Poetry is not confined to books. It does not strictly belong to a seventeenth-century British poet and his endless sonnets. Poetry is the ache of a single mother’s back, the slight brush of your crush’s hand against yours, the tears in your eyes when you kiss your old life goodbye and embrace your new one. Poetry is people and more importantly, poetry is you.
—Mentee Kilhah St. Fort
Sounds—we hear them all the time in the city, but we don’t necessarily register how much of an important role they play in our understanding of our surroundings. This piece is about sounds you hear...
When you think about living in the Bronx you may conjure up a vision of a nasty place. For me, it’s just the opposite; it’s a place of peace and comfort. I really hope my...
A Slice of Life By Christine Yan, Writing 360 Mentee Growing up in a fairly homogenous community, I found it difficult to embrace my cultural background. Recently, I’ve started to explore its manifestations through the...
I was born and raised in Manhattan, which has given me such an interesting and unique perspective on life. I have always wanted to document all my life experiences in a way where I can...
What was once the largest landfill in the world before closing in 2001 happens to be within my hometown and community of Staten Island. Since then, the landscape has been engineered to become the largest...
An exploration of ghostly subway rides during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Da Bronx is a piece that depicts where I am from. A place near and dear to my heart.
Thanksgiving at my aunt’s house in Greenpoint is an entirely memorable experience due to the eccentric details filling every room for an environment reflecting my aunt’s comforts and conflicts.
Greenpoint is a magical place, tucked away at the very Northern tip of Brooklyn, where it borders Queens and the East River. The transport isn’t always favorable, but Greenpoint’s beauty is apparent as stunning views...
This piece talks about my relationships with nature and my parents in order to explore my feelings toward living in New York City.
A look into 2020 through the diverse eyes of interviewees from New York City. These interviewees describe their thoughts and experiences living through the pandemic.
We wrote two poems about our relationship to our residing borough, Queens. (Lilly is a lifelong native and Toni moved to Astoria five years ago.)
Shuttling between two neighborhoods, Flushing, Queens, and the Upper East Side, this story follows a girl’s journey to school. Along her commute, she discovers her identity and the meaning of hard work and perseverance.
I was inspired to write this piece in December 2020 when I was absorbing the Christmas spirit in a shut-down New York City.
A poem about our two neighborhoods in New York and our experiences inhabiting the city in our own particular lenses.
Two women, quarantining apart for a year, exchange disposable cameras and the stories of lost-and-found parts of their worlds, eight miles apart. These are the stories they uncovered.
A kind-hearted eccentric gentleman is hoodwinked by his naive gesture and a glittering gem in a dusty New York shop.
The Princess of New York City struggles to literally find her voice and come into her inheritance—a stutter, and the power to speak.
I tried to be different this year and not make a piece about me or my family but I failed terribly. This piece shows how I am no different from anyone and how I can...
In this piece you are about to read, I am telling you more about who I am and exploring all the layers of my identity. I use the words “I am” to highlight the different...
When I was told I would have to write an essay about myself as part of my college application I was convinced I couldn’t do it. I had always avoided writing that involved telling my...
I first started out with just a rush of memories of the garden, then I organized those memories into seasons and turned five pages from my collage journal into representations of those seasons and memories.
I put together this collection of photos as a tribute to the places that are part of my life and feel like home. For me, home is both places and emotions. That is why I...
I wrote this poem about my favorite park. It’s a big milestone in my life because I went to this park as a child.
In the socially distanced era of six feet apart, two Brooklyn-based writers celebrate the beauty and history of their everyday worlds in this visual diary.
No matter the obstacle, if you believe in yourself and focus on where you want to be, you will be the rose that overcame all odds.
There’s an untold story behind every woman.
Felicity Quinton never would have thought babysitting her sister’s children would result in a wild goose chase around New York City. But, life is full of surprises (tall, dark, and handsome surprises).
An evocative piece of flash fiction meant to draw the reader into the author’s encounter with a so-called subway creep.
I was scrolling on social media and my eye caught a rather shocking headline. This poem is about the article I read and how very serious news is made palatable.
