I am a freshman at Bard College in upstate New York — practically three hours from the City, my family, and my mentor Mel. So meeting physically with Mel has become a rare blessing. I message her. This is where I tell her all that is happening — the good, the bad and the…
WORKSHOPS & CRAFT TALK SPEAKERS: FALL ROUNDUP
This fall’s successful workshop series included record-breaking attendance, non-stop writing and creating, and inspiring craft talks. Here are highlights from both our Digital Media Mentoring Program and Writing Mentoring Program. Plus, feedback from our mentees and mentors. Updates from Girls Write Now’s Digital Media Mentoring Program “On the day of [the workshop] I entered feeling a little wary,…
Profiling Mentor and Mentee Alum: Rachel and Lashanda
“I’m forever grateful to Girls Write Now. The transition from my home in the Bronx to Ithaca College was difficult, but I looked to Girls Write Now and could always count on my mentor, Rachel.” – Lashanda Anakwah, Mentee Alum and Writing Major, Ithaca College Dear Friend, With Rachel, her dedicated mentor, by her side,…
Lashanda and Rachel: A Pair Reunion at College
This blog post was written by former mentor and mentee pair, Rachel Cohen and Lashanda Anakwah. They were paired together until Lashanda graduated and headed off to college. Lashanda, a mentee for two years, was a 2012 Scholastic scholarship and gold medal winner for her senior portfolio. This post follows their story of meeting up during…
Pair Profile: Brittney and Amy
Brittney and Amy, in the Writing and Mentoring Program, are entering their second year as mentee and mentor. We asked them a few questions reflecting on their time together and what they’re looking forward to this upcoming year. How long have you been a part of Girls Write Now? What made you want to join the…
I Am a Story Waiting to Be Told
“I am a story waiting to be told. Memoirs waiting to be written. Patience burning of suffrage, withering of double standards, of double consciousness. I am woman.” —Carmin Wong, 2014 mentee-alum For two years at Girls Write Now, Hadia, a development writer who grew up in Pakistan, mentored Carmin, an aspiring poet and a native of Guyana.…
Mentee-Mentor Relationships: A Pair’s Perspective
This post was written by mentee-mentor pair Iris Torres and Heather Kristin. Recently, the two were interviewed for NPR’s LatinoUSA, during which they shared their poetry and discussed their personal histories, as well as their paths to writing. We were excited to hear more about their mentee-mentor relationship, the things they have given each other, and their growth together as…
Alum Spotlight: Heather & Isoris
Nothing breaks the Girls Write Now bond. Once pairs forge a relationship at Girls Write Now, they stay connected well into the future, to college and beyond. This week, we’re delighted to share an update on mentor-alumna Heather Smith and mentee-alumna Isoris Nivar. They were paired together in 2007 during Heather’s first year as a…
Our CHAPTERS Reading
This post was written by Elshaima Omran and Stacie Evans, a mentee-mentor pair in our Writing & Mentoring Program, who performed at the first reading in our 2014 CHAPTERS Reading Series. SHAIMA: At school, I was really excited to read. And then on the train, I was listening to music, and I was really excited…
Pair Spotlight: Luljeta and Lizz
Luljeta Zenka, 16, is a self-identified nerd. She loves comic books, fan fiction, and creative writing. At Girls Write Now, Luljeta found a mentor in Lizz Carroll, a digital media professional, who shares her interests. “Lizz and I understand each other,” Luljeta said, a junior at a high school in Staten Island. “Lizz is interested…