SPEAKING IN FIRST DRAFT PODCAST

Speaking on Advocacy as a Two-Way Street

Featuring Romaissaa Benzizoune &
Kenna McCafferty

For our final episode of season 3, we're joined by Girls Write Now Mentee Alum Romaissaa Benzizoune and our Community Coordinator Kenna McCaferty to dive into the world of advocacy journalism. Romaissaa, a passionate writer, editor, and aficionado of culture and opinion writing, gives an honest and personal insight into the current state of digital and print media. Things aren't like they used to be and it is felt across the industry. If you're interested in learning more about the ups and downs of pursuing journalism, finding purpose in creative essay writing, and learning to adapt to this ever changing industry, then this is the episode for you.

WRITING CONTEST

Tell Your Story in the Writing for Life Contest

Enter For the Chance to Win $1,500 and Publication

In this contest, Girls Write Now and Chasing Spirits invite you to tell your story in your unique voice. Describe an especially difficult time you have faced, or something you have struggled to navigate, as a teenager. How has writing helped you to survive and creatively transform your experience into new understandings of self, home, and well-being?

Submission deadline is August 1

WRITE WITH US

Summer Sounds:
Prompt & Playlist

By Sally Familia,
Girls Write Now Community Coordinator

Once in a while, the world softens and we remember that it can be gentle with us. Reflect on a moment of tenderness that you carry with you when life gets challenging.

You deserve a soft and kind life. Tap into that energy with this week's Summer Sounds prompt and playlist!

READ WITH US

Home Is Not a Country

By Safia Elhillo

The next pick in our Book Club: Summer Read Journey is Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo (Penguin Random House). This powerful novel-in-verse captures one girl, caught between cultures, on an unexpected journey to face the ephemeral girl she might have been. Woven through with moments of lyrical beauty, this is a tender meditation on family, belonging, and home.

Apply for our Fall Book Club Journey today.

STUDIO EVENTS

Intersectional Voices in Editorial (IV Edit) - Digital

Wednesday, July 30, 7-8 PM ET, Virtual

IV Edit Digital focuses on digital and multimedia formats at Girls Write Now, including our online home for nearly thirty years of stories: Girls Write Now Media. Are you interested in helping bring mentees' stories to life by getting their work published on our website? Whether you’re WordPress savvy or looking to learn more about online editorial systems, this group offers opportunities to dive into editorial tasks, outreach, and the publication of Girls Write Now Stories.

Open to all Mentors, Mentees, & Members

Open Mic: A Creative Showcase

5-6 PM ET, Hybrid

Check the mic! Join us for an evening of powerful storytelling. Each reader will be given three minutes to perform their work (poetry, a song, a story excerpt, etc.) in front of a live audience at the Girls Write Now office or by tuning in virtually. For in-person participants, stick around for our next event...

Open to All Mentors, Mentees, Members & the public

Charcuterie & Chat

6:15-7:30 PM ET, In-Person

Would you like to spend the evening with flourishing writers and creatives? Are you looking to learn more about the community before you join? Do you have questions on your application as a mentor or mentee? If you answered yes to any of the above, this event is for you! Join Girls Write Now for an evening of connection and intention. Speed dating-inspired, you’ll get the chance to meet the current and future writers of Girls Write Now!

Open to All Mentors, Mentees, Members & the public

CAREER CHAT

Mentorship in the Music Industry

Tuesday, August 5, 4:45-6 PM ET, Virtual

Music Journalist, Ana Yglesias, will be moderating a conversation with our panelists: Amani Lillian (singer/songwriter), Kadijat Salawudeen, Gina Martuscello, and Jade Lewin (Girls Who Listen), and Sonya Hayden (MaestraMusic), who share their unique stories, insights, and experiences from across the music world. A live Q&A session will follow the discussion, giving attendees the opportunity to engage directly with the panelists and ask questions. Don’t miss this inspiring and interactive event!

Open to All Mentors, Mentees, Members & the public

SPECIAL EVENT

VOICES! A Sacred Sisterscape

Thursday, August 7, 7-9 PM ET, Hybrid
247 W 37th Street Ste 1000 New York, NY

Girls Write Now is overjoyed to partner with V-Day to bring the VOICES audioplay to New York! VOICES is a 60-minute audioplay directed by aja monet, celebrating the voices, values, and visions of Black women in the global movement to end violence against women and girls. We invite you to gather with us, awaken our capacity to listen, and envision a world where African women—both on the continent and in the diaspora—are collaborating and loving each other across cultures, borders, and customs.

Open to All Mentors, Mentees, Members & the public

JOB OPPORTUNITY

National Queer Theater

Community Engagement Coordinator

The part-time Community Engagement Coordinator will oversee and execute the community outreach and marketing of the organization, reporting to Founding Artistic Director Adam Odsess-Rubin. They will cooperate in a small team of part-time staff, interns, and volunteers, and will be integral in growing the company in a formative period. The position starts in August 2025 beginning with a three month trial period evaluated by the Artistic Director.

WRITING CONTEST OPPORTUNITY

We Write Here

Contest for Middle & High School Writers

Middle and high school students are brilliant! They are creative, inspiring, opinionated, and always smart. Here is a place for you to share your best writing. We Write Here encourages you to send in your writing, essays, poetry etc. from class or stories you might be writing just for fun. If your work is selected you will get an award ($25 gift card) and the writing will be published here on the website. We Write Here started in Oakland, CA in 2018 and it is now open to submissions from any location worldwide. 

WRITING CONTEST OPPORTUNITY

World History Encyclopedia

Ink of Ages Fiction Prize

If you write historical or mythology-inspired short fiction, you can enter a story under 2,000 words to win some great prizes from World History Encyclopedia and Oxford University Press! This contest is free to enter and they accept submissions in English from anywhere in the world.