in-person event at Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Heights
open to mentees, mentors, alumni, and the public
Join us in celebration of our new book, On the Art of the Craft: A Guidebook to Collaborative Storytelling. Hear excerpts from the book and ask Girls Write Now writers about the experience of creating engaging work in collaboration with community.
Emily Rigby (she/her) comes to Girls Write Now with a love of writing, meaningful experience developing curriculum for nonprofit organizations, and a long-held belief that there is no limit to the ways that people can express their thoughts and ideas. There is nothing that sparks her interest more than a complicated, messy protagonist whose story challenges and questions the status quo – and long-form,YouTube video essays. She holds a BA in Creative Writing and Psychology from Ithaca College and an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and is excited to share her passion for stories in all forms as a member of the Girls Write Now team.
Marion Rai is a high school junior and an author of realistic fiction. Her short stories often feature communities in her home country of Nepal and look at issues of gender, culture and the spiritual/religious belief system. In 2021, she won third place in the LILAC Writing Contest for short stories and is an editor for Polyphony Magazine. She enjoys playing basketball and skateboarding.
Michelle Seucan is a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Chipotle enthusiast. She is the Creative Director of Revolution Publication, a student-led global magazine on art, literature, and social justice. At UNC, she’s partaken in activities for the Daily Tar Heel and the Carolina Film Association. Michelle is originally from NYC and misses biking through Central Park. Oh, and the pizza. Michelle co-authored the biggest world anthology “Songs of Peace,” commissioned by the League of Poets – Top 1,000 global entries chosen (Amazon, Kindle), co-authored research journal “Across the Spectrum of Socioeconomics: Issue 1” (published by Google Books & Harvard) and was awarded the Dream Quest One “Dare To Dream” Third Poetry Prize – International Winter Poetry & Writing Contest.
Julia Andresakis is a writer born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is a former mentee, intern, and digital media producer for Girls Write Now — if you’ve scrolled through the Resources section of the website, you are familiar with her work. She holds a degree in film and creative writing from Brooklyn College. While an undergraduate, she placed first in fiction in the 2019-2020 CUNYwide LaborArts “Making Work Visible” contest. An aficionado for all things surreal, uncanny, and liminal, her work typically focuses on lonely souls pursuing unconventional obsessions. Julia is excited to support Girls Write Now in a more involved capacity.
Jamilah Araf has been writing forever and has always enjoyed story-telling. Currently, she is branching out at the newspaper club at her Queens high school and enjoys physical and digital art, coding and music. While she might not call herself an athlete, Jamilah rollerblades, ice skates and swims. In addition to being a writer, Jamilah aspires to be a lawyer or a teacher. Today, you can find her jamming out to Ed Sheeran and Onerepublic or obsessing over Hamilton, Disney and the MCU. She eats Thai food, her grandmother’s desserts and ice cream with her family and friends.
all mentees, all mentors, GWN staff, program alum and the public