To the generous 2021 Girls Write Now Circle, our Agents of Change Partners, our Board of Directors and all of the individuals and institutions who cheered us along and deeply invested in our work—we thank you.
Girls Write Now Team
Sam Arriozola
Fellow
Chelle Carter-Wilson
Creative Marketing Director
Terence Diamond
Grant Writer
Shira Feen
Graphic Designer
Spencer George
Senior Marketing Coordinator
Margery Hannah
Community Manager,
Writing Works
Jessica Jagtiani
Community Manager,
Writing 360
Mi So Jeong
Operations Manager
Vahni Kurra
Fellow
Kelsey LePage
Development & Operations Manager
Molly MacDermot
Director of Special Initiatives
Natalie McGuire
Controller
Emily Mendelson
Community Manager,
Publishing 360
Elmer Meza
Salesforce & Systems
Project Manager
Sheena Daree Miller
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisor
Maya Nussbaum
Founder & Executive Director
Daniella Olibrice
Talent Director
Lisbett Rodriguez
Senior Community Coordinator
Erica Silberman
Director of Curriculum & Engagement
Richelle Szypulski
Senior Editorial Manager
Joe Wilson
Chief Information Officer
Meet the Girls Write Now Staff
Fellow
Sam Arriozola
Samantha Arriozola (she/her/hers) is a Chicana writer and youth worker from the Chicagoland-area. She has spent the past seven years working within nonprofit spaces and community centers in Madison, WI and NYC. Sam received her B.A. in English-Creative Writing as a proud member of the 8th Cohort of First Wave — a Hip-Hop and urban arts full-tuition scholarship program at UW-Madison, centering the pursuit of higher education with arts, academics, and activism. Sam is a poet with roots in the world of spoken word poetry and slam, a background which has carried over in coaching young spoken word artists to compete in the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival in 2017 and 2018. Most recently, Sam has been working with Writopia Lab as a private tutor, workshop instructor, and even went to camp for the first time since she was 10 this past summer. Sam’s poetry has been published in Pinwheel Journal (2018) and Cutthroat Journal: Contemporary Chicanx Writers Anthology (2020). Sam lives in Queens with her human and plant roommates, editing both her own and fellow writers’ work with chamomile tea. She is a current fellow at Girls Write Now.
Creative Marketing Director
Chelle Carter-Wilson
Storytelling is in Chelle’s DNA. Chelle (Rochelle)’s imagination is the lens through which she experiences the world. Like many children, life obtruded upon her dreams, and bit by bit, she forgot them. Her stories never forgot her. In the wake of a career as an HR executive, she evolved into perhaps the world’s most reluctant stay-at-home mom. She raised two children, trained a beloved boxer puppy, and in quiet moments, listened to the muse. She returned to writing and hasn’t stopped. A linguaphile and lover of the oxford comma, anything, in the form of a story can engage, inform, and delight. A grateful steward of Girls Write Now’s emerging creatives, she commits to never let any writer ignore a siren’s call.
Grant Writer
Terence Diamond
Terence joins the Girls Write Now team with 20 years of experience in Development in the nonprofit arts and culture sector of New York City. He has stewarded grant portfolios for a range of arts organizations—theatre, dance, music, museums—and arts & culture education initiatives. He is a transgender male and a creative writer, playwright, arts critic, storyteller, occasional performer and experimental scribe. He has written many trans- and queer-themed plays and short fiction. His short story, “Tomboy of the Western World,” appeared in the Lambda Award–winning anthology, “The Collection” (Topside Press). His debut, a full-length work of experimental narrative, BIG PINK MEAT, was released in Fall 2019. A pandemic-delayed book tour is in the works to trans/GNC spaces around the country.
Senior Marketing Coordinator
Spencer George
Spencer George is a Writer and Teaching Artist hailing from the Carolinas. She holds a B.A. in English and Human Rights with a concentration in Creative Writing from Barnard College and is pursuing her M.A. in Folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work focuses on narrative representations of the rural South and has been published in The Bitter Southerner, The Adroit Journal, Longreads, and Medium, and once received a shout-out in the The New York Times. Spencer was the 2019 recipient of the Peter S. Prescott Prize for Prose Writing. She is the creator and writer of GOOD FOLK, a weekly newsletter about the people and stories of rural America and the American South. In addition to her work at Girls Write Now, she serves as a Teaching Artist in rural North Carolina schools and is currently pitching her debut novel, Loblolly, which tells the story of two young women as they travel across the Southeast in search of a mysterious man who appears only in dreams and the individuals who worship him.
