I’m searching for a bag of leafy yao choy, but my fingers just seem to fumble through the bottom drawer of the fridge without any luck. “Mommy, it’s not here,” I call as the chilly air drifts out. A tight voice warns from behind me, “Don’t let me find it!” I shut my eyes. “I’m…
An Awe-Inspiring Craft Talk with Julie Powell at GWN’s Food Memoir Workshop
The December 10th Craft Talk with Julie Powell was one-of-a-kind with humor and wit. She told the Girls Write Now community about the trials & tribulations of becoming a successful writer, and entranced us all. She spoke of her experiences while writing Julie & Julia, including her obsession with cooking (+ blogging) every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering…
My First Concert: Josh Groban Honors GWN
Josh Groban! Wait, who is he again? It dawned on me that I hardly knew who he was, and only after doing some research did I realize I was familiar with all of one of his songs, You Lift Me Up. None of that seemed to matter as I rushed from Penn Station to the…
Russian Tea Cakes: A Food Memoir
Every year, after Thanksgiving, I start to check the mail more eagerly. I know that on some otherwise ordinary December evening, I will arrive home after work, meetings or rehearsals to find a cardboard box from my mother. Hurriedly, I’ll leap the stairs as fast as I can, burst through the door and use my…
Truth. Love. Laughter. Life. (The GWN Found Poetry Workshop)
At our Girls Write Now Found Poetry Workshop, I was reminded of why I love poetry so much: It’s honest, unadorned, and so rich with feeling. Being a writer you kind of figure that poetry is just spilling out what you feel onto a page; but often the most inspiring words are the most unexpected.…
Probing Inspiration: Tapping My Way Back Into Creativity Through Found Poetry
I specialize mainly in Journalism, having worked for HarlemLIVE, an online teen publication for five years. I love journalism because I get to educate and inform people about the prevalent issues going on in society. Although journalism has opened many doors for me, like introducing me to lots of people, I feel like it’s stunted…
GWN Found Poetry Workshop
Before the Workshop: I am not a poet. I don’t like writing poetry and I barely read poetry. But, I do have this wonderfully thick anthology somewhere on the bottom shelf of my bookshelf collecting dust. It looks deliciously worn, like I’ve spent all my time huddled under a blanket, flipping through its delicate pages, tearing…
Birds for a Demolition: Idra Novey at the GWN Found Poetry Workshop
White walls are painted with the smiles that radiate off our faces just as our laughter vibrates off the two walls of windows that surround the Girls Write Now headquarters. Placed upon each of our chairs is a well known blue packet with bold letters stating “Poetry Workshop: Found Poetry Remix” Ah… poetry, the genre…
Suspense, Perspective, and Writing Advice: GWN’s Crime Fiction Workshop
The lights fade out and dim sunlight enters through the windows. From far behind, a woman comes silently, dressed in a discreet beige coat. She looks around suspiciously, keeping her hands in her pockets. As soon as she reaches the front, she turns back and takes out a magnifying glass, as if to search for…
Katia Lief at Year’s Kick-Off Event: GWN’s Crime Fiction Workshop
Walking back into the GWN office after summer vacation was a mixture of relief, familiarity, and excitement. It was the first workshop of the year, Crime Fiction writing. There were more new faces than old; some excited, some nervous. My mentor Jess and I sat in our usual spots near the window and chatted about…