Bridging Divides
If we can't talk to each other, how will we solve the world's problems?
Invest in an organization that specializes in forging relationships, mentoring between generations, empowering voices across identities, training writers of all disciplines to persuasively communicate with each other—ultimately advancing democracy by building a national community of innovative, compassionate, and adaptive thinkers and leaders. This is the work Girls Write Now is laser-focused on—with a nearly three decade-long track record of success. Today, people feel farther apart than ever before. Here, you can read the stories of how we bring them together—and secure our work to bridge divides for generations to come.
Open New Lines of Communication. Bridge Divides. Advance Democracy. Give to Girls Write Now.
How We Bridge Divides
Winnie Holzman, Girls Write Now Honoree
Bridging Divides & Defying Gravity
Co-writer of Wicked the Musical, co-writer of films Wicked and Wicked: For Good, and creator of the TV-series My So-Called Life
When you head to the theaters to see Wicked: For Good, be sure to thank the woman behind the curtain…Girls Write Now Honoree and Co-Writer of the Wicked movie and musicals, Winnie Holzman. Like Girls Write Now does with our multigenerational community, Winnie bridges divides by encouraging writers to fly high and envision a future of their design.
“I’m here because when I was younger…wiser writers who I really looked up to encouraged me, and their encouragement changed my world. They helped me to take myself more seriously. And the only way I can ever repay them and honor their memory is to be a source of that encouragement to other writers.”
About Bridging Divides
When we stretch beyond the reach of our hands, take risks to see people, places, and things in ways far broader than the obvious, when we invest, deeply, in order to build trust, we have the opportunity to engage in cordial, civil conversations, forgetting what should tear us apart in favor of all we have in common.
Remember the rules of the playground? There were no prerequisites—only a willingness to play. Welcome to Bridging Divides. Led by Girls Write Now’s mission and our values, we’re exploring new ways to tell the stories we’ve been telling for nearly three decades, continuing to break down barriers, in order to mentor, teach, and connect writers and leaders across disciplines and around the nation and the world.
Each of us holds a unique essence, the specific, sacred identities that we claim as individuals shape the perspectives we hold and the stories we tell. Too often, the differences between us cast shadows and build walls to separate our hearts from one another. But in these stories, a variety of differences are celebrated: a girl and a god discuss the concept of loneliness, siblings explore the nuances of neurodivergence, a granddaughter reaches back through generations to learn about her grandmother’s childhood, a student embraces the academic culture of a another country, and many more. In each of these pieces, written by members of the Girls Write Now community, walls are taken down and the divides between us are bridged.
Stories On Bridging Divides
different, not wrong.
By Arpitha Sistla
Being the older sister of a younger brother with autism has been both challenging and gratifying. Throughout the years, I’ve learned many lessons from my brother on empathy, identity, and understanding.
Lessons in Pottery and Growing Up
By Min Hollweck
This piece was created to honor my childhood spent with my grandmother.
Reflections On A Semester Abroad in Copenhagen
By Allison Su
This piece offers reflections on my semester abroad in Copenhagen, highlighting the class that changed how I think about everything and how it will continue to impact me.
Confinements of Society
By Jana Elsayed
This is a college essay about diversity, confinement and the upbringing within a small, narrow-minded community.
Sonder
By Rogerline Christopher
Sonder is one of those weird feelings you experienced but couldn’t put a name too. Sonder is the realization that every random person is living a life as complex and vivid as your own.
A Guide to Telling the Tale of Two Cities
By Kailah Trice
I’ve written a scholarship essay showing how I’d bring a diverse perspective to NYU. I’ve shared my experiences growing up in Jamaica and America, my love of sharing knowledge and my love of writing.
The Power of Language
By Joey Chen
I learned to articulate my dreams and my fears… Most importantly, this is how I learned to imagine and create for myself a world in which I wanted to live.
Masala Spaghetti
By Shreya Darji
A piece about learning to love your culture your own way, and love yourself for who you are.
