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!
Art Imitates Life (Part Two)
Everyone wants a picture perfect ending, where the couple ends up together and lives their dream. But is that possible
Art Imitates Life (Part One)
Everyone wants a picture perfect ending, where the couple ends up together and lives their dream. But is that possible for the struggling artist and the therapist who see the world differently?
Seek Joy in Everything You Do… Alex Ewing & Elizabeth Stone’s Life@ GWN
Mentee Alex Ewing and her mentor Elizabeth Stone may come from opposite ends of the country and have a 50-year age gap, but when they meet up over coffee, a good book, or an in-depth Twilight presentation, they’re thick as thieves. Neither knew what to expect when they joined Girls Write Now for the Summer 2025 cycle, but both wanted community and collaboration to shape their creative practices. In their second cycle together in the Collaboratory, they’ve only grown closer, each gaining new insights, perspectives, and hope for their future together and in their own creative practices. Read on to learn more about how this pair struck their balance.
“Anything you do, let it come from you. Then it will be new. Give us more to see…” Irene Cho and Alexis Grusby’s Life@GWN
In their second cycle together, this peer-to-peer pair bridges seven years and certainly feels more like mentor to mentee. Considerable distance lies between the two as geographic opposites, with one on each coast of the United States, East and West.
“All You Have to Do is Not Give Up, Okay?” Winnie Holzman’s Life@ Part II
In the second part of our candid conversation with WICKED’s co-writer Winnie Holzman, she opens up about how she copes with fear and defines success—through authenticity, laughter, honest critique, and the power of persistence.
“We’re Not in Kansas Anymore…” Winnie Holzman’s Life@GWN
“We’re Not in Kansas Anymore…” Winnie Holzman’s Life@GWN To Winnie Holzman, co-writer of WICKED, writing is all about what happens
Book of Alchemy Review
The process of “finding who we are,” Jaouad suggests, is never finished, but her prompts and methods keep the search alive in her new book.
A Letter To You and I
We are proud to present an essay by Alexandria Thornycroft, honorable mention in the 2025 Writing for Life Contest in the age 13-15 category.
The Words That Make Us Whole
We are proud to present an essay by Carolyn Austin, honorable mention in the 2025 Writing for Life Contest in the age 13-15 category.
I Was Made to Be Big Before I Was Allowed to Be Small
We are proud to present an essay by Veony Marie Artis, honorable mention in the 2025 Writing for Life Contest in the age 16-19 category.
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.