2025 Holiday Edition
Girls Write Now Gift Guide
Looking for the perfect gifts for the book worms, curious creatives, and the Girls Write Now fans in your life? We’ve got you! Give a gift that reflects the hope, compassion, and innovation at the heart of our community. Each item on this list comes from the mentors, mentees, staff, and partners who make our organization shine. Plus, some of these presents give back to Girls Write Now!
Whether in honor of your grandmother, a friend who loves writing, or simply for the next generation of writers, you can secure our work to bridge divides across gender, age, race, and poverty—around the nation.
Give the Greatest Gift of All.
Hope Lives In Our Words
The Girls Write Now 2025 Anthology
In partnership with Dutton Books, Feminist Press, and Amazon Literary Partnership, we are thrilled to announce our newest publication, Hope Lives In Our Words: Girls Write Now 2025 Anthology. Hope Lives in Our Words begins with the belief that hope is not passive—it is an active, imaginative force. Featuring the stories of over 70 Girls Write Now mentees, the newest edition in our anthology series shines a guiding light when we need it most. All books purchased through our Amazon link will have their proceeds go to Girls Write Now. The anthology is also available from Books Are Magic and McNally Jackson.
The Book of Alchemy
by Suleika Jaouad
A New York Times bestselling guide to journaling that doubles as a meditation on life’s deepest questions, The Book of Alchemy features insights from Hanif Abdurraqib, Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem, George Saunders, and others. Written by Suleika Jaouad, a Girls Write Now Honoree who inspires us with her kind and generous spirit, the publication jumpstarted the Alchemy Fund to support a multigenerational community of creatives at Girls Write Now. An added bonus: Suleika just released The Alchemy Journal, also published by Random House, a fabulous gift for the writer in your life.
The Diana Marquise Ring
by Miraki Jewels
Miraki Jewels is a New York–born fine jewelry brand blending 50+ years of family craftsmanship with purpose-driven, ethical luxury. Every made-to-order piece supports meaningful causes—10% of your purchase goes to Girls Write Now, plus save 20% with code WRITEWITHMIRAKI.
WICKED Chistery Monkey
by WICKED on Broadway
Take home a cuddly, winged Chistery plush dressed in its iconic vest and jacket. It’s one of our favorite items at the gift shop, and you can order it and send it directly to your WICKED fan.
A percentage of proceeds from each purchase goes to Girls Write Now through WICKED’s For Good program.
Alpaca Blend Scarf
by Maje
As the seasons change, Maje —a Girls Write Now partner— creates accessories infused with elegance and sophistication for a stylish way to set off your look. Made from wool and alpaca, this warm, soft scarf will keep you company all season long.
Your Letter Volumes—Hyeon A Cho / Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set—Natsuki Takaya
by Yen Press
We love the books from Yen Press!
Your Letter is about: When Sori Lee transfers schools, an anonymous letter hidden under her desk leads her on an unexpected scavenger hunt. What begins as a distraction becomes a healing journey that shows how far a single act of kindness can go.
Fruit Basket is about: Relive Tohru Honda’s full journey—from heartbreak to healing—as she helps break the Sohma family curse. This complete box set features new covers and exclusive lenticular cards, collecting every emotional and silly moment in one beautiful package.
Luxe Cashmere Matte Lipstick
by Bobbi Brown
Matte lipstick, minus the dry-out—in lip-enhancing-shades for every occasion and mood. Swipes on an ultra-matte finish with a hydrating, cashmere-soft feel. Available in easy-to-wear shades that complement all skin tones to elevate any look.
The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward
by Melinda French Gates
An instant New York Times bestseller, The Next Day (Flatiron Books) by Melinda French Gates offers a rare look into the pivotal transitions of her life—many shared here for the first time. Her stories reveal universal lessons about embracing uncertainty, releasing perfectionism, and supporting one another through change. Melinda gifted 100 copies to members of the Girls Write Now community who felt empowered by her anecdotes about life and its many transitions.
Conform
by Ariel Sullivan
A national bestseller and the debut novel from Jenna Bush Hager’s Thousand Voices, this luminous dystopian romance follows a young woman caught between two loves—and two sides of a rising rebellion.
