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!
Goodnight.
My mind tends to wander when it's dark and I'm alone, this is a sort of letter to myself, to the part of me that keeps me up at night.
Oppidum Exspiravit
The inevitability of death orbits in the very fabric of your existence from the moment you’re born to the day death comes. History proves time and time again how precious our actions are and that it's up to us to take our place before our time runs out.
This Sacred Earth & Fire Into Water
Growing up in midtown Manhattan, spending the weekends at tree-filled Central Park instilled in me a love for nature, leading me to reflect upon our treatment of the environment.
I met God Herself, and She was Beautiful
I wrote my poem after my ex-boyfriend and I broke up, we were on and off for three years and when we got together it was very toxic. The day after we broke up I wrote this poem because I felt uplifted after the breakup, and I felt like God.
Hyde Yourself In Me
My piece surrounds the text around Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I got inspired by the text because it is a classic and Emily and I have been exploring classical texts through the modern lenses.
The Crash
It is not a boom It is not a ba-ba-bang It is not even a pft
Tale of an Unsung Writer
I decided the best way to approach this year's broad theme centered around history was to show how I can change the trajectory of my own story by being honest about my passions.
A Painter’s Job
John, an excessive, narcissistic, psycho painter, finds himself liking Allisa, who just happens to be the girl whose house he’s painting, but just how far will he take this liking?
Abuelo, Apples & Me
This piece looks at the way an unexpected Thanksgiving tradition was able to bring me and my grandfather closer.
Note to Self
“Note to Self” is a poem that was written in the midst of a wave of high self-esteem that shows itself rarely. This is when the power of Melanin Beauty reveals itself unapologetically.
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.