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!
Universes, Drifting: A Temporal Haiku Collection
We capture little moments of friendship, revelation, beauty, and stillness while exploring the brief and transformative form of haikus.
Breathe In Breathe Out
Grab yourself a nice glass of water, settle into your comfiest seat, then breath in and breath out. In our final episode of A Fistful of Verse, Tara Lago grounds the listener into worlds where freedom, hope, & love prevail. Allow this episode to remind you about the miracle of breath.
Maatrbhaasha
To my family for showing me that love goes beyond the words we speak.
If Only I Could Speak
When you go from Thailand to North Carolina, more than the spoken language changes—the box you’re put in does as well.
Speaking on Love, Dance & Sexism
In this episode, Girls Write Now Community Manager Emily Rigby speaks with former mentee and current mentor Samantha Isales about her piece “An Uncommon Love Story.” Fall in love with this beautiful and riveting tale of Harlemites navigating revolutionary love and regressive sexism inspired by Samantha’s experiences of home, bell hooks, and late nights in the club.
Limericks on a New York Night
Poetry360 mentee Mia Lindenburg tells her story of leaving poetry and returning to it upon realizing slam poetry can also capture all the joy and wonder of the world.
Intentional
Friendship fallouts are the absolute worst. These breakups can consume you like an ocean as the tides of feelings and memories come in and out. Poetry360 mentee Megumi Jindo shares her experience with one of life’s greatest heartbreaks.
Speaking on Writing as Therapy
This week we're delighted to present Mentees Dom Dawes (he/they) and Jamilah Araf (she/her) as they chat about Dom's poem "I Am From."
Rewind
In momentum: a friend and all the lovely people who sadly aren't here. This is a piece about the grief and healing that comes with loss.
Yellow Lines
The melting of ice in lemonade. The feeling of watching yourself from the outside as reality begins to unfold. The moments that occur after impatience.
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.