ANTHOLOGIES
Rise Speak Change: The 2017 Girls Write Now Anthology
At the QWERTY Digital Media Exhibition, our mentees showcased projects that are changing the way we tell narratives. A video overlaid with powerful poetry, thoughtful podcasts, and interactive games created with Twine — our mentees used the skills they learned in our digital workshops to create these multi-platform masterpieces.

Our mentees are defining the digital age by bringing the craft of writing into the 21st century. In our Digital Media Mentoring Program, we boost girls’ tech savvy and creative potential through digital media. In bringing our curriculum and writing approach into the digital age, we prepare the girls we serve to truly be the next generation of writers—on whatever platform they choose. Students are paired one-to-one with a digital media professional and together they transform their writing into digital art. All workshops are facilitated by graduate students at Parsons The New School for Design. Our workshops feature writing and digital skill-building exercises, prompts, and share-outs to diversify participants’ modes of self-expression. At the end of a program year, girls are equipped to tell a story in GIFs, a poem in HTML, and take their words to the next level.Together we embark on a journey of creative workshops, public readings and showcases, opportunities for publication, and more, all to give girls the tools to advance their writing through different mediums.
Introduction by
Foreword by
Moderated by
Read What's Inside
Browse our collection of stories from inside the book. Complete with notes from the author and anecdotes from our mentees and mentors.
Stories from Inside "Rise Speak Change" Coming Soon!
Stories from Inside "Rise Speak Change" Coming Soon!
Listen to the Kids: Sex-Ed Is More Important Than You Think, an Excerpt
An excerpt of an article I wrote where I interviewed eight students from across the city, country and world on their sex-education experiences.
Being the ‘Perfect’ Child
Being the "Perfect" Child is about standards that are commonly set within family structures. This piece talks about the struggles of trying to withhold both family and societal expectations.
Color is…
A piece about what the color purple means to me.
When I play piano, my grandmother wants to cry
This piece captures intergenerational strength and familial unity through a series of moments described through piano music.
Da Bronx
Da Bronx is a piece that depicts where I am from. A place near and dear to my heart.
Natural Hair
This story pertains to a time when I confronted my mother about changing my hair.
The Audition
An unassuming actress arrives at her audition, but nothing seems to be what it appears. From the peculiar office, to the even stranger auditioner, there lies something haunting lurking being the scene of one final audition.
Looking Out Over Something Senseless, It’s Just Me For Here Now, and Speaking
These three poems are related to reflection and my relation to the natural world.
you have been here before
An introspective piece about returning home and seeing the past through different eyes.
pause.
This poem is from the perspective of someone having an existential crisis and, in direct contrast to the title, has no pauses or punctuation.
Praise for Rise Speak Change
From the Literary Community
Intersectional Voices in Editorial Print Committee
Every year, the Intersectional Voices in Editorial (IV Edit) Print Committee brings their talents to the task of editing, producing, and promoting this fresh collection of writing from today’s emerging voices. The committee is made up of mentors, mentees, and other volunteers who are passionate about diversifying the publishing landscape.