Summer 2026
Book Club: Fantasy
This Journey offers an immersive dive into contemporary literature, shifting from passive reading to a strategic analysis of a writer’s craft. Over the course of three monthly meetings, you will engage in close readings of selected texts, dissecting how authors build intricate worlds and develop complex character arcs. Through collaborative discussions and the application of literary frameworks, you will connect narrative themes to broader historical and modern contexts. By the end of the summer, you will have sharpened your critical eye and gained a suite of storytelling techniques to inform and elevate your own creative work. The required books this cycle are Katabasis by R. F. Kuang, Call of the Dragon by Natasha Bowen, and When They Burned the Butterfly by Wen-Yi Lee.
Girls Write Now Collaboratory
This Journey is Closed, but You Can Pre-Enroll in a Spring 2027 Journey Now!
Book Club: Fantasy Community Experiences
Mentees and mentors in this Journey must attend the monthly 90-minute Journey Meetings.
Journey Meeting Dates:
- Thursday, July 30, 2026, 7:30 – 9 PM ET
- Thursday, August 27, 2026, 7:30 – 9 PM ET
- Thursday, September 24, 2026, 7:30 – 9 PM ET
If you’re unable to attend a Journey Meeting, you must notify your Staff Lead in advance and attend a community event to make up for it—strongly recommended options include Exploratory Community Studios, College & Career Chats, and Salon Experiences.
Book Club: Fantasy Courses
Book Club: Fantasy
This course is designed to help develop critical thinking skills, engage with literary criticism, and form a reading practice. Specific topics range from active reading to review writing to connecting stories to current events.
Book Club: Fantasy Mentoring
Mentees and mentors in the Book Club: Fantasy Journey will be matched for one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two hour-long sessions each month. Mentees will work on a review of one of the books read during the cycle, while mentors will offer support and guidance throughout the process. This Journey is open to both mentor-mentee pairs and peer-to-peer pairs.
Learning Objectives
Journey Teaching Artist
What Past Participants Have to Say
Read 360
Journeys in the Read 360 Adventure focus on close readings of books and creative works in community with other writers. Think of them as a Girls Write Now book club!
Book Club: Fantasy is a Journey in the Read 360 Adventure.
Explore All Journeys
Explore All Journeys
Explore Tour (Fall 2026)
Explore all of the creative and storytelling pathways Girls Write Now has to offer through a multimedia, multi-genre experience that includes mini courses, exploratory studios, and one-to-one pair sessions.
Teach GWN (Fall 2026)
In this Journey, members of the GWN community will develop curriculum and facilitate a community studio for one or more cycles within GWN’s Collaboratory structure.
The Career Journey: Inside Book Publishing (Fall 2026)
This Journey is for mentors curious about breaking into publishing, mentors already in the industry who want to pass on what they know, and mentees serious about building a career in books. Together you'll map the roles across publishing houses and literary agencies and get into the nuts and bolts of what each one actually does.
Explore Tour (Spring 2027)
Explore Girls Write Now’s creative and storytelling pathways through a multimedia, multi-genre experience featuring mini courses, exploratory studios, and one-to-one pair sessions. Develop skills across fiction, journalism, publishing, video, podcasting, visual storytelling, and more.
Independent Study (Spring 2027)
Create your own experience with our Independent Study Journey. Mentees and mentors meet as a pair, attend events of interest, and use coursework to support creative projects and personal goals. Along the way, you can connect with others during a mid-cycle mixer designed to spark inspiration, share ideas, and build community. The Journey culminates in a showcase where participants present the work they have developed throughout the cycle and celebrate their accomplishments together. Mentees and mentors will benefit by gaining greater independence in their learning, deepening their creative practice, and building meaningful connections while pursuing self-directed goals.
Teach GWN (Spring 2027)
In this Journey, members of the GWN community will develop curriculum and facilitate a Community Studio for one or more cycles within GWN’s Collaboratory structure. Each cycle involves facilitating three Community Studios, one per month. Mentees and mentors will gain valuable skills in leadership, teaching, and community building. Mentees and mentors can facilitate a Community Studio either independently (if they are 18 or older) or together as a pair.
Screenwriting: Crafting Short Film Stories (Spring 2027)
This two-cycle Journey guides participants from crafting a short film script to bringing it to life on screen. In the first cycle, mentors and mentees focus on developing compelling stories, dynamic characters, and engaging dialogue, learning the essentials of screenwriting for short films. In the second cycle, participants move from script to screen, exploring the practical aspects of video production, including planning, collaboration, and bringing their creative vision to life. By the end of the journey, mentees will have both a polished script and hands-on experience in producing their own short film.
Life Lines: Crafting Memoir (Part 1) (Spring 2027)
In this three-cycle Journey, writers will get the support and expert industry insight they need to write their memoir. In the first three-month cycle, participants will outline, structure their book, and begin their first drafts; in the second three-month cycle, participants will write and workshop their drafts; and in the third cycle, participants will finish their drafts and write their book proposals.
Lead Community Change (Part 2) (Spring 2027)
Lead Community Change is a dynamic two-cycle Journey that harnesses the transformative power of storytelling to drive social impact. Aspiring young leaders and activists will unleash their creativity to develop and implement innovative community-based social activism projects, supported by GWN’s rich storytelling resources.
Speak Your Truth: Spoken Word Poetry (Spring 2027)
Explore the power of spoken word poetry as a form of storytelling, self-expression, and social commentary.
