Community Chats

At Girls Write Now, the priority is keeping our community not just informed and inspired, but bonded together. Out of this moment of global crisis and cultural upheaval, when intimate conversations are more rare and important than ever before, our “Community Chats” were born. Chats may take place between pods of mentors and mentees or with the larger Girls Write Now community.

Designed to be flexible in format, Community Chats are spaces for healing, exploration, laughter and love. Digitally, we come together to find clarity and comfort through writing prompts and open, honest conversation. At Community Chats, we harness our collective creative energy first and foremost to understand one another.

Processing Violence Against Asian Americans: A Sharing & Supportive Space with Kiki Tom

We stand together in solidarity with the AAPI community, and denounce all acts of anti-Asian bias, harassment, and violence. We provided a safe space for our community through the Processing Violence Against Asian Americans Community Chat, led by Girls Write Now Mentor Kiki Tom. Members of our community came together to process current events, their…

Community Over Competition: Build Connection & Defy the Scarcity Myth with Eliza VanCort

We celebrated Women’s History Month with Eliza VanCort, who taught us how to spot the Scarcity Myth and build a community of women who will uplift, support, and help us soar. Historic lack of access has resulted in women sometimes diminishing each other in the workplace rather than amplifying and supporting one another. We…

A Dream Come True: A life in the Theatre with Elizabeth Van Dyke

A Dream Come True: A Life in the Theater with Elizabeth Van Dyke

Elizabeth Van Dyke knows all about having a dream and making it a reality. By reflecting on her journey to the stage and the mentors she met along the way, Elizabeth shared what she’s learned about writing your dreams and aspirations into action. Participants also heard about the history of Black theatre, and how…

Food as Cultural Muse: Black Culinary History & Writing with Therese Nelson

Chef Therese Nelson led a conversation about Black culinary heritage and the uses of culinary heritage as fertile literary ground. She talked about recipes as an heirloom and worked through crafting a new kind of narrative recipe framework that allows for more creativity and historical context in food writing. Therese Nelson is a chef with over…

Dance Is My Passport: Becoming a Multidisciplinary Artist with Djassi DaCosta Johnson

In this community chat, Djassi DaCosta Johnson took participants through her journey from Modern dancer to Multidisciplinary artist, with local stops at the historic Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Dance Theater of Harlem. Djassi showed participants how to “choreograph” their own artistic path and write a poetic artist statement expressing all that you…

Community Chat: Processing Turmoil

At Girls Write Now, we are saddened and horrified by last week’s domestic terrorism grounded in the systemic racism and inequality we work to challenge and change every day. We are here to support you individually and as a community. We came come together to process recent events in a safe space with a focus…

PROMPT PARTY: PROMPTS FROM WORDS IN PROGRESS WITH SAMMI LABUE

Sharing exercises from her new book, Words in Progress, Sammi LaBue discussed how she developed a passion for prompt writing. We learned how everyday objects and images can be manipulated as entry points to our imaginations, and gained tips on using prompts to fortify our at-home writing practice. We wrote prompts from the book, shared our…

SAVE THE LAST WORD: A SPACE FOR HEALING WITH SHANICE ANDERSON TCHAMAMBE

This year, 2020 has been a tumultuous. Even the most resilient person can’t help but feel somewhat defeated so we came together to focus on healing. Shanice led the community in a guided meditation followed by small group discussions and writing activities geared towards tapping into our inner strength and envisioning the emotional, physical or…

COMMUNITY PROMPT PARTY: THE FIRST, BUT NOT THE LAST

We celebrated the first female vice president–elect by writing our own acceptance speech for when we’re elected to office! Anna Humphrey and Sarah Gruen, speechwriters from West Wing Writers, broke down the components of speechwriting, shared memorable speeches from women elected to office, and led our community through prompts to craft stellar and inspiring speeches. GLIMPSE…

Talk It Out with Voting Rights Advocate Maya Contreras

Talk It Out with Maya Contreras

This special-edition Community Chat with political strategist, narrative interpreter and voting rights and anti-racist policy advocate Maya Contreras laid the groundwork for becoming a better activist/advocate. Maya shared her incredible journey as a lifelong social-justice advocate, including being on the front lines in the 2020 Election, and offered ways to get activated for anyone wondering…

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