Community Manager, Writing Works
Margery Hannah
Margery Hannah excitedly joins Girls Write Now after several years in program development and management within the nonprofit sector. An ardent supporter of education, Margery has experience teaching K-12 English throughout NYC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English, Literature, and Ethnic Studies from Wichita State University, where she received multiple scholarships and English departmental honors; an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook University; and an MA in Aging Studies from Wichita State University. She is a McNair Scholar alumna whose scholarly research helped propel financial literacy course requirements for Kansas high school graduates. Passionate about writing, Margery worked as a ghostwriter for many years; currently she keeps a multi-genre blog called The Literary Purveyor.
Community Manager, Writing 360
Jessica Jagtiani
Jesse Jagtiani is an artist and educator of Indian-German descent. She holds a Doctor of Education in Art & Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MFA in Studio Art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, and an undergraduate degree in Visual Communications from the University of Arts, Berlin. In her past, Jesse co-founded and co-managed a video production company, served as the director of a media art studio, helped establish an online school for contemplative studies, and taught digital art classes and spiritual art workshops in academic and non-academic settings. Jesse’s research investigates the formative dimensions of intuition and is based on bridging indigenous wisdom, perennial philosophy, and modern science for a greater balance of the intuitive and the rational mind in Western education. Jesse has presented her research at various conferences, such as the College Art Association Conference (CAA) and the National Art Education Association Convention (NAEA) and her writings are published in a variety of literature, such as the book Developing Informed Intuition for Decision Making and the journal Visual Inquiry: Learning and Teaching Art. She currently serves as an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Art Education Pakistan. Jesse is passionate about supporting emerging teen & young adult writers and leaders on their creative, academic and career pathways.
Operations Manager
Mi So Jeong
Mi So Jeong (they/she) brings many years of administrative and operations management experience in universities and nonprofits to Girls Write Now. Over the past decade, Mi So has been discovering the transformative magic of writing, particularly while completing a Master’s in Art History at Sorbonne Université (Paris) and, prior to that, a B.A. in Art History at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where they grew up. In addition to their work at Girls Write Now, Mi So is focused on co-creating liberatory relationships with people and place through ancestral, storytelling, and other practices in collectives of displaced folx.
Fellow
Vahni Kurra
Vahni Kurra (she/hers) hails from disparate parts of the American Midwest with roots in Southern India. She recently earned a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Kenyon College, where she co-edited Hika, Kenyon’s oldest, student-run literary magazine. Vahni’s work centers on themes of displacement, and her personal essay, “Banana Republic,” was published in Oyster River Pages. She is currently the book review editor for Sweet: A Literary Confection. Vahni has always been a strong advocate for the rights of women and trans* folks, as she has interned for NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio and helped facilitate a peer support program for Kenyon students impacted by sexual assault. Vahni is excited to blend her passions for gender equality and creative writing as she works with Girls Write Now to ensure that all mentees have the same opportunities that she did to pursue their artistic and personal dreams.
Development & Operations Manager
Kelsey LePage
Kelsey LePage comes to Girls Write Now with great experience from administration and fundraising to developing curriculum and teaching youth. She has worked in creative, educational, and humanitarian settings serving local communities — at YMCA, Playworks, and most recently in sales and event management at NY Kids Club. Originally from New Hampshire, Kelsey enjoys hiking, kayaking and would be perfectly happy getting lost in a museum or library for a day. She is excited to be starting a new life in a new city and to be sharing her passions with the Girls Write Now team.
Director of Special Initiatives
Molly MacDermot
Molly MacDermot found the teen years hard until she discovered books and a diary, which she wrote in daily. She thanks Charlotte Brönte and Harper Lee for paving the way. Molly served as Editor-in-Chief of five national magazines, including J-14, the #1 teen entertainment magazine in the US. She conceptualized and managed several teen websites and their social media components. Molly is a regular columnist, consults as a media strategist and has written five young adult books. Molly was featured in The New York Times, Adweek, Mediaweek, and Folio, and has appeared on MTV, Vh1, Inside Edition and several morning television shows to talk about pop culture and the youth market. Molly started her career at The New Yorker, and previously worked at Marie Claire (Australia) and Redbook.
Controller
Natalie McGuire
Natalie McGuire is dedicated to helping clients achieve business success by helping them establish practical and sound tax and financial processes. Focused and specializing on services for small to medium sized nonprofit organizations, she is committed to delivering tax and financial services that meet each client’s unique objectives. Natalie is an innovative and driven accounting professional with over 10 years of accounting experience. Natalie has expertise in providing accounting, diverse tax services (including individual, corporate, partnership, nonprofit income tax returns, sales tax, commercial rent and payroll tax reports) and auditing of non-profit entities. Natalie has a Master of Science degree from Brooklyn College in Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Baruch College.
