Friday, May 7 was an evening of boundary-pushing performances! In the fifth installment of our Unmuted spring performance series, mentees and mentors share genre-bending work about friendship, feminism, feeling your feelings and beyond, with mentee emcees Gabrielle Galchen and Yasmin Zayed guiding us through.
We were also thrilled to honor Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, psychologist and founder/host of Therapy for Black Girls, as an Agent of Change. You can still catch the full show above!
Watch the Pre-Show Q&A
What People Are Saying
“I loved how vulnerable and beautifully written the works were.” –Mentee Gabrielle Galchen
“I was so blown away by all of the performances and the wide array of talent.” –Anonymous
“I enjoyed the entire performance, and I loved viewing the different personalities of the mentors and mentees. Girls Write Now changed my daughter’s trajectory. Words cannot convey my gratitude to this program.” –Anonymous
Meet the Emcees & Honorees
MENTEE EMCEE
Gabrielle Galchen
Half Israeli and half American, Gabrielle Galchen will never quite fit in except for when she writes, when she belongs solely to herself and feels the most complete. As a senior in high school, writing is her objective way to make sense of the world and find herself. She is so honored to participate in a program in which she can pursue her passion; Girls Write Now has truly made her high school experience.
MENTEE EMCEE
Yasmin Zayed
Yasmin is a full-time NYC student completing school work, catching up with friends and studying. When she has the time, she likes to harbor her passion for writing, finding anything and everything as her muse. Born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn the hectic city life is not new to her but in fact, an environment she thrives in. Living in Staten Island, she finds moments of peace to document her findings of the world.Her first published project, aside from her first grade short story, is her upcoming podcast “she’s just the…” as a first year mentee of Girls Write Now.
HONOREE
Dr. Joy Harden Bradford
Dr. Joy Harden Bradford is a Licensed Psychologist, Speaker, and the host of the wildly popular mental health podcast, Therapy for Black Girls. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana, her Master’s degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from Arkansas State, and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The University of Georgia. Her work focuses on making mental health topics more relevant and accessible for Black women and she specializes in creating spaces for Black women to have fuller and healthier relationships with themselves and others. She has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Bustle, Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Women’s Health, BuzzFeed, Teen Vogue and Essence. Dr. Joy lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and two sons.
Meet the Performers
Ama Anwar & Macaela Mackenzie
Amy Bradu & Jordan Gass-Poore’
Cynthia Leung & Alison Lewis
Dewou Gloria Minza & Nicole Gervasio
Diana Sanchez & Kathryn Cardin
Fariya Kabir & Cailey Rizzo
Ilana Drake & Erica Drennan
Isabelle Sanderson & Anna Witiuk
Julissa Ozuna & Jordan Davidson
Kailee Ortiz & Shyanne Figueroa Bennett
Lilly Sabella & Toni Brannagan
Lorena Maca Garcia & Candace Cunard
Maiesha Muntaki & María Alejandra Barrios
Mariella Parmenter & Adrian Horton
Mengnan Lin & Selena Beaumont
Michelle Seucan & Stevie Borrello
Tori Phelps & Laura Geringer Bass
Victoria Gao & Soyolmaa Lkhagvadorj