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SIXTH ANNUAL QWERTY DIGITAL MEDIA EXHIBITION

June 20, 2018

This blog post was written by Mekkiayah Jacobs, Digital Media Mentoring Program mentee.

This was my first time at a Girls Write Now QWERTY event. I invited my sister to come with me, and she was very happy at the end. I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought it would be a Girls Write Now CHAPTERS event, but this was much different. It was more like a gallery walk, and people would walk around the room, come to projects they were interested in, and hear about our process.

As I was sitting in the New-York Historical Society Museum waiting for the event to begin, the panelists were on stage interacting with other mentees in the program. I thought that the panelists seemed cool, but hesitated about going up to them because I’m not really that kind of person to talk to others. But then Isabel came over and told me to get up there.  I’m glad that I did. I talked to Sudi Green, a script writer for SNL (Saturday Night Live), and I don’t why but it seemed so cool that I was talking to a script writer. Even though she is not an actor, she’s basically famous. We took some pictures and went back to our seats.

Panelists Kimberly Drew, Lynette Nylander, Sudi Green, Jazmine Hughes, and Vivian Lee (Left to Right)

As the event started there was a mentee and mentor pair, Havi and KK, who talked about their experience with each other and their experience with the program. It was very heartwarming and touching. I had to constantly wipe my eyes so tears did not roll down my face. Then came the panel talk; there were five great women talking about their role in taking ownership of their community and how they became  writers. They didn’t know what their futures had in store for them when they were just starting out, but they were happy that things worked out. They wanted you to just persist through all the race and gender barriers that the world had for us, so we would be able to change the world and make it a better place.

The five women were given questions that gave us a little more intel about who they are, what they do, and what they have done for themselves and others. It was very interesting to me. I always want to know how people found success without much help. Their responses to the questions really made you think about how they must have impacted their community. Before we (mentees) were sent back to set up our projects for the rest of the world to see, we had a graduation ceremony for all seniors. Names were called, and claps were given. Even though I didn’t know any of the girls personally, I was happy that they were going onto the next chapter of their lives.

Mentee Tiffanie Roye shows her project to an audience member

When people started coming back it was a lot of people who knew the mentees personally. Unfortunately my mentor could not make it, but I had the support of my sister. I liked a lot of projects that were there. Everyone who saw my project responded positively. They thought it was beautiful and wondered if I would still be in the program for more years to come.  Of course I said yes. This program is amazing, and I would never give it up.

Check out photos from QWERTY!

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Filed Under: Blog post Tagged With: 20th Anniversary Spring Celebration, gwn20years, QWERTY, qwerty 2018

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Celebrate Black History Month!

Each week throughout February, we’ll be sharing stories, resources and events from our community and our partners that honor Black art, writing, culture and history!

Life Resources and Events

At Girls Write Now, we work to challenge and change the systemic racism and inequality by breaking down the barriers of race and poverty to elevate the voices of girls and gender nonconforming youth who are too often not heard—or worse, silenced. From mental and emotional wellness to advocating for racial justice, we are here to support you individually and as a community through our robust programming. Check out our calendar to see our current offerings or visit our Life Resources page to support you during this time.

Friday Night Salon with Megan Reid & Wendi Gu

Join us on Friday, February 26, 6-7:30 PM ET for Picture Books 101: Writing for Kids When You Aren’t One with Megan Reid and Wendi Gu!

We’re Hiring!

Looking for more purpose-driven work in the new year? Check out available roles to join the team! 

GIVE. WRITE. NOW. And Thank you!!

Girls Write Now’s services are more essential than ever before—serving the hardest hit communities—and many of our young women and gender nonconforming youth have themselves become essential workers to help their families. They carry an enormous burden and face devastating loss, slipping further into poverty. To meet the need, we have enriched and extended our programs, leading the historical transition to virtual learning.

Get Involved!

Are you a licensed mental health professional who’d love to work with our community of writers and creatives? We’re seeking volunteer Wellness Advisors. Get more info & apply here!

Relive the Girls (Re)Write Now Awards

If you missed the awards, you can still watch it! Relive this revolutionary night of mini–master classes with honorees on empathy, art, activism & humor and Girls Write Now mentees on writing with purpose, climate justice & self-care. 

Writing from our Future Leaders

Taking Our Place in History: the Girls Write Now 2020 Anthology was published with support from Dutton and Amazon Literary Partnership, available for purchase from McNally Jackson Books and anywhere ebooks are sold!

Girls Write Now in the News

Girls Write Now’s work has recently been featured by the National Endowment for the Arts, Time Out New York, NYXT and more!

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