Explore Tour (Summer 2025)
Deadline: May 16, 2025
Explore all of the topics that Girls Write Now has to offer with mini courses, exploratory studios, and one-on-one pair sessions. Discover new skills and build on existing ones with courses and experiences that touch on a range of topics from horror writing to journalism to publishing and much more!
Girls Write Now Collaboratory
This Journey Is Closed, but You Can Pre-Enroll in a Summer 2026 Journey Now!
Requirements
- Complete at least 3 mini online Explore Tour courses.
- Submit 1 piece to be published on the Author Page/Girls Write Now’s website.
- Attend at least 1 Community Engagement Experience per month.
- Complete at least 2 pair sessions per month.
Explore Tour Courses
The Explore Tour offers short courses that introduce different genres and topics that mentees and mentors can explore in further depth in pair sessions, community engagement events, and through more journeys in future cycles.
Courses:
- Horror: Becoming an Architect of Terror
- Making Change: Leading from Where You Are
- Poetry 101
- Magical Realism
Explore Tour Mentoring
Mentors and mentees in the Explore Tour Journey will be matched for one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two hour-long sessions each month.
Explore Tour Community Experiences
Mentors and mentees in the Explore Tour Journey must attend at least one Community Experience per month, such as Exploratory Community Studios, Affinity Group Meetings, College & Career Chats, and Salon Experiences
Explore 360 Adventure
Explore Tour is a Journey in the Explore 360 Adventure.
All Journeys within this Adventure focus on discovering new genres, mediums, and topics to inspire mentees and mentors to create together. Learn more about the other Adventures offered at Girls Write Now below.
Find Your Journey
Find Your Journey
Inimitable Voices in the Age of AI (Spring 2026)
AI can replicate form, but not the glorious quirks of you. Together, we’ll explore the tenets of human inimitability—Play, Empathy, Friction, Serendipity, Physicality—and explore AI tools that amplify (not blur) your unique voice. That wonderful, specific, spiky point of view that each of us has—and that the world needs now more than ever.
Thousand Voices Book Club (Spring 2026)
In partnership with the Thousand Voices imprint, this Journey invites mentors and mentees to explore contemporary literature. Participants will close-read three books and discuss them at monthly Journey Meetings. We’ll focus, in particular, on reading as writers and taking note of the ways each author crafts their story.
Sharpening Your Inimitable Voice in the Age of AI (Fall 2025)
AI can replicate form, but not the glorious quirks of you. Together, we’ll explore the tenets of human inimitability—Play, Empathy, Friction, Serendipity, Physicality—and explore AI tools that amplify (not blur) your unique voice. That wonderful, specific, spiky point of view that each of us has—and that the world needs now more than ever.
Storytelling Across Languages and Cultures (Fall 2025)
This Journey invites multilingual storytellers—and those curious about language, identity, and culture—to explore how the languages we speak and the communities we come from shape our stories. Through writing, discussion, and creative expression, participants will examine the connections between language, culture, and self. The Journey celebrates multilingual voices and empowers participants to honor their perspectives and grow as confident storytellers across cultures.
Perspectives on Media (Fall 2025)
The Perspectives on Media Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work in today’s media ecosystem. It provides insight from media professionals in a variety of fields such as sports journalism, broadcast journalism, true crime podcasting, and more! Participants will also learn how to develop a pitch for a media project of their choice.
Hooked on Fiction: Crafting Your First Chapter (Fall 2025)
In this fiction Journey, our curriculum will focus on opening chapters. The first pages of a novel are some of the most daunting for many writers. There's so much to establish in very few pages—the ones your future readers will flip through to decide if they should keep reading. In this journey, we'll deep dive into the varied ingredients that make a compelling first chapter. We'll examine how to use your limited space to build motivated well-rounded characters, craft palpable stakes, establish a fully-realized setting, create a killer hook, and so much more. We'll tackle big questions, like how to know if you are starting in the right place and how to get all this information onto the page without overwhelming your readers. Whether you're starting a story from scratch or already editing a draft of your novel, join us to develop some impactful opening pages.
Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals (Fall 2025)
The Writing for the Stage: From Plays to Musicals Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work as a writer in today’s theatre industry. This Journey provides insight into the work of a playwright – a deep understanding of live storytelling and professional scripts, plays vs musicals, professional working practices, and employment strategies. We will look to popular musicals such as Wicked for inspiration in creating original pieces. Specific topics range from story structure and formatting scripts to actually seeing a script to fruition.
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion (Fall 2025)
In this one-Cycle Journey, Mentees will develop essential skills in public speaking, argumentation, and critical thinking. Through engaging activities and interactive discussions, participants will learn to craft persuasive speeches, construct well-reasoned arguments, and present their ideas with confidence. They will explore techniques for effective communication, refine their ability to think critically under pressure, and practice responding to diverse perspectives in a structured setting.
Book Club: Page to Stage (Fall 2025)
This Journey invites mentees and mentors to explore classic and contemporary literature through both reading and performance. Participants will read three books and then experience them brought to life through dynamic solo stage adaptations in partnership with Literature to Life (LTL).
Independent Study (Fall 2025)
Create your own experience with our Independent Study Journey. Meet as a pair, attend events of interest, and use coursework to help you plan creative projects and meet your goals.
