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January 2010 Newsflash
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Mentoring The Next Generation of Women Writers Since 1998 |
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NEWSFLASH January 2010
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Happy New Year! From portfolio reviews to our reading showcase, we're already busy setting—and reaching—goals for the new year. Energized by the incredible success of 2009, Girls Write Now eagerly meets the dawn of a new decade. Read on for all the details. Do you have news to share? E-mail us! |
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| Member News | |
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ANNOUNCING THE CHAPTERS READING SERIES!
 Girls Write Now is thrilled to announce CHAPTERS, our spring reading series, showcasing the work of New York City's best teen writers and the professional women who mentor them, and featuring a dynamic, diverse line-up of special guest authors. Curated by Maud Newton, CHAPTERS readings will be held at the Center for Fiction, from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. Please save the dates:
Friday, February 26: Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Wench
Friday, March 26: Nami Mun, author of Miles from Nowhere Friday, April 23: Lizzie Skurnick, author of Shelf Discovery Friday, May 21: Ru Freeman, author of A Disobedient Girl Friday, June 18, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of The Thing Around Your Neck |
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SHORT STORIES, BIG IDEAS
With some inspiration from Alice Walker and insight from our incomparable special guests, Girls Write Now's December 12 Fiction Workshop focused on the craft of the short story. Many thanks to our workshop leaders Neesha, Emma, Stacy, Erica, Ibi, and Kim; special guest authors Hannah Tinti and Ramola D; and Delta Fiction, One Story magazine, Teen Ink Magazine, and Verizon Pioneers for books and issues. Check out Hannah's account of her time with GWN here, and Ramola's here.
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KICKING OFF THE NEW YEAR WITH MENTOR TRAINING PART II
Mentor Training Part II, held at the midway point of each program year, is a chance for mentors to receive support and guidance from experts in teaching writing and counseling adolescents. Thank you to our stellar program staff, program advisory committee chairs, to special guests Balin Anderson, MSW, and Caryn Rothauser, LMSW--and to our community of mentors who shared a wealth of experience with their peers.
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READING PIECES DUE JANUARY 15, 2010 All pieces for the Chapters Reading Series are due Friday, January 15 at 5pm; email reading@girlswritenow.org with the following information: 1) mentee and mentor names, 2) title of the piece, 3) 50 word max introduction to the piece, and 4) any reading dates you and your mentee/mentor can NOT attend. Visit our website to review the submission guidelines, and visit Girls Write Now on YouTube to view full pair and solo mentee readings! If you have any questions about submitting your piece or about the reading series, please email Meghan or call 212.336.9330. |
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PORTFOLIO CHECK-IN DAY: IT'S ALMOST TIME!
 Mentees, now is a good time to make sure your portfolio is up to date! Portfolio Check-In Day is a chance for us to discuss your writing and your writing partnership--your progress so far and your goals for the second half of the year. Each pair will have a one-hour appointment on either Sat., Jan 30 or Sat., Feb. 6. Appointments have been announced, so please visit our website and download a schedule to find out your day and time. On our website you'll also find the list of portfolio pieces that should be filed in your portfolio before your appointment. Mid-year Portfolio Check-in is required for all mentee/mentor pairs. Let MeghanJess know if you have any questions or conflicts. or |
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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY!
GWN seniors, here's an incredible opportunity from the New York Women in Communications Foundation 2010 Scholarship Program! Through The Women@NBCU Scholarship from NBC Universal, one girl will receive a scholarship of $10,000 toward her education, as well as the opportunity to visit NBC Universal headquarters and spend a day learning various aspects of the broadcasting and digital media business. The deadline is January 29 so don't wait, apply now--and make sure to write "Girls Write Now" next to your school name on your application. Find more information about a wealth of scholarship opportunities from New York Women in Communications here. |
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PAIR SPOTLIGHT
 When second-year mentee Anna and first-year mentor Nancy get together on Sunday mornings, either at a library near Anna's house or a coffee shop near Nancy's, they spend the first 10 minutes of their sessions chatting. Then they get down to business: working on assignments, experimenting with free writing, and discussing the GWN workshops. One such conversation led to a blog entry, which describes how the November Poetry Workshop inspired them to lose their inhibition and try a totally new form: Spoken Word. Their plans for the coming few months? Says Nancy: "I'm just looking forward to getting to know Anna better." |
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| DEVELOPMENT NEWS | |
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HOLIDAY APPEAL RAISES $65,000!
Wow! Since the official kickoff of our Holiday Appeal on November 5, Girls Write Now has raised $65,000, which will help enable us sustain our high quality programming and meet the growing need for our services. We know that we would not be in this position without the tireless advocacy of our board, mentors, volunteers, and the unyielding support of our entire community. We thank each of you for your incredible generosity. Please find a list of our individual donors here. What a fitting way to move out of a year of unprecedented growth and success and into an even more inspiring 2010. |
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GRANTS UPDATE With gratitude, GWN is pleased to acknowledge The Bay & Paul Foundations, Give It Up for the ARTS, Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Gannett Foundation, and Pinkerton Foundation, whose recent generous grants will help support our writing and mentoring program this year. |
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| COMMUNITY NEWS | |
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THANK YOU MAGGIE
 This month we thank veteran mentor & PAC leader, Maggie Pouncey, for her substantial contributions to Girls Write Now as a teacher and writer. During the past four years Maggie has, with sensitivity and wisdom, generously worked to strengthen the quality of our program and curriculum. In 2010 Maggie transitions to the brand new roles of mother and published fiction author. Her first novel, Perfect Reader, is due out from Random House this June. |
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INNOVATIVE NEW SERVICES ON SHE WRITES On January 21, She Writes will launch She Writes Services--a consortium of top-notch consultants assembled with a singular mission: to provide members with the best possible support for every aspect of their writing life: writing coaching, book proposal advisement, agent advisement, manuscript editing, marketing, author photos, financial advice, public speaking coaching, and website design. If you're a Girls Write Now mentor, published writer, or someone who aspires to be both, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Read on |
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Mentor alum Nana Brew-Hammond (pictured here, with her 2007 mentee, Lauren, currently on the Dean's List at Hampshire College) announces the release of "Powder Necklace", published by Simon and Schuster, this April. Pre-order it here. Set in London, rural Ghana, and Long Island, NY, "Powder Necklace" is, says Nana, a "story I desperately needed to read when I was the protagonist's age (and sent to Ghana by my parents at age 12). It's about struggling to define 'home' when you're still struggling to define yourself. It's also a story that encourages readers--young and old--to be confident that all the senseless events that dot together to make up life aren't as random as they feel when we're in the thick of them." |
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WRITING AROUND TOWN Want to see your writing in the Brooklyn Art Library? Anxious to escape the city for a literary retreat? Then checkout our our Writing Events page! Here you'll find info on Woodhull Institute's Retreat, readings by mentor alum Tara Betts, Brooklyn Art Library's Literary Project, and more! |
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEEN WRITERS  Is it your New Year's Resolution to get published? Then check out our Teen Resources page to find out how to submit your work to Louder Than Words, Teen Voice, Hanging Loose, and more!
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WRITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN Check out our Resources for Professionals page for calls for submissions, career advice, teaching techniques, and more from organizations such as Constance Saltonstall Foundation, Poets and Writers, and many others! |
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