Community Manager, Publishing 360
Emily Mendelson
Emily Mendelson comes to Girls Write Now with a love of writing, meaningful experience developing curriculum for nonprofit organizations, and a long-held belief that there is no limit to the ways that people can express their thoughts and ideas. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and is excited to share her passion for stories in all forms as a member of the Girls Write Now team.
Salesforce and Systems Project Manager
Elmer Meza
Elmer Meza earned his BA in Economics from Dartmouth College in 2010. After graduation, he spent a year studying Mandarin Chinese at Fudan University in Shanghai. Elmer began his career as an Americorps VISTA member at New York Cares where he helped to build a local volunteer base for select NYC public schools. Since then, he has focused on technology and data management at Prep for Prep, Oliver Scholars, Delivering Good and most recently at The Brotherhood Sister Sol.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisor
Sheena Daree Miller
Sheena Daree Miller (she/they) is a writer based between Brooklyn and South Florida. Her writing has been published, or is forthcoming, in Ms. Magazine, The Rumpus, Zone 3 Press, Split Lip Magazine, Autostraddle, Taco Bell Quarterly and elsewhere. Their writing has graciously been supported by The Seventh Wave, Aspen Words, Columbia Journalism School, and St. Nell’s Humor Writing Residency for Ladies. Sheena was a 2021 Margolis Award finalist and the recipient of the Dave Family Humor Studies Award. In her faculty development role at The New School, she facilitates workshops and develops resources to support both new and returning instructors in teaching for equity and inclusion. She is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisor for Girls Write Now.
Founder & Executive Director
Maya Nussbaum
Maya Nussbaum has grown Girls Write Now over the last two decades from a loose association of women writers into a dynamic, volunteer-powered community, and a nonprofit after school program distinguished by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities as one of the top 15 in the nation, by the Nonprofit Excellence Awards as one of New York’s top 10 nonprofits, by Time Out New York as one of the best places to volunteer, and by Youth INC with the Innovators Award for improving the lives of New York youth. Maya has been named one of the Top 40 Feminists under 40 by The Feminist Press, one of the Top 20 Philanthropists under 40 by The Observer, a Local Hero by Metro New York, an Education Hero by The New York Times, a Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) People’s Voice Nominee, and a 2016 White House Champion of Change.
Talent Director
Daniella Olibrice
Daniella Olibrice is a native New Yorker who enjoys exploring the city’s many facets—its arts, foods, nature, neighborhoods, and people. She comes to Girls Write Now after having been involved in and managed capacity building, workforce development, mentoring and academic programs at universities and non-profit organizations in New York. Her passion for education started in college when she worked with the Cooper Union Saturday Art Program, an afterschool program targeted to students from NYC high schools who were underrepresented in the visual arts and architecture. Daniella has taught as an adjunct professor with State University of New York and City University of New York for several years. In the teaching and mentoring roles she’s held, what she has enjoyed most is the nurturing of the talents she sees in others. Although her first mode of expression was visual (drawing, collage, photography, etc.), she has always been an avid reader, and in the last few years has been exploring different writing genres such as memoir, short stories, and poetry as part of her artistic practice.
Senior Community Coordinator
Lisbett Rodriguez
Lisbett Rodriguez is a Senior Community Coordinator at Girls Write Now. She was previously a Girls Write Now mentee alumna and graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. As an undergraduate student, she contributed to producing two publications of the Brooklyn College literary magazine, The Junction which provided her with the tools to support in producing the annual Girls Write Now anthology. She’s passionate about work that centers and uplifts women and has previously worked with two other women’s organizations, Legal Momentum and the Brooklyn College Women’s Center. In her free time, she enjoys watching feel-good shows, spending time with friends and playing video games.
Director of Curriculum & Engagement
Erica Silberman
Erica Silberman fell in love with Girls Write Now when she group-taught a playwriting workshop for them in 2005. Through the years, she has stayed involved with the organization as a mentor, a teacher in various outreach programs, and a member of both the Program Advisory Committee and the Host Committee. Erica has an extensive and wide-ranging background in the theatre as an actress, playwright, director, teacher, acting coach, and producer, as well as experience in the design world. She formerly served as co-president of the Women in the Arts and Media Coalition and on the board of the League of Professional Theatre Women. Erica is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Dramatic Question Theatre, where she runs a monthly literary and music salon.
