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!
A Guide to Making History
“A Guide to Making History” shares the inside thoughts of a young girl who loses her way and doesn’t know how to find herself again.
A Slice of Life
A Slice of Life By Christine Yan, Writing 360 Mentee Growing up in a fairly homogenous community, I found it
LOVE
My poem reflects the confidence I was able to gain in my time spent at Girls Write Now. Without gaining my new confidence, I wouldn’t have been able to write and speak my truth. That truth is: I deserve to be heard, and so do the stories and unjust lives of those who have passed away.
My Unnamed Feelings
My Unnamed Feelings By Fariya Kabir
Babygirls
Mommy doesn’t tell her she’s seeded first in a dying race.
Kayla Walford’s Website
This website features a few of the projects I have done in Girls Write Now 2019-2020. They all focus on “small” moments and objects which are normally seen as unimportant. The purpose of these pieces is to highlight the importance of each part of this world, whether or not they may leave their footprint in history.
Poems in Blue and Green
The ocean has inspired generations of artists and writers. My work is collected in a digital anthology as a continuation of mankind's love letter to the sea.
Bunk
This project is inspired by the idea of a "safe space" in a time of rebellion and unease. It features 16 and 17-year-old subjects: Kamilla, Malcolm, Roan, and me. This series, centered around the idea of the teen bedroom, delves into teens' ability to connect their freedoms and identity to their space. To create this piece about the human experience of life in-between, I've photographed and interviewed each participant. The young people in this project share what makes them feel at peace and comfortable in their ever-changing environments.
Bootlegs: A Necessary Evil
I was inspired by a joke that Lin-Manuel Miranda made on Twitter, and I wanted to look more into the subject and other people's opinions.
Becoming
In our modern world, where technology has transformed the way we do everything, stories are no longer only found in books. In the visual novel "Becoming," the audience follows the story of a high school junior named Sonia Young. Sonia discovers a book that lets her revisit her past and gain the confidence to write her next chapter. This interactive story gives the user a little insight, and perhaps control, over the chaotic world of a teenage girl.
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.