This is a poem about where I’m from as a 16-year-old, born and raised in Queens, New York in a small family of four.
WNYC Transmitter Park is a staple afternoon park for many, located at the bank of the East River. When observing the park and Greenpoint overall, I realize just how much it’s changed.
A tale of an immigrant’s adjustment to New York City and the impacts of childhood and cultural board games.
The city is full of sights and sounds, so maybe it is time we look around. On a journey in hopes to make others notice, I present to you my little green notebook.
Growing up as a daughter of resturant owners, I explore the shame of not having parents that could dedicate their time to me and the realization of the sacrifices they made for my happiness.
A love story that begins in an impossible subway scenario that ends with a sweet surprise.
This piece is at heart a study of me, a view from inside my room and inside my mind.
My goal for the summer of 2022 was to ride a bike in Manhattan’s Midtown/Lower East Side. While writing other pieces, I was inspired to replenish a childhood dream I did not continue.
What sacrifices did we make during the pandemic to sustain our parental relationships? What kind of person have you become since then?
New York skyscrapers are far from the sky-scraping Smoky Mountains, and in combining our stories, we shared our fierce pride for our homes and the inherent poetry there is in growing up in these places.
Lena and Courtney are both New Yorkers—but they live in different boroughs: Brooklyn and Staten Island. After a year spent on Zoom, they gave one another tours of their respective corners of the city.
吃飯 (HEK-FAN) New York is a series of video essays that follows the format of an abecedary, documenting personal stories of food and culture between a pair of friends.
You do not expect
the kindness. It comes
in splashes, like an outpour
after a long drought.
Jane Patrick is a college senior living in New York City who sets up a Tinder account to track how small details affect the number of her potential matches.
Learn how to write first love in all its complexities with YA author Melissa See. Through having a conversation about...
Explore self-awareness, overcoming adversity, and embracing your authenticity at all costs with former White House Social Secretary and author Deesha...
Learn about the art of crying and the creative journey involved in crafting autobiographical comics with illustrator and visual artist...
Join two-time national Audie Award winner Melania Luisa Marte as she explores the magic of poetry and plants.
Learn why writing from experience and empathy are such powerful tools in defending reproductive rights with activist and author Merle...
Learn how vulnerability through writing can give way to a deeper examination of societal issues with poet and writer Morgan...
Learn how language can help us imagine and embody new worlds with author Ross Gay.
Learn the importance of telling your story in your own voice and how to overcome the challenges of writing a...
Join Manga writer and illustrator Misako Rocks! as she leads an all-skills level welcome Manga lesson—which includes drawing by hand!...
Learn how exploring complex emotions associated with tragedy can create a poignant story with author and mentee alum, Joy L....
Learn how to channel the senses on the page with the author of ten critically acclaimed novels, Bernice L. McFadden.
Join Yasmine Cheyenne as she explains how to deal with feedback & be compassionately honest with ourselves.
Explore belonging through magical realism with Alexandra Méndez, author of What The Jaguar Told Her.
Join mentor and bestselling author Donna Hill as she leads us through the intricacies of writing about romance.
Uncover history through the tales of those dear to you with Michelle Duster, author of Ida B. the Queen.
Join TV writer and author Elle Johnson as she shares turning a family tragedy into a heart-wrenching story of love.
Join New York Times bestselling author Qian Julie Wang as she leads us through the process of writing a memoir.
Learn from graphic novelist Kate Gavino how to create a graphic novel that illustrates the industry!
Break down the prescriptive norms of being “girl.”
Learn how to honor and celebrate the important figures in your own life with Gigi Coleman.
Learn how to find and accentuate conflict and tension with Natalie Baszile, author of Queen Sugar.
Find a new way into your story in this micro narrative writing workshop with Darien Hsu Gee.
Learn how to write fiction using your lived experiences with Daphne Palasi Andreades.
Learn how to break down simple conversations into dazzling narrative stories with Amistad’s Abby West and Podcast Host Rebecca Carroll.
Make new meaning from what matters most to you with writing prompts designed to dig up the details.
