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Home / Programs / Writing Works Program / Mentees Write a Segment for Fusion Late Night Show!
Alicia and Kirby

Co-emcee Alicia Menendez, Anchor and Special Correspondent at Fusion, and Co-emcee and mentee Kirby-Estar Laguerre

Mentees Write a Segment for Fusion Late Night Show!

This blog post was written by Christina Drill, Girls Write Now Senior Program Coordinator.

On the first summer Friday in July, Hannah, our Communications Manager, and I met Girls Write Now mentee superstars Zaw Gordon, Leilah Fagan, and Kirby-Estar Laguerre in front of ABC Studios on West 66th.

Come Here and Say That

Zaw, Leilah, and Kirby with Alicia Menendez and the rest of the Come Here and Say That team.

The girls were about to partake in a real live television writing session in the writer’s room for Come Here and Say That with Alicia Menendez on the Fusion floor. “Are you nervous?” Hannah asked them.

“Meh,” Zaw shrugged. “I’m pretty excited.” Kirby and Leilah both agreed.

Inside we were greeted by a production assistant who escorted us up to the Fusion floor. The writing started immediately.

I thought a writers room was exactly what it sounded like: a room full of writers, with maybe one producer and one production assistant, churning out a script under the pressure of a looming deadline. In the writer’s room for Come Here and Say That, a lot more was going on. There were production assistants, assistant writers, a few producers — even Alicia Menendez herself was in the cut. The room was packed and all (smiling) eyes were on Zaw, Kirby, and Leilah as they introduced themselves and explained what kind of writing they enjoy most.

It didn’t occur to me until we showed up just how much pressure is felt in the writer’s room. It isn’t just the pressure of the deadline but you’re put in a position where you must be as creative and as witty as possible on the spot, in front of not just other writers, but people who are essentially judging your ideas the second they come out of your mouth. If a writer muses something aloud about, say, Donald Trump running for president, and nobody laughs or jumps off the idea, it ends there. It seemed wildly stressful but wildly exciting at the same time.

During the group brainstorm, Leilah, Zaw, and Kirby suggested punchlines and “a-ha points” for the current events segment of Alicia’s show — which that week covered Ariana Grande licking that donut, Donald Trump being a crazy, and the confederate flag finally coming down in Charleston — and then broke out for one-on-one writing sessions with show writers.

When they returned, after having co-written clips (!!!), Alicia read out everyone’s pieces and, as we listened, the staff made small tonal or sentence edits. We all sat together as the episode came together.

In all respects, it was an organic and incredible thing to watch. The fact that Kirby, Leilah and Zaw were able to jump in so effortlessly and help write a hilarious segment on a cable TV show was beyond words.

Watch the segment the girls wrote together:

And watch the full segment featuring the girls and the writing process:

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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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