Spring 2025
Read: Memoir
Each cycle, we’ll close read a new book and discuss it at monthly fixed meetings. We’ll focus, in particular, on reading as writers and taking note of the ways each author crafts their story. This cycle, we’ll be reading How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair.
Girls Write Now Collaboratory
This Journey is Closed, but You Can Apply for a Fall 2026 Journey Now!
Learning Objectives
Apply to Join
Deadline: January 15, 2025
As a mentee or mentor in the Read: Memoir Journey, you’ll have access to a collection of online mini courses designed to support a close read of How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair. You’ll be paired with a mentee or mentor for one full cycle, and you’ll meet with them at least twice each month. You’ll attend at least one community engagement experience a month – there are many to choose from to accommodate all of your interests and everyone’s schedules.
- Cycle(s) Spring 2025
- Time 3 hours per month
- Areas of Focus Memoir, publishing, reading
- Requirement Produce an original piece showcasing what home means to you
- Available Spots Per Cycle 20
Read: Memoir Course
In this course, participants will explore themes of identity, displacement, and the complexities of language and culture. Through engaging with Sinclair’s evocative storytelling, students will reflect on their own experiences of home, belonging, and the intersections of personal and collective histories. The course encourages participants to use writing as a tool for self-expression, helping them develop their unique voice while deepening their understanding of how stories shape both individual identities and broader societal movements.
Read: Memoir Mentoring
Mentees and mentors in the Read: Memoir Journey will be matched for one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two hour-long sessions each month.
Read: Memoir Community Experiences
Community experiences in the Read: Memoir Journey include Peer Affinity Groups, course-specific workshops, Salons, and Book Club. Mentees and mentors in the Read: Memoir Journey must attend at the following journey meetings:
- March 15, 12-1 pm ET
- March 29, 12-1 pm ET
- April 12, 12-1 pm ET
- April 26, 12-1 pm ET
- May 24, 12-1 pm ET
Read 360 Adventure
Read: Historical Fiction belongs to the Read 360 Adventure.
Journeys in this Adventure focus on close readings of books and creative works in community with other writers. Think of it as a Girls Write Now book club!
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Everything Is a Story: Nonfiction that Reads like Fiction (Fall 2026)
In this Journey, mentees and mentors will explore the ways in which creative storytelling techniques can be applied to nonfiction writing of all kinds, from memoir and personal essay to op-ed and how-to articles. We will dive into what makes a story—from structural archetypes to writing that flows—and learn how to harness the power of story to make nonfiction compelling and transformative.
Wild Ideas: Nature, Science & Creativity (Fall 2026)
Created in honor of Helen Ghiradella, the biologist who uncovered the hidden architecture of butterfly wings, this Journey invites you, mentor and mentee, to explore the natural world through the complementary lenses of scientific inquiry and creative expression. Through close observation, research, and reflection, you'll investigate the forms, patterns, and processes found in nature, then build an original project—writing, visual art, media, performance, music, or a form of your own choosing—that celebrates where these disciplines meet. Along the way, you'll sharpen your powers of observation, stretch your interdisciplinary thinking, and develop the ability to translate scientific understanding into meaningful art.
Hooked on Fiction: Story Structures for Plotters, Pantsers, & Plantsers (Fall 2026)
In this Journey, we’ll tackle one of the most daunting parts of novel writing: the opening chapter. Participants will explore how to hook readers while establishing character, setting, and stakes—asking big questions like where to begin and how to share key details without overload.
Building Buzz: Publicity in the Publishing Industry (Fall 2026)
This Journey explores how social media—especially TikTok’s BookTok community—has transformed the publishing industry.
The Power of Punchlines: Stand-Up Comedy for Change (Fall 2026)
In this Journey, mentors and mentees will explore the power of comedy as a tool for social change, with a special focus on stand-up comedy. From climate change and economic inequality to LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and mental health, participants will learn how to write and perform material that blends humor with meaningful social critique.
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion (Fall 2026)
In this Journey, you—mentor and mentee—will build essential skills in public speaking, argumentation, and critical thinking. Through hands-on activities and lively discussion, you'll learn to craft persuasive speeches, construct well-reasoned arguments, and present your ideas with confidence. You'll explore what makes communication land, sharpen your thinking under pressure, and practice responding to perspectives unlike your own in a structured setting. By the end, you'll be able to make your case clearly, engage in dialogue that goes somewhere, and carry these skills into academic, professional, and civic life.
Independent Study (Fall 2026)
Create your own experience with our Independent Study Journey. Mentors and mentees meet as a pair, attend events of interest, and use coursework to help plan creative projects and meet your goals.
Lead Community Change (Fall 2026)
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 Girls Write Now’s rich storytelling resources.
Dark Tales: A Horror Book Club (Fall 2026)
Step into the shadows of horror and discover what makes a story truly unsettling. Across three monthly book club meetings, you—mentor and mentee—will dig into close readings and lively discussion of selected works, examining how authors build suspense, conjure atmosphere, evoke fear, and use the genre to probe deeper social, psychological, and cultural questions. Together you'll unpack narrative technique, character development, and the many shapes the genre can take. By summer's end, you'll have a richer appreciation for horror, sharper critical instincts as readers, and a store of inspiration and craft to carry into your own writing. Required books this cycle: Dark Is When the Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce, The Body by Bethany C. Morrow, and I'll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel.
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.
