PEN America recorded nearly 10,000 instances of book bans from July 2021 to the end of the 2023 school year.
37% of the banned books had characters of color or themes of race and racism. 36% had LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
What can we do as individuals to protect the freedom to read in the United States?
Girls Write Now’s Executive Director Maya Nussbaum spoke about confronting the mental health crisis, cultivating community, and nurturing youth wellness, which the organization has prioritized for nearly three decades. The summit featured activists, leaders, and cultural figures, including Simone Biles and Taraji P. Henson, and Teen Vogue Editor-in-Chief Versha Sharma.
Barbie celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the changemakers whose stories helped shape the world and continue to inspire generations.
In tribute to the newest honoree in the Barbie Inspiring Women line, writer Isabel Allende, Barbie is donating $25,000 to Girls Write Now to help the next generation write their own stories.
An estimated 70% of the country’s literary arts organizations are located in New York State, with the largest concentration based in the city. The leaders of these groups share the responsibility to represent literature for the nation, and they will be gathering to find inspiration at Girls Write Now on September 16-17.
Girls Write Now participants can receive a discount code to attend New York Film Festival screenings
In a list highlighting new releases for Book Riot, Girls Write Now mentor Erica Ezeifedi praised Here & Now: the Girls Write Now 2024 Anthology, saying “If you’d like to see the future of writing, and help an amazing nonprofit, I highly recommend getting a copy.”
Ezeifedi has been a mentor at Girls Write Now for two years, during which time she has experienced the incredible talent of the young writers in the community.
“In every workshop I’ve done since starting with the organization a couple years ago, I’ve been blown away with the level of writing coming from high schoolers.”
Dinner is served! Vineapple, a beloved restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, is donating a portion of the proceeds from their Monday dinner service to Girls Write Now throughout September. Whether it’s date night, friends’ night, or a writing meet up, send some love to us (and your tastebuds) by visiting Vineapple.
Mentee Ayah Al-Masyabi recently published an essay, “The Weight of Uncertainty” in The Mantlepiece, a monthly literary journal, featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, travel writing, book reviews, light verse, and poetry.
Mentee alum Erika Jing recently won the Auburn Witness Prize for her poem, “Follow.”
Girls Write Now is proud to support the inaugural LKBF Latinx Storytellers Conference in NYC on September 13-14, 2024.
Girls Write Now mentees attended NBCUniversal’s two-day Career Inspiration Camp.
Girls Write Now mentees Nyilah Thomas, Mia Lindenburg, and Tara Lago performed at the New York City Poetry Festival on Governor’s Island.
Girls Write Now mentee Ilana Drake and Anthology Committee member and mentor Patricia Rossi represented Girls Write Now at the Gold Coast Book Festival in Oyster Bay, sponsored by Theodore’s Books.
