WHAT WE'RE READING

The Book of Alchemy

By Suleika Jaouad, Girls Write Now Champion

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 publiction 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, and Elizabeth Gilbert. In honor of the one hundred artists, writers, and thinkers who contributed, Suleika has set up the Alchemy Fund as a tribute and lifeline to the next generation of creative minds at Girls Write Now.

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

Prompt of the Week

By Jesse Jagtiani,
Girls Write Now Senior Community Manager

How have you stretched your comfort zone in the past month (even slightly)? What did you learn from this experience? What’s one new comfort zone challenge you’d like to conquer?

Jesse Jagtiani spearheads the Lead Incubator and Lead Community Change Journeys at Girls Write Now. Use this prompt to tap into one of the most essential skills of a leader: openness to growth.

CATCHING UP WITH COMMUNITY

Celeste Alyssa Gomez Launches Zine

CHISMOSA Celebrates Latine Experiences

Girls Write Now Mentor Celeste Alyssa Gomez has launched CHISMOSA alongside fellow LA-based Latina poet Sofía Aguilar. According to the creators, “CHISMOSA is a zine dedicated to reclaiming a word that has the power to hurt and tease, inspire and uplift.” The zine is currently accepting poetry, journal entries, photographs, collages, digital art, paintings, and more on the theme of CHISMOSA, including secrets, stories, and gossip. Submissions can be in English or Spanish, and all work should be sent in by May 31, 2025 at 11:59pm PST to be considered for inclusion in the zine. 

COMMITTEE STUDIO

Inaugural IV Teach Committee Meeting

Tuesday, May 27, 7-8 PM ET, Virtual

Join us for our very first IV Teach Committee event! We are inviting mentors, mentees, educators, educational professionals, and anyone with a passion for education to collaborate on enhancing teaching and mentorship at Girls Write Now. This event will serve as an introduction to the Committee’s purpose and will provide an opportunity to share ideas, determine new roles and tasks for the Committee, and get to know each other. We look forward to collaborating with you on building a dynamic and supportive teaching and learning community!

Open to mentees, mentors, members and the public.

SPECIAL EVENT

Let Me Finish!
Girls Write Now
Voices of Comedy

Sunday, June 8, 3-4:30 PM ET, Virtual

We're excited to announce Girls Write Now’s very first stand-up comedy showcase! Come enjoy an event filled with big laughs, bold stories, and plenty of heart, as mentees from the Power of Punchlines Journey take the mic for their stand-up comedy debut. After the show, stick around to mingle and celebrate! Hosted by GWN teaching artist and Stand Up! Girls board member Hollie Harper, the evening will also feature performances by NYC-based female stand-up comedians. 

Open to mentees, mentors, members and the public.

SALON SERIES

Writing the Places That Save Us with Arriel Vinson

Friday, June 20, 6-7:15 PM ET, Hybrid
Girls Write Now Headquarters
247 W 37th St #1000, New York, NY

Join us in-person or virtually for this Friday Night Salon! Sometimes, the places we love are the spaces that allow us to create community. Sometimes, the places we love are the spaces that keep us alive. Join Reese’s Book Club LitUp Fellow Arriel Vinson as she discusses her debut YA novel, Under the Neon Lights, and explores what it means to write the places that save us. Plus, get started on your own writing projects with dedicated prompts and creative time!

Open to mentees, mentors, members and the public.

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

New York Public Library

Part-time Curatorial Intern

In 2028, the Library will mount an exhibition, tentatively titled the Modern Bestiary. The bestiary—a collection of descriptions or representations of real or imaginary animals—may be an invention of the Middle Ages, but the genre still has currency today. In the middle ages, the bestiary brought creatures both real and fantastic to life before the reader’s eyes, offering devotional inspiration as well as entertainment. The intern will be involved in the early stages of entering works into the checklist database and with other projects related to the exhibition.

PUBLICATION OPPORTUNITY

CHISMOSA Poetry Journal

Open Submissions

Many of us have been dealt different Spanish-language names throughout our lives, many of them sweet and heartfelt, others derogatory and hurtful. Co-edited by LA-based Latina poets Sofía Aguilar and Celeste Alyssa Gomez, CHISMOSA is a zine dedicated to reclaiming a word that has the power to hurt and tease, inspire and uplift. In the spirit of celebration and reclamation, tell us your secrets, stories, and gossip. Write down what you observe in your home or neighborhood, what is whispered at the table amongst family, friends, and community. What do you see that no one else cares about or notices? What don't you want anyone else to know? What is worth remembering about your life? Dig into the vast beauty of your experiences and escapades. Let us look around, let us in. 

ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Moth

Story Lab

Summer Moth Story lab is a free, out-of-school storytelling workshop series that has both in-person and virtual options. High school students from all over the country meet to practice and perform Moth stories weekly for 1 week. The program ends with a performance that may be open to friends, and family. This summer, Story Lab will run two different sessions. One from July 14th to July 18th and from July 28th to August 1st there will be four schedules to choose from and they will ALL run from 1pm ET to 3pm ET.