Use your memories to write Historical Fiction with Emily Neuberger, mentor and author of new novel A Tender Thing.
Indulge your fictional half with the New York Times bestselling author Brit Bennett.
Dive into podcasting with the renowned therapist behind Therapy For Black Girls.
Experiment with voice and character dimension with the author of Lakewood.
You don’t need to be a musician to write great lyrics. Turn heartbreak into art in this songwriting Salon.
Freewrite to uncover a thematic thread for your collection with inspiration from Jasmine’s experience growing up in Newark, NJ.
Learn how to make your writing sound as authentic as possible!
Learn to turn your most embarrassing experiences into comedy gold.
Discover what home and belonging mean to you with actor, singer, writer, and producer Sepideh Moafi.
Write young adult fiction with author Amy Zhang, who published her first novel at age 18.
Learn about the history of Hip-Hop and write love poems with writer, poet, and youth worker Sam Arriozola.
Learn how to start small to write a novel with Keisha Bush, author of No Heaven for Good Boys.
Learn to write high-stakes memoir scenes with Maria Konnikova, New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and professional poker player.
Learn how to use art as protest with TONY nominated playwright Dominique Morisseau.
The ocean has inspired generations of artists and writers. My work is collected in a digital anthology as a continuation of mankind’s love letter to the sea.
This website features a few of the projects I have done in Girls Write Now 2019-2020. They all focus on “small” moments and objects which are normally seen as unimportant. The purpose of these pieces is to highlight the importance of each part of this world, whether or not they may leave their footprint in history.
This poem depicts a dysfunctional relationship in which the protagonist feels constricted by the person they love, but nevertheless wants to be with them. The color schemes and backgrounds used heighten the emotional complexity as well as the aesthetic of the piece. This poem was inspired by many books I have read in which the characters have an unusual romantic relationship, and I wanted to show the intricacy of the emotions the characters feel.
These pieces are erasures of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the national black anthem. My mentor gave me prompts to erase both of them, side by side, after noticing the differences between them.
My erasure poem “Armed Allegiance” represents the immigrant experience. I moved from Mexico to America when I was young, and I know how hard it is to adapt to a new place. The Naturalization Oath is important to me because it reflects the sacrifices my parents made to give me more opportunities in life. I know many undocumented immigrants dream of becoming U.S. citizens and see it as the ultimate achievement. I also wanted this poem to convey how important it is for me to make my parents proud and show them that their hard work was worth it.
I believe that as a leader you can do two things: either dig people deeper into their illusions and create false hope or free them of their social standards and stereotypes to reach their fullest potential.
This poem tumbled out of me on a night when I felt lost and confused in my own mind. This is a compilation of my insecurities and social anxieties; I wanted to write this piece for anyone who needs a reminder that they are not alone.
A big part of women “taking their place in history” involves them stepping outside their comfort zones and being free to express themselves in a patriarchal society. My poem explores this freedom and the mixed emotions that come with this feminist evolution.
My piece was inspired by an article in ZORA, a publication by and for women of color, entitled “Black Women Are Driving a New R&B Resistance” by Mary Retta. Black women’s identities have been degraded for so long that in attempts to uplift us, we’re portrayed as deities instead of human.
When I sat down one November evening and stared at the empty Google Doc on my laptop for 15 minutes straight, I knew I was experiencing burnout. Drafting this piece was quite meta: I struggled to write about my struggle to write.
This is what I imagine my life to be like in 5 years. The future makes me nervous because anything can happen but I remain optimistic always.
This poem is a reflection on what being multiracial means to me and how it impacts the space I occupy in the world.
This poem is about a deeply personal experience I’ve had this year. It’s about feeling bitter, betrayed, and abandoned. And no, it’s not about a romantic relationship.
My inspiration for this piece came after having a deep conversation with someone I trust. I came to the realization that there are two different sides to everyone—including myself.
Thrombocytopenia is a semi-autobiographical poem that details the struggles of a health condition exacerbated by America’s broken health care system. Through the conglomeration of a child’s worst fears, I hope to spur the need for change.