Senior Editorial Manager
Richelle Szypulski
After several years of volunteering as a photographer, Richelle Szypulski is thrilled to share her love of storytelling and strategy in service of the Girls Write Now mission. A journalism graduate of Point Park University and NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute, she has worked in marketing and editorial—most recently as a digital editor at Travel + Leisure. Outside of work, you’ll often find her frequenting yoga, dance and meditation studios around the city, rehearsing for community theater productions or missing her subway stop yet again thanks to a too-enthralling audiobook.
Chief Information Officer
Joe Wilson
Joe Wilson graduated from CSU Global with a degree in Information technology and a minor in Cybersecurity in 2021. Joe began his IT career in 2001 working in Cyber crimes as a local law enforcement officer in the State of Kansas. Joe started his own IT consulting firm in 2005, JNJTech, which focused on small local businesses and non-profits in Leavenworth Kansas. Joe currently serves as the Chief Information Officer for Girls Write Now. He enjoys spending time with his wife and children, he especially enjoys his 2 new grandchildren. Joe’s favorite quote comes from one of his many mentors over the years, “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
Board of Directors
Ellen Archer
Board Chair,
Girls Write Now
Joy Altimare
Chief Marketing & Product
Officer, EHE Health
Cate Ambrose
CEO, Global Private Capital Association
Judith Curr
President & Publisher,
HarperOne
Gati Curtis
EVP, Senior Director
BBDO
Bruce Morrow
Director of Foundation & Government Grants,
The Trevor Project
Maya Nussbaum
Executive Director,
Girls Write Now
Lynda Pak
CIO, Senior Vice President & Technology Leader of Brands & Corporate Functions, Estee Lauder Companies
Ahu Terzi
VP of Corporate Beauty,
Meredith
Mustafa Topiwalla
Managing Director, Corporate Banking, Royal Bank of Canada
Meet the Board of Directors
Ellen Archer
Ellen Archer is President of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media. Archer drives the strategic growth and expansion of the Company’s consumer publishing business—home to iconic properties, brands and authors from Curious George to The Hobbit to CliffsNotes. An experienced leader in publishing, consumer brands and multimedia, Archer spent 15 years at The Disney ABC Television Group. For five years she was President and Publisher of Hyperion Books, then a division of the Walt Disney Company, responsible for building the company’s digital business, spearheading cross-platform initiatives, and releasing over 100 New York Times bestsellers. Most recently, Archer consulted for start- ups and non-profits, providing strategic advice in content development, marketing, and business planning. Archer holds a BA in English Literature from Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. She served on the Foundation Board of New York Women in Communications and is a member of The Women’s Forum of New York and Golden Seeds, an early stage investment firm with a focus on women leaders. Archer is based primarily in HMH’s New York headquarters.
Joy Altimare
Joy Allen-Altimare is the Chief Marketing and Product Officer at EHE Health. Joy is a brand strategist with nearly 20 years of experience across a range of highly competitive, rapidly evolving marketplaces. She has a proven track record, creating profitable solutions centered around engagement and consumer behavior change. Throughout her career, Joy has been an expert advisor and resource for organizations tackling growth, innovation, and technology challenges and positioning themselves as positive disruptors within their category. Prior to joining the health care space, Joy worked with leading agencies such as Ogilvy+Mather, GREY, and Publicis on preeminent brands like L’Oreal, Verizon, and Colgate-Palmolive. She then shifted into a role at publishing giant Conde Nast, transferring her skills to the media world. Joy helped the company bridge the divide between its traditional roots and digital future, providing strategic insight as the industry’s terrain changed. Now, Joy directs EHE Health’s innovative engagement and product development strategy – which include leading the strategic marketing initiative, growth and revenue strategies along with the clinical and technical product roadmap. She’s the engagement architect and product visionary. Joy lives in NYC with her beautiful family.
Cate Ambrose
Cate Ambrose is CEO and Board Member of EMPEA, the global industry association for private capital in emerging markets. Members include 300+ fund managers, institutional investors, family offices, sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions, and industry advisors who manage more than USD5 trillion in assets across 130 countries. Cate is a Steering Committee Member of the United Nations Institutional Investor Partnership for Sustainable Development (IIPSD) and on the Advisory Board of the Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America (LAVCA). She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Indian startup Masala Baby and a Board Member for Girls Write Now, a non-profit that mentors underserved young women in New York City. Prior to joining EMPEA, Cate was President and Executive Director of LAVCA. Cate was also previously the Chief of Advocacy for the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, a United Nations initiative where she spearheaded the commission’s work on business regulation and property rights in Africa, MENA, Asia, and Latin America. Until 2005, Cate was Executive Director of Programs for The Economist Group. Cate speaks and writes regularly on a range of topics related to public policy and private investment in Latin America. She is a commentator on CNN En Español, Bloomberg, and Fox Business and a guest lecturer at The Wharton School. Cate holds an MPA in International Economic Policy from Columbia University and received her BA in Latin American studies from St. Lawrence University and the University of Madrid.