Love as Fragile as Time
By Andrea Judan
A young woman and a mysterious old god pay each other visits to the forest every now and then, and this time the woman asks the masked god a more personal question…
Her House Becomes Relic
By Emma Kushnirsky
I go to my grandma’s suburban New Jersey house for the first time in a while. She doesn’t live there anymore; she’s dead.
i’m afraid You’ll end up seeing me the way i see myself
By Nyilah Thomas
One by one, her words vanished until there were none le–
Pair Spotlights
Alex Ewing & Elizabeth Stone
Mentee Alex Ewing and her mentor Elizabeth Stone may come from opposite ends of the country and have a 50-year age gap, but when they meet up over coffee, a good book, or an in-depth Twilight presentation, they’re thick as thieves.
Neither knew what to expect when they joined Girls Write Now for the Summer 2025 cycle, but both wanted community and collaboration to shape their creative practices. In their second cycle together in the Collaboratory, they’ve only grown closer, each gaining new insights, perspectives, and hope for their future together and in their own creative practices.
Girls Write Now Mentee
Alex Ewing
“When I first learned I got [Elizabeth] as my mentor, all my friends said how perfect it was that I ended up with an ‘old lady,’ since they’ve always joked about how I’m a grandma or grandpa because of how I am. We have a very similar sense of humor and we could both go on and on about books.”
Girls Write Now Mentor
Elizabeth Stone
“[Alex] and I are both cat-lovers, and I think that we’re also very much alike—in our senses of humor and readiness to laugh. There are obvious differences between us, though I don’t know if they’re significant. When we go to diners, [they] gravitate toward whipped cream, while I go for bacon. [Alex is] 20-something, and from the South; I’m 70-something and from the North. [They] grew up in a religious Christian household and were homeschooled. I went to public school in Brooklyn. My mom was Catholic, my dad was Jewish, and they raised me as a Lutheran. Go figure! I haven’t yet seen if, underneath the similarities, we’re markedly different.”
Irene Cho & Alexis Grusby
American college student Alexis and South Korean high school student Irene push each other to new creative heights. Irene improves her writing through discussions with Alexis, and Alexis continues to expand her worldview from talking to Irene.
Girls Write Now Peer Mentee
Irene Cho
“Alexis has helped me become more reflective and insightful not only in writing but in the way I go about life. During our writing process of my narrative story about the Korean board game Omok, especially in our brainstorming stages, Alexis guided me in directions that I had not taken before, asking me questions that required me to sit down and reflect on what I truly thought. It’s made me embrace as a writer and a student a more vulnerable side of myself that I do not often explore!”
Girls Write Now Peer Mentee
Alexis Grusby
“Irene has taught me to look at life from a more beautiful angle. We recently worked on a narrative essay together where she compared her life to a game of Omok. I had never heard of Omok, and I got to learn all about it from her and her writing. She opens me up to new ideas and comparisons I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Her essay was a beautiful metaphor, and I want to think about life the way she does.”
Valentina Di-Majo & Mary Fister
Mentee Valentina Di-Majo and mentor Mary Fister bridge divides as a pair with distinct cultural backgrounds from different regions of the country, and nearly a 60-year age gap between them.
Girls Write Now Mentee
Valentina Di-Majo
“I truly believe Mary and I could speak for days on end if given the opportunity. From Substack recommendations to sharing our mutual love for cats, our meetings are a form of escapism I look forward to every week. I am beyond grateful for her support and mentorship. Through her guidance, I have been able to grow as a writer and learn the importance of balance. Mary is an inspiration and a brilliant individual. It has been a gift to get to know her this year!”
Girls Write Now Mentor
Mary Fister
“Valentina’s glow was obvious from our first FaceTime conversation. I knew right away that we had found a strong connection. Her glow emanates from her dedication to and love for all that she is immersed in: writing, reading, and playing the violin. She shares her phenomenal non-fiction pieces that are an honor to read. She intends to major in writing in college, then go on to graduate school. She has inspired me to write some non-fiction. We talk weekly; she is a huge bright spot, and I am profoundly grateful that I am part of her ongoing blossoming.”
