Summer 2025
College & MFA Preparation
Preparing an application for college or graduate school can be a daunting experience. Join us for a Journey that unpacks everything you need to know about finding college and graduate school programs, applying to school, preparing personal essays, and getting the most out of your college or graduate school experience. (Mentees: ages 14-18; Mentors: sophomores or above in college, ages 19+ )
Girls Write Now Collaboratory
This Journey Is Closed, but You Can Pre-Enroll in a Summer 2026 Journey Now!
Requirements
- Attend Journey meetings.
- Write a personal statement or statement of purpose.
- Create a creative writing portfolio in your chosen genre (for those interested in MFA applications).
- Reach out to recommenders for letters of recommendations.
College & MFA Preparation Courses
In the College & MFA Preparation course, you will tackle the often-daunting process of applying to college and graduate school. You will narrow down your list of preferred schools, finalize your application materials—especially your personal statement and/or statement of purpose—and identify what you want from your ideal college experience.
College & MFA Preparation Mentoring
Mentors and mentees in the College & MFA Preparation Journey will be matched for one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two sessions each month. Each session should be at least one hour long. Mentors will work on applying for MFAs while mentees will be working on college applications and learning about potential graduate school paths.
College & MFA Preparation Community Experiences
Mentors and mentees in the College and MFA Preparation Journey must attend at least one Community Experience per month. They are expected to attend meetings that are specifically required for College and MFA Preparation. It is strongly recommended that they attend Exploratory Community Studios, College & Career Chats, and Salon Experiences.
College 360 Adventure
The College & MFA Preparation Journey is a part of the College 360 Adventure.
Journeys in the College 360 Adventure focus on the process of getting into college and making the most of your college experience. It is perfect for mentees and mentors who are applying to college or are in college currently.
Learn more about the other Adventures offered at Girls Write Now below.
Find Your Journey
Find Your Journey
The Lead Incubator (Fall 2024-Spring 2025)
The Lead Incubator is a crucial extension of the Lead Community Change journey, offering mentees the space, resources, and support needed to implement their project plans and drive meaningful change in their communities. It acts as a dynamic platform where they can turn their ideas into action. Mentees participating in the Lead Incubator focus on advancing their community-based social activism projects with the support of their mentors and Girls Write Now’s resources. They will take on leadership roles, facilitate a community studio, and develop an episode of the Lead Podcast, interviewing an expert relevant to their project’s cause.
Screenwriting (Spring 2025)
The Screenwriting Journey is an immersive program designed for aspiring screenwriters eager to master the art and craft of storytelling for the screen. Whether one dreams of writing for Hollywood blockbusters, indie films, or television series, this program provides a comprehensive exploration of the essential elements and techniques of screenwriting. By the end of the Journey, participants will have developed a solid foundation in screenwriting, equipped with the tools and knowledge to start crafting their own compelling stories for film. Whether you're new to screenwriting or looking to enhance your existing skills, join us on this creative exploration and bring their cinematic visions to life.
Poetry (Spring 2025)
Join us for an immersive journey into the art and craft of poetry through the lens of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, renowned for its dedication to celebrating African American poetic traditions. The curriculum draws inspiration from the rich legacy of African American poetry, reflecting on themes of history, identity, social justice, and personal narrative. Mentees will have the chance to interact with guest poets, participate in workshops, and collaborate on creative projects that challenge and inspire their own poetic expression.
Advocacy Journalism (Spring 2025)
Leverage creativity and interest in world events, storytelling, and media technology to help shape society. You’ll learn how journalists pitch stories, interview subjects, write news articles and maintain high ethical standards. Great for mentees who would like to be journalists.
Love Well (Spring 2025)
The Love Well Journey focuses on building self-esteem and confidence through increased self-awareness and empowerment within the Girls Write Now community. Using guided prompts to elicit metacognitive writing, journal entries to encourage self-reflection, and specially tailored courses to promote further learning, this journey will guide you to explore your feelings in a structured and safe way.
Perspectives on Publishing & Marketing (Spring 2025)
Learn about the different ways to publish creative work and the fundamentals of marketing yourself and your creations. This Journey will take mentees and mentors through the process of publishing from beginning to end. This is a great opportunity to learn about the publishing industry from employees who work in in the field. Perfect for mentees who would like to be published or work in publishing. With the information gained in this Journey, you will be ready to enter the publishing industry as employees and writers. You will have the knowledge you need to create change in an industry that needs your fresh perspectives.
Perspectives on Editorial (Spring 2025)
Embrace editing as an essential aspect of writing in this journey that leads you through lessons and experiences that explore everything from line edits and grammar to the psychology of revision. Great for individuals who are interested in honing their skills for editing their own creative work (and the work of others!)
Audio Storytelling (Spring 2025)
The Audio Storytelling Journey is for mentees and mentors who want to learn about the ways publishing companies create audio books and other audible content for publication.
Perspectives on Public Policy (Fall 2024-Spring 2025)
The Perspectives on Public Policy Journey offers a comprehensive overview of public policy and its role in addressing societal challenges with a focus on inequalities, public policy frameworks, design, analysis, and justification.
Investigative Podcasts (Fall 2024-Spring 2025)
In this journey, you’ll collaborate as a production team to produce a podcast series about the Cop City project that includes research, pitching episodes, outlining episodes, hosting the podcast, and editing. We’ll try to understand why these cop cities are popping up, why people are resisting their construction, and different ideas around what makes a community “safe.” Great for mentees who are interested in social justice, journalism, and podcasting.
