On Friday June 14th, in an overflowing auditorium in SoHo, more than three hundred audience members roared as our girls took to the stage one last time in 2013. It was the grand finale of our CHAPTERS Reading Series, in partnership with publishers Open Road, Penguin Group, Random House Children’s Books, and Writers House — and in our 15th anniversary year, it was bigger and better than ever.
From sweet and sour chicken and sci-fi chillers to tales of despair and poems reinforcing resolution, mentees and mentors stepped up to the mic and proved again and again just how powerful their words can be. Each reading was masterfully emcee-ed by active and alum mentees and mentors, who all shared a little bit of their own special Girls Write Now story.
Each reading started with words of wisdom and inspiration from our first-class guest authors, Sonia Manzano, Adele Griffin, Gayle Forman, and Marcia Ann Gillespie who helped draw crowds of over a thousand throughout the series.
We couldn’t possibly show you all the magic of CHAPTERS in one short blog post, so instead, check out our snapshots of each reading. With videos of our guest authors, samples of pieces, and photo galleries galore, you won’t feel like you’ve missed a thing from March, April, May, or June. Plus, browse the blog and find out what it’s like to step onto that stage and to meet some of our girls who graduated this year.
Check out Najaya’s passionate poem about self-confidence and beauty:
In April, Adele Griffin and mentor-mentee pair Hadia and Carmin talked about what a community like Girls Write Now means to them:
Plus, get a look behind the scenes: what’s it like to stand in the spotlight and read your work before a huge audience?
View Photos:
With Thanks To:
Girls Write Now is incredibly grateful to the lead sponsor of our 2013 reading series, Open Road Integrated Media, and to our other generous CHAPTERS sponsors: Penguin Group; Random House Children’s Books; and Writers House. Additional thanks to our host, Scholastic, and to magazine sponsor Ms. The series would not have been possible without our Readings Committee and Youth Board, Aehee Kang Asano, Mike Furth, Ed Gourdine, Chloe Griffasi, Dea Jenkins, Lauren Harms, Tom Hunt, Dave Shuff, and Mike Sutter. Thanks also to our deeply committed Board of Directors and Program Advisory Committee; our tireless staff, volunteer committees, and interns; and our countless individual donors.