Megan Ngo on vanilla, pandan, and everything in between
No images? Click here
Each week, a word becomes a world.
September 28-October 4
The Taste of Words:
Featured Media
Vanilla, Pandan, and Everything in Between
By Megan Ngo
Naked without frosting, missing a slice, and tinged with a cartoonish shade of lime-green, the cake was marvelous.
Missing a Slice, Still Marvelous
No frosting. A slice gone. A shade of green no bakery would choose. Megan looked at that cake and called it marvelous—and that's the eye a writer builds in a Journey: the habit of seeing what's there, what's missing, and what everyone else walked past. Over the past two years, Girls Write Now has run 120 of them in the Collaboratory. This season alone: a horror book club, stand-up comedy for change, and a field guide to writing about the natural world. Fund the next Journey. Help the next story get written, told, and heard.
Words That Honor:
Notes from Our Community
AWARDS FUNDRAISER
Meet the Mentees Honoring Liate Stehlik & Randee St. Nicholas
Four Writers Show How a Word Becomes a World
This Thursday, October 1, Girls Write Now honors Liate Stehlik, CEO and Publisher, US Trade, HarperCollins Publishers, and Randee St. Nicholas, photographer and director. One has spent a career bringing books into the world, the other bringing faces into focus. As living proof of how transformative words can be, mentees Jayla Hall Cabrera, Kayla Dudley, Mariam Faisal, and Ilana Drake will perform original work created during their time in the Girls Write Now Collaboratory. Your gift today supports this multigenerational pipeline of talent.
The Awards kick off our annual appeal. Every dollar raised supports the writing, mentoring, and community in the Girls Write Now Collaboratory.
This week's prompt comes from Tara Isabel Lago, a Girls Write Now Community Studio Facilitator.
PROMPT OF THE WEEK
Envisioning Your Future
Take Some Time to Build Your Best You
Articulate at least one vision of your long-term future. Focus less on what you want to be and more on what you want to do once you get there. Consider these questions:
- What cause have you given yourself to, or would you like to?
- Which group of people do you most want to work with, and what's the central problem they face?
- Name 2-3 specific problems you hope to solve in your future role.
WRITING CONTEST
Writing for Life: The 2026 Chasing Spirits Contest
Opens Thursday & Awards $1,500 in Two Age Groups
Chasing Spirits honors the audacity and integrity of Maya Logan Eileraas's chosen path and the creative expressions that sustained them: intricate brushstrokes on canvas, poetic verses echoing their deepest thoughts, melodies strummed in solitude, and the midnight aromas of freshly baked confections.
Submit up to 750 words of fiction or nonfiction from Thursday, October 1, through October 29. One first-place winner in each age group, 13-15 and 16-19, receives $1,500, and the top six pieces will be published on Girls Write Now Media. Open to girls and gender-expansive and LGBTQIA+ students across the US. Want feedback before you submit? Book a Mentor on Demand session.
Write about a moment when you or a character defied an expected narrative to stay alive, claim your voice, or imagine a different future.
Happening Write Now:
Mark Your Calendar
COLLABORATORY SHOWCASE
Stand-Up Comedy with Fresh Mouth
Friday, October 2, 6-7:30 PM ET, at Girls Write Now HQ & Virtual
Join us for an evening of stand-up from the mentees of our Fresh Mouth: Confidence Through Comedy Journey. They've spent the season turning their own stories into sets—testing what makes a room laugh, and what makes it listen. This Friday, they take the mic for their stand-up debuts. Girls Write Now teaching artist Hollie Harper hosts, with sets from New York City women comedians alongside the mentees. Come ready for sharp stories and comedy that challenges the status quo—one punchline at a time. Be the room, in person at Girls Write Now HQ, 247 West 37th Street, 10th floor, or online.
Open to all mentees, mentors, members & the public.
PUBLICATION LAUNCH
Celebrate our New Book Metamorphosis
Wednesday, November 4, 6-8 PM ET, at McNally Jackson Seaport
Hear original work from the next generation of women and gender-expansive writers as our authors read their poems, short stories, essays, and more. Then pick up your own copy of Metamorphosis and browse the McNally Jackson shelves with the Girls Write Now community.
Open to all mentees, mentors, members & the public.
COLLEGE CHAT
College to Career: Real Stories & Real Paths with SMBC
Tuesday, November 17, 4:45-6 PM ET, Virtual
What is college really like, and how did it lead to the job you have now? Join Girls Write Now for a College Chat with professionals from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, who will share how they chose a school, picked a major (or changed one), and made the leap from campus to a first job in banking. Learn about the personal and professional pathways that led to their careers in financial services.
Open to all mentees, mentors, members & the public.
Get the Gig:
Curated Opportunities Just for You
Need help applying for these opportunities—and more?
Meet with a Mentor on Demand today!
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
HarperCollins Publishers 2027 Summer Internships
Ten Paid Weeks in New York or Nashville
HarperCollins' 10-week paid summer internship runs from early June to mid-August. Interns work 28 hours a week, Monday through Thursday, in New York City (HarperCollins Publishers) or Nashville (HarperCollins Christian Publishing and HarperCollins Focus), with training, mentorship, and networking built in. Open to rising college seniors, recent graduates, and master's students.
Deadline: October 1, 2026
Create a portal account to apply.
ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITY
Manhattan Theatre Club Family Matinee
Bring an Adult to a Free Saturday Show
High school students are invited to bring an adult of their choice for:
- A theatre workshop—led by an MTC Teaching Artist, with hands-on activities built around the afternoon's production
- Free tickets to an MTC production—followed by an interactive post-show discussion
Date of Event: October 24, 2026
Create a portal account to apply.
GRANT OPPORTUNITY
Neal Peirce Foundation
Up to $1,500 to Report on How Cities Work
Know a city solving a problem your own city hasn't? The Neal Peirce Foundation will pay for you to go see it. Its travel grants of up to $1,500 cover the cost of on-the-ground reporting anywhere in the US, for journalists covering under-told stories about how cities and their metro regions can work better for all their people. Open to reporters, writers, editors, and photographers who have published or aired work in the past three years. Freelancers and early-career journalists are encouraged to apply.
Deadline: October 13, 2026
Create a portal account to apply.
If you don't already have a Girls Write Now account, create one now.
