Write On, Girl! June 2009 Newsflash

News for the Girls Write Now Community

Have you been keeping up with the GWN blog? GWN mentee/mentor pair Tashi and Nancy's review of mentee alum Samantha Carlin's play "Three Spoons" and GWN mentee Suyapa's review of the Journalism Workshop are just some of what you've been missing. Check it out!

GIRLS WRITE NEXT

Mentees, start gearing up for the Spring Reading! The Annual Spring Reading will take place at The New School University, Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street, between 5th Ave and 6th Ave. Mentees must arrive at the venue no later then 2:30PM. Start practicing your piece and read it out loud to make sure it doesn't go over 2 mintues! Check out these great reading tips to help you prepare!

WE WANT YOU BACK!

The season's winding down, but we're already getting ready for next year! Returning applications for mentees and mentors are due by June 15. Mentees, find a returning application here, and mentors, find yours here. Mentors interested in leadership positions, please e-mail us.

HELP GIRLS WRITE FOREVER -

DONATE BY JUNE 30

Stephanie Nolasco's Story: Girls Write Now Mentee 2001-2004 (picured above)

Read one mentee alum's story and help keep our girls writing for generations to come.  

I was 16 years old when my Girls Write Now mentor Sarah accompanied me to my first college interview. My mother was on public assistance and couldn't afford to take the trip...I was happy to have Sarah by my side for one of the most important days of my life.

I'm now 23. At a time when half the city's high school students fail to graduate on time, and while other emerging journalists struggle for jobs, I received a first-class college education and found work as an editor less than a year after graduation. I couldn't have achieved this without Girls Write Now. Donors like you have made possible my success as a student, writer, and professional. That's why I'll be making my very first donation this spring, and I hope you'll join me.
 

WE'RE COMING UP TALLER!

WOW! Girls Write Now has been chosen for recognition as a 2009 Coming Up Taller Semifinalist by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and its partner agencies, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Girls Write Now was one of 50 semifinalists selected out of more than 420 nominations from 46 states, and as such is distinguished as one of the top arts- and humanities-based programs in the country serving youth beyond the school hours. Thank you for helping us get here!

GWN GRANTS UPDATE

With gratitude, GWN is pleased to acknowledge a grant from the Soroptimist International Foundation of Staten Island. Thanks to their generous donations—and yours!—we can keep our girls writing.

OMEGA GRANT FOR STAFF RETREAT

GWN staff recently attended a R&R/strategic planning retreat in upstate New York, courtesy of Omega Institute as part of their Service Week: Serving those who serve others. Thanks, Omega!

We're celebrating the culmination of another incredible season on Sunday, June 14, from 4-6PM, at The New School's Tishman Auditorium (66 West 12th Street, Manhattan) with our Annual Spring Reading!

Showcasing original solo works by NYC's best teen writers, keynote speaker Amy Robach (NBC National Correspondent) and featured reader National Book Award Nominee Jean Thompson (Do Not Deny Me, Simon & Schuster, June 9), this event is cosponsored by The New School's Department of Media Studies and Film. And it's free and open to the public, so be sure to invite your friends!

WANT TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY?

Know any aspiring teen authors or women professional writers eager to join a writing community?

Applications for the Sept 2009-June 2010 season for students and mentors are due June 15. Read on for teens and for women.

GIRLS COLLEGE BOUND:

COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING

SUMMER WORKSHOP SERIES

This summer, GWN will offer a college essay writing workshop series, open to all NYC high school girls. Save the dates: July 15, 22, & 29, from 4-7PM, at Girls Write Now headquarters, 520 8th Ave, 20th Floor.

This series is a fantastic opportunity to craft a great college essay and get one-to-one feedback over the course of three sessions. Are you or your friends interested? E-mail us to reserve a spot!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

"Last week, a  number of LaGuardia juniors found out that their math tracks are being abruptly ended...When I expressed my concern, the assistant principal of math told me, “Write to the Chancellor and Mayor and ask them to stop taking our money away in the middle of the year.” I told her I already had, and that was the end of the conversation. But this conversation is far from over..." Education activist and GWN mentee alum Toni Bruno is blogging for Inside Schools—check it out!

WRITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS

Check out our Scholarships & Contests page for a regularly updated list of writing opportunities just for teens, such as college scholarships for high school seniors from the Rashawn Brazell Memorial Fund, editorial opportunities from Sex, Etc., and so much more!

WRITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN

WRITING AROUND TOWN

Our Writing Events page spotlights current literary events around the city, including Nannyland, a play written by mentor Radha Blank, the National Council for Research On Women's 2009 Annual Conference at CUNY Grad Center, and more!