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 Pre-Enroll in a Spring 2027 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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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.