The Book of Reservations
by Laura Buchwald
Between the living and the lost, one woman delivers the truth.
Josie Gray has always believed Miss Sylvie’s Bistrot could be a sanctuary for the living…and the dead, with whom she can communicate. As the restaurant struggles to survive in Greenwich Village, the challenges of running a kitchen collide with the demands of her gift, and Josie finds herself stretched thinner than ever. The author, Laura Buchwald is a mentor alum and member of the Girls Write Now Print Committee of Intersectional Voices, which edits our annual anthology.
I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are
by Rachel Bloom
A collection of sidesplitting personal essays, poems, and even amusement park maps on the subjects of insecurity, fame, anxiety, and much more, this book is from the charming and wickedly funny co-creator and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Girls Write Now supporter and Honoree, Rachel Bloom.
Rachel Bloom has felt out of place her whole life, whether in the hallowed halls of Manhattan Beach Middle School or on social media. So she’s decided to figure out exactly what makes her so different. I WANT TO BE WHERE THE NORMAL PEOPLE ARE (Grand Central Publishing) is a hilarious exploration of all of Rachel’s formative missteps, mishaps, and misanthropic moments, including invaluable and refreshing advice on how to deal with a bully and navigate this conundrum called life.
BBQ & Hot Sauces / Sweet Potato Pie
by Melba Wilson
Sauces can be purchased in-person at Melba’s Restaurant, and all pies are ordered through the restaurant’s Catering and Events department by email.
Make Do With What You Have
by Kardea Brown
The New York Times bestselling author of The Way Home and Girls Write Now Honoree, Kardea Brown, returns with over 100 fabulous recipes—delicious updates of her favorite childhood meals—in the must-read Make Do With What You Have (Amistad). Shop from your pantry and create easy-to-make treats care of Kardea!
Notebook
by Moleskine
Who doesn’t get bit by the creative bug when you open a Moleskine? This expanded version of Moleskine’s Classic Notebook is just the right size to carry in your backpack or tote, while boasting enough pages to accommodate the biggest of ideas. Made for boundless note-taking, the Classic Expanded Notebook means that you are always ready for inspiration, wherever it strikes.
Toni at Random
by Dana A. Williams
This is an insightful exploration of Toni Morrison that unveils the lesser-known dimensions of the legendary writer and her legacy, revealing the cultural icon’s profound impact as a visionary editor who helped define an important period in American publishing and literature. The author and Girls Write Now Honoree, Dana A. Williams, worked closely with Toni, and if you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall and learn from one of the literary greats, Toni at Random (Amistad) is a treasure!
Romy & Michele: The Musical
by Robin Schiff
Romy & Michele: The Musical brings the iconic best friends to the stage in a hilarious, pop-fueled reunion romp that the film’s writer Robin Schiff (also of Emily in Paris) is bringing to the world when we really need a bright spot. With Robin, and a top Broadway team at the helm, it’s a glittery celebration of friendship and reinvention. You have until March to see the show.
Added bonus: Robin Schiff is donating her time, along with Wicked co-writer Winnie Holzman, to talk to a budding writer about the profession. Run don’t walk to bid on these priceless experiences by December 1. All proceeds directly support Girls Write Now programs.
Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously)
by Bree Groff
Today Was Fun (published by Page Two) challenges the notion that professionalism means being buttoned up and overworked, and provides seven key rules for better days at work and in life—whether you are a junior or senior professional. It’s a book serious in message, playful in tone, and written in snackable vignettes, easily enjoyed by Bree Groff, a Girls Write Now champion who spoke to our community about the art of publishing a book and blurbed the Girls Write Now anthology!
The Summer I Ate the Rich
by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
This smart, biting novel explores what happens when a Haitian American girl uses her previously hidden zombie abilities to exact revenge on the wealthy elites who’ve caused her family pain. Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan, who is a Girls Write Now partner.
Twelve
Merchandise & Promotional Products
Every year at the Girls Write Now Awards, we’re proud to give our guests Girls Write Now-branded tote bags. This wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the talent behind Twelve, a women-run branded merchandising company that produces beautiful items for individuals and companies! If you’re looking for iconic promotional products, go no further than Twelve. We’re big fans!
