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!
FORGIVING ME IS EASY: FORGIVING YOU IS A BATTLE
This multimedia piece explores the multifaceted journey to healing my inner child. It focuses on the trauma forged after my father left my mother and I. It’s the apology I never received.
Paranoia
This poem is for anyone who feels unsafe walking alone at night or conjures shadows in the absence of light.
Overlooked
Overlooked is a poem that takes the reader in an unexpected direction.
Santana
This poem is about Santana, a dog who I have volunteered with at the Valley Animal Center in Fresno, California.
Witch Hair
Hair is a huge part of Dominican culture; it is intermingled with unrealistic and suffocating beauty standards. This is a rebellion against standards which categorize textured hair as "pelo malo" (bad hair).
Here, Youth
A conversation with, by, and for the intangible being of Youth.
Temper of the Snow
“Temper of the Snow” is an excerpt derived from the short story “That Boy I Named” that depicts Ling Xu’s recount of one of his most precious memories in the winter 7 years ago.
A First Timer’s Guide to Public Records
Follow me as I guide you through a night at one of Brooklyn’s hottest venues (and not just because I was wearing a sweater dress).
Ouroboros
A simple, strong poem on the endlessness of change and how, although it may be scary— it is necessary for
Dreamlike Musings and Practicality
This is a set of three poems where I explore little ideas I wished to center poems around through the use of visual language and one poem where I explore getting personal with my writing.
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.