Girls Write Now
Buzzfeed
December 23, 2015
Buzzfeed featured the 24 best literary debuts of 2015. The list included all four of our 2016 CHAPTERS Reading Series keynotes: Mia Alvar, Angela Flournoy, Tanwi Nandini Islam, and Naomi Jackson.
Lit Reactor
December 28, 2015
“6. Girls Write Now
Their website provides a pretty succinct mission statement: “Girls Write Now mentors underserved young women to find their voices through the power of writing and community.” GWN is located in New York City, where overcrowded and underfunded classrooms cause delayed graduation and surprisingly low writing proficiency rates. Since its founding in 1998, Girls Write Now has been recognized by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. They’re no longer accepting applications for 2015-2016 mentors, but their application processopens up again in April. You can make monetary donations and learn about fundraising here.”
Women's eNews
December 23, 2015
“Teen Voices delivers the direct, authentic voices of teen girls through our partnerships with youth serving organizations that work with thousands of girls in Afghanistan, Kenya, Uganda, Morocco, Kenya and the United States. Here, we’re celebrating the top partner stories of this year that got you reading and sharing their voices online.
No. 5: Teen’s Journey of Acceptance More Than Skin Deep
It was always hard for Girls Write Now teen Rachel Aghanwa to write about her race, but then an ad she saw while traveling in Nigeria made her realize she should see herself as a blessing, instead of a curse. Read the full story.”
She Writes
December 8, 2015
“Next spring, She Write Press will proudly publish its Passion Project for 2016: the annual anthology for Girls Write Now. Girls Write Now is a New York City based nonprofit that combines mentoring and writing to change the lives of teenage girls, and, as a mission-driven company dedicated to empowering women writers, we couldn’t be prouder to be the girls’ publisher next spring.
However our support of this transformative organization—which has been honored not once but twice by the White House as one of the top fifteen after school arts and cultural organizations in the country—is year-round, and as 2015 draws to a close, GWN needs your help. Here are five reasons we are asking our community to rally around these brave, remarkable, talented young women by donating to their annual holiday appeal:
1) Girls Write Now Provides a Path to the Future…
2) Girls Write Now Produces The Writers of Tomorrow…
3) Girls Write Now Goes Beyond Writing…
4) Girls Write Now Teaches Girls To Proudly “Author” Their Own Lives…
5) As She Writers, We Get It…“
Women in the World
December 7, 2015
“Sweden announced last week that successful lobbying from Swedish Women’s Lobby and publisher Albert Bonniers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s feminist manifesto, “We Should All Be Feminists,” will be distributed to every 16-year-old high school student in the country. The essay is based on Nigerian-born Adichie’s popular 2012 Ted Talk of the same name, which has been viewed over 2 million times, and sampled by Beyonce in her song “Flawless.” “We Should All Be Feminists” was first published in English last year.“
Upworthy
December 4, 2015
“Sweden is making sure its teenagers understand what an equal world looks like.
The Swedish Women’s Lobby, together with publishing company Albert Bonniers Förlag and the UN Association of Sweden, just announced that every high school sophomore will be given a gift: a copy of the book “We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
It’s not your typical high school reading, but perhaps it should be. The gesture could greatly benefit Sweden’s future — its health, economy, happiness, the whole shebang (yeah, she-bang seems about right). That’s exactly why they’re doing it.“
Cool Hunting
November 26, 2015
“Tanwi Nandini Islam is a Brooklyn-based feminist writer (author of queer coming-of-age novel “Bright Lines”) who also tells stories through scents via her apothecary line, Hi Wildflower Botanica. Her #GetLit candle series ($30 each) is a unique collaboration with authors to translate their words into fragrance. Lincoln Michel’s short story collection “Upright Beasts” inspired notes of black spruce, blood cedarwood, dirt; while Saeed Jones’ poetry stirs dawn’s dew, honeysuckle vine and bay rum. Part of the proceeds benefit NYC mentoring non-profit Girls Write Now.”
Chime for Change
October 1, 2015
“What do we mean by giving girls a voice?
Based in New York City, Girls Write Now*, is a program that pairs promising young women writers from underprivileged background with professional women in writing and media.
A report published last year by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund revealed that in the American school system, African-American girls are more likely than any other group of girls to be suspended, expelled or held back entirely. Their suspension rates are almost six times that of their white counterparts and more than most boys of color as well. These and other daunting educational obstacles prevent thousands of young African-American girls from fulfilling their dreams.”
The Huffington Post
November 6, 2015
“As a budding documentarian who intends on minoring in Women and Gender Studies and Sociology, I am acutely aware of the portrayals of women in media. Why Is it that strong-willed women are illustrated as being heartless and unemotional, or anything undesirable, but women who rely on men are loving, fun, and cool? Why can’t you be a well rounded woman who is strong minded? Why is it that you have to be seen as less than a woman for doing what you want?
This article was partly inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s speech that she presented subsequent to being honored at the 2015 Girls Write Now Awards. She basically discussed that women should not aspire to be likable, but should aim to be comfortable with living in their truth. Obviously, you should not be rude and disregard people, because that is mean-spirited and uncalled-for, but being well liked should not be a priority. As women, we are subliminally taught that we have to deal with any and every situation or person that comes our way no matter how unhealthy it is for us.”
SA Weekend
October 31, 2015
“Gill loves to write and is a mentor with Girls Write Now, which teaches young, disadvantaged city women about the art of writing. Busy is an understatement. “Everyone comes to New York to make something of themselves. You don’t come here to chill out. Everyone has a bazillion things going on. I thought it would be like Friends where everyone sits on the couch and drinks coffee but you’re pushed up against people all the time.””
Check out more of this article about our mentor Bec Susan Gill!