Thanks to our incredible emcees Mariane Pearl Managing Editor, Chime for Change, and Thasfia Chowdhury Girls Write Now mentee, the third annual Girls Write Now Awards was a huge success. We heard from three diverse women who shared their passion for the written word and how women can tell their stories. In Thasfia’s words, “We are not simply ‘a program for girls’ but leaders and activists who better the movement through the betterment of ourselves. We write so that we can listen, so that we may become more human. Our stories are raw, but our souls are fierce.”
Emcees Mariane Pearl and Thasfia Chowdhury
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was this year’s Girls Write Now Groundbreaker honoree. The renown author of Americanah shared about the power of Girls Write Now mentorship and the importance of telling your story truthfully. She said “forget about likeability, if you start off thinking about being likeable you won’t tell your story honesty. The world is such a wonderful, diverse, multi-faceted place that there is someone who will like you, you don’t need to twist yourself into shapes.”
Juju Chang
Juju Chang was this year’s Girls Write Now Trailblazer honoree. The ABC News Nightline co-anchor discussed her journey as a young girl to her time at Stanford, and how she discovered her love of storytelling and amplifying the voices of others. “I have the honor of hearing other people’s stories and sharing them with the world. What better job could there possibly be on the planet?”
Pamela Paul
Pamela Paul was this year’s Girls Write Now Gamechanger honoree. The New York Times Book Review editor told a story of how she would narrate her life as a young girl, making herself the heroine in her own life’s book. Now an editor at the Book Review Pamela shared her goal of including all voices in stories. “What really gives me heart is that girls increasingly think their stories are important too…I want to thank Girls Write Now for helping bring forth those voices.”
Mentor/Mentee Performance
Girls Write Now Mentor Nina Agrawal and Girls Write Now mentee Rachel Zhao each performed an original piece. Rachel paid tribute to the literary voices that have inspired and guided her by writing letters to two of the most influential, female, literary heroines (and novels) in her life: Matilda by Roald Dahl, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Watch their performances:
Girls Write Now Founder and Executive Director Maya Nussbaum also addressed the audience and shared her vision for the organization and how grateful she was for everyone who was part of Girls Write Now’s story. “From Brooklyn to Bangladesh to China, our girls are life-long ambassadors for hope and change…you make that happen, and I personally want to thank you for supporting our girls.”
- See some of the amazing photos from the event
- Learn more about the 2015 Girls Write Now Anthology Voice to Voice that launched at the Girls Write Now Awards
- Check out some of the best Tweets of the night
