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    • APR 16: WRITING YOURSELF INTO POEMS WITH DIANA WHITNEY AND LYNN MELNICK
    • Celebrate National Poetry Month
Home / Programs / Community Chats
Girls Write Now community on Zoom

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

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…

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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…

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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…

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

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…

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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…

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Processing Turmoil January 14

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…

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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…

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Save the Last Word: A Space for Healing

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…

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community prompt party

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…

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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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Presenting Girls Write Now Live: Unmuted Spring Performance Series!

Join Girls Write Now mentees and mentors and special guest honorees for a boundary-pushing performance series! This season, we’re proud to bring you eight shows—March 12, March 26, April 9, April 23, May 7, May 18, May 21 and June 11. Register now to join us in celebrating the power of shared stories!

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 Diana Whitney and Lynn Melnick

Join us on Friday, April 16 from 6-7:30PM ET for Speaking the Unspeakable: Writing Yourself into Poems with Diana Whitney and Lynn Melnick!

Girls Write Now Stands in Solidarity with the AAPI Community

At Girls Write Now, we are alarmed and deeply disturbed by the recent incidents of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country. As ever, we are committed to challenging systemic racism and xenophobia, and standing in solidarity with our community as we process and heal through art and storytelling.

Become a Part of Our Community!

Girls Write Now is a dynamic, multi-generational community of writers on a mission. Complete our Inquiry Form to be notified when enrollment for the 2021-22 program year opens!

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!

Girls Write Now

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