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  • Thousand Voices Book Club (Spring 2026)

Spring 2026

Thousand Voices Book Club

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.

Girls Write Now Collaboratory

This Journey is Closed, but You Can Pre-Enroll in a Spring 2027 Journey Now!

Pre-Enroll Now

Thousand Voices Book Club Community Experiences

Participants are required to attend one Journey Live Meetings each month throughout the cycle. Additionally, you can schedule 1:1 office hours with the Journey Instructor for individual assistance as needed.

Spring Cycle Journey Meetings:

  • Saturday, March 28, 2026, 12-1:30 pm ET
  • Saturday, April 25, 2026, 12-1:30 pm ET
  • Saturday, May 23, 2026, 12-1:30 pm ET

If you’re unable to attend a Journey meeting, you must notify your Staff Lead in advance and attend a community event to make up for it—strongly recommended options for this journey include Leadership Community Studios, Community Conversations, and Career Chats.

Journey Circle: Community

Thousand Voices Book Club Courses

Thousand Voices Book Club
This course is designed to help develop critical thinking skills, engage with literary criticism, and form a reading practice. Specific topics range from active reading to review writing to connecting stories to current events.

Writing

Thousand Voices Book Club Mentoring

Mentors and mentees in the Thousand Voices Book Club Journey will be matched for a minimum of one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two hour-long sessions each month. This journey is open to both mentor/mentee pairs and peer-to-peer pairs.

Journey Teaching Artist

Annaya Baynes

Girls Write Now Staff

Annaya Baynes (she/they) is a Community Coordinator. They graduated from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French. As an undergraduate, she worked on Spelman’s social justice podcast, The Blue Record, and the reproductive justice-oriented podcast Black Feminist Rants. Annaya has interned at various publishing houses, including Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and The Feminist Press. They have a deep love for literature and film. She is a Master’s student at NYU’s Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies.

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Book Club

What Past Participants Have to Say

“I really enjoyed being able to read some great books and watch some cool performances.”
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Alejandre Lamas-Nemec Mentee
“[I] learn[ed] new things about myself through being in community with others who love words and language – I knew I would love being a mentor, as I have been one in other capacities, but the specific literary emphasis surprised me in how connected it made me feel with others.”
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Lisa Borten Mentor
“I think seeing the Literature for Life presentations in person was the best. I was able to see incredible performers bridge both theater and literature in beautiful adaptations that I was lucky enough to see in person. I was also able to talk to some of the adults in the audience and have meaningful conversations with some mentors and guests from the public. Many of the people I talked to were much older than me yet we were able to have meaningful and enjoyable conversations. I probably would never have seen the performances or connected with the people I did if I stayed at home so I’m really happy that I went in to the office for those experiences. Girls Write Now impacted my personal growth by teaching me the skill of editing my work. My mentor encouraged me to look for edits that I could make, and even discuss or question her edits to my essay. I feel confident in my editing which is a skill that I never had before as a writer, and I’m excited to keep working. ”
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Sofia Elena Salyer Mentee

Read 360

All Journeys within this Adventure focus on close readings of books and creative works in community with other writers. Learn more about the other Adventures offered at Girls Write Now below.

Thousand Voices Book Club is a Journey in the Read 360 Adventure.

See All Adventures

Explore All Journeys

Explore All Journeys

Everything’s 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.

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.

Civil Discourse Connection & Persuasion; two girls speaking with a mic

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.

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