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 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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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)
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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.
Fashion Forward: Exploring a Sustainable Future (Spring 2027)
This Journey invites participants to explore the intersection of fashion and sustainability, examining how style, ethics, and environmental responsibility can coexist.
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.
Indigenous Poetry (Spring 2027)
Explore the rich traditions and contemporary voices of Indigenous poetry. Mentees and mentors will read and discuss poems by Indigenous poets that reflect identity, culture, land, community, resilience, and storytelling. Alongside close reading, participants will write original poems inspired by these works, experimenting with imagery, voice, form, and personal expression. Through discussion and creative practice, they will explore how poetry can honor heritage, preserve stories, and illuminate both personal and collective experiences. Mentees and mentors will take away a deeper appreciation of Indigenous poetic traditions, strengthened creative writing skills, and a greater understanding of poetry as a tool for connection and expression.
