rosalie Turner & Jordan Gass-Pooré

In part two of our three-part series on writing as activism, we're discussing environmental justice. In the last year, many of our GWN community members were impacted by climate disasters from hurricanes to fires to droughts, and more. So, in the face of this new reality, we're trying something new for this episode. Instead of an interview, you'll listen to pieces from community members Robyn Lam, Rosalie Turner, and Jordan Gass-Pooré creatively discussing the crisis that impacts us all.

LIFE@GWN

“Hope, to me, is the audacity that we can do more than just survive…”

Carmin Wong on Her Journey with Girls Write Now

Carmin’s journey with Girls Write Now spans over a decade—first as a mentee, then as a mentor, and now as an instructor. Her continued presence reflects the very heart of the Girls Write Now mission: to help young writers build a future through the transformative power of the arts. In the classroom, Carmin leads with curiosity and care, constantly asking the critical questions about how we define poetry. She fosters a nurturing, inclusive environment where exploration, collaboration, and creativity thrive.

GET READY FOR MOTHER'S DAY

Celebrate Mom with a Gift That Keeps on Giving

Mother's Day is May 11. We have the perfect gift!

This Mother’s Day, treat Mom, or someone who has nurtured you like a mother, by making a gift in her honor to the next generation of women and gender expansive writers, leaders, and storytellers. When you donate, you'll also receive a customized card with art from our community's stories about mothers. Don't wait until the last minute to get a gift that shows how much mom means to you.

COMMITTEE STUDIO

IV DEIB Committee Studio – Code Switching

Thursday, Apr. 24, 7-8 PM ET, Virtual

The Intersectional Voices in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (IV DEIB) Committee invites all Girls Write Now community members to a conversation about code switching. What is code switching? Do you do it? If so, how often? In this IV DEIB session, we’ll demystify code switching, and examine how it impacts all of us personally and professionally.

Open to mentees, mentors, members and the public.

COLLABORATORY WORKSHOP

Healotry: “What You Didn’t Say” – A Virtual Poetry Writing Workshop on Healing

Saturday, Apr. 27, 2-4 PM ET, Virtual

Created by Lead Community Change mentee Kayla Dudley, the Healotry initiative: Healing Through Poetry is a project designed to bring creative expression to underserved communities, providing a space for reflection, release, and resilience through words. As part of this initiative, What You Didn’t Say is a virtual poetry writing workshop that explores the power of poetry as a tool for healing. Come as you are, and let your voice be heard. Healing begins with what you say—and what you didn’t.

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

CAREER CHAT

Career Chat: Close Up On Screenwriting & The Film Industry

Monday, Apr. 29, 4:45-6 PM ET, Virtual

This Chat will explore the essential attributes and pathways to positions within the film industry. Here is your chance to ask all of your burning questions with a panel that covers everything from film criticism to screenwriting to funding! Come and chat with Stephanie Zacharek, a film critic at TIME Magazine; Terry Lawler, the former ED of NYWIFT; Priscila Garcia-Jacquier, screenwriter; and more!

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

COLLEGE CHAT

College Chat: Maximize Your Community College Experience

Thursday, May 1, 7-8 PM ET, Virtual

We’re excited to invite you to our final College Chat of the spring season, where we’ll explore how to make the most of the community college experience! Community colleges offer a high-quality education at a lower cost than traditional four-year institutions—and they’re designed to support a wide range of student needs, including those balancing school with work or other responsibilities.

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

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Book of the Month

Editorial Assistant Rotational Program

The Editorial Rotational Program mission is to accelerate the professional growth and development of Early Career Editorial professionals through exposure to a multitude of assignments, apprenticeship style learning, and accelerated responsibility. As a full time Editorial Assistant, this program will offer employees the opportunity to explore areas such as: Analytics & Reporting, Industry Relations, Operations, Licensing & Contracts, Cross-Functional Business Initiatives, and Book Selections. After approximately two years, team members will be placed in a more specialized role based on performance, strengths, and interests demonstrated over the previous years. 

FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY

National Audubon Magazine

Audubon Magazine Editorial Fellow

Audubon Magazine is offering an exciting opportunity to join their editorial team as an Editorial Fellow, working on both digital stories for Audubon.org and their quarterly print magazine. As the flagship publication of the National Audubon Society, their reporting both celebrates their fascination with birds and probes pressing planetary issues, including biodiversity loss, habitat conservation, climate change, and more. The fellowship is approximately 35 hours per week, fully remote, and spans a period of up to six months, from July to December. 

WRITING CONTEST OPPORTUNITY

Narratively

The Narratively x Belletrist True Romance Writing Prize

Actor Emma Roberts, acclaimed producer Karah Preiss, and their production company/book club, Belletrist is partnering with Narratively for the Belletrist True Romance Writing Prize which will award remarkable memoir and reported stories— from first dates you’ll never forget to the breakup that rocked your world, love quadrangles to lost-and-found soulmates, unthinkable sacrifices to romantic connections that defy all odds. They're even teaming up with Emma and the Belletrist crew to develop their favorite stories for the screen!

Submissions due: May 1, 2025