- This event has passed.
Turning Tragedies into Titles: YA Storytelling with Joy L. Smith
Friday, Mar. 18
6-7:15 PM
online event; open to the public and all mentees & mentors
Join Joy L. Smith, Girls Write Now mentee alumna and Scholastic Gold Key recipient, for a celebration of her raw, humorous, messy, Black girl magic debut YA novel, Turning. Practice writing your own truths and engage in a lively discussion about self-kindness, recognizing unhealthy relationships, and being open to different routes to achieving your dreams.
At Friday Night Salons, a special guest artist shares their personal and professional journey and guides us through a series of inspirational writing prompts.
Meet the Teaching Artist
Joy L. Smith
Joy L. Smith is a childcare professional and lives in Queens, New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, she has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Differences, with a specialization in communication disorders. She’s been writing since she was a teenager and has been mentored by Ibi Zoboi, Radha Blank, and Emma Straub through the Girls Write Now program. Turning is her debut novel.
MORE ABOUT MENTEE ALUM JOY’S NOVEL
In this raw, searingly honest debut young adult novel, a former aspiring ballerina must confront her past in order to move forward from a devastating fall that leaves her without the use of her legs.
Genie used to fouetté across the stage as the star pupil at her exclusive New York dance school, but overnight her bright future as a ballerina is shattered. Now, the only thing she’s turning are the wheels to her wheelchair. Genie must learn healing requires coming out of isolation and confronting life’s darkest secrets, including the most terrifying one: that the accident may not have been so accidental after all.
“A supreme, emotional tour de force that establishes Joy L. Smith as a major talent to watch. TURNING is engrossing, and deeply moving.” – Dana L. Davis., Author of Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now
Available now for purchase!
This event is open to:
all mentees, all mentors and the public