Judith Curr
Judith Curr is President and Publisher of the HarperOne Group, which was formed in 2018 when Judith joined HarperCollins. It represents a broad and diverse publishing landscape, bringing together four imprints, each with their own unique editorial vision: HarperOne, Amistad, HarperCollins Español, and HarperVia. Publishing books that appeal to readers across cultures, nations, languages and racial divides, the overall mission of HarperOne Group is to “publish for the world we want to live in.” Prior to joining HarperCollins, Curr founded Atria Books in 2002, overseeing its growth into a consistently successful and forward-thinking division. A native of Australia, Curr has been an executive in American publishing since 1996.
Gati Curtis
Born and raised in NJ, Gati is the daughter of Indian immigrants who spent her childhood balancing her Indian heritage and values with her American lifestyle and ideals. Since starting her career, she has focused on creating relationships with clients, partners and agencies to develop best-in-class marketing and communications. She has worked across a number of clients and categories including AT&T where we worked to elevate them from a phone company to a technology company and CVS Health, where they worked to transform them from a corner store to a health company. Currently Gati leads the Facebook Blue Global Team to help guide them through a challenging period as a brand, and future-proof them for the next phase of social media and connection. This past summer, she launched BBDO Good – a part of the agency dedicated to help everyone in the agency activate and leverage the resources at our disposal to do more good for more people. Her goal is to inspire and motivate everyone to use their skills and voice for good in their communities and beyond. Gati has three beautiful boys (2 human, one fur) and lives in Manhattan with her husband and family.
Bruce Morrow
Bruce Morrow has over 20 years of experience in fundraising and nonprofit management. He is the Director of Foundation & Government Grants at The Trevor Project and former Senior Director of Institutional Giving at GLAAD. He is a former fiction editor at Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts & Letters and co-editor of “Shade: An Anthology of Short Fiction by Gay Men of African Descent.” His writing has appeared in the New York Times, “Speak My Name: Black Men on Masculinity and thAmerican Dream,” “Ancestral House: The Black Short Story in the Americas and Europe,” and “Imagining America: Stories from the Promised Land: A Multicultural Anthology of American Fiction.” He has a B.S. in Biology from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. In 2007, he was a Revson Fellow for Mid-Career Civic Leaders at Columbia University.
Maya Nussbaum
Maya Nussbaum has grown Girls Write Now over the last two decades from a loose association of women writers into a dynamic, volunteer-powered community, and a nonprofit after school program distinguished by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities as one of the top 15 in the nation, by the Nonprofit Excellence Awards as one of New York’s top 10 nonprofits, by Time Out New York as one of the best places to volunteer, and by Youth INC with the Innovators Award for improving the lives of New York youth. Maya has been named one of the Top 40 Feminists under 40 by The Feminist Press, one of the Top 20 Philanthropists under 40 by The Observer, a Local Hero by Metro New York, an Education Hero by The New York Times, a Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) People’s Voice Nominee, and a 2016 White House Champion of Change.
Lynda Pak
Lynda Pak is Senior Vice President, Technology Leader for Global Brands and Corporate Functions at Estee Lauder Companies (ELC). Since joining ELC in 2016, she has been passionate about helping business leaders make smart technology investment choices to shape and accelerate value creation. With over twenty years of technology strategy and operational experience, she has collaborated with executive leadership teams at ELC, Bed Bath and Beyond (BBB), Borders Group (BGI), and other leading companies in the consumer products/retail industry. Prior to ELC, as the Vice President of eCom/Digital and Marketing Technologies for BBB, she successfully led the redesign of the digital customer experience and their next generation digital and marketing capabilities. At BGI, she served as Chief Technology Officer and VP of Applications, and as VP of eCommerce Operations. Additionally, with over 19 years of consulting experience with Deloitte Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers, she has demonstrated commitment and success as an advisor to senior executive business partners to define and curate their strategic initiatives to drive business value. Lynda has led the delivery of very large, complex, and global ERP programs for key clients. Finally, Lynda built Deloitte Consulting’s global ‘Green IT’ practice to help clients reduce their technology carbon footprint.
Ahu Terzi
Ahu has more than 25 years of experience in media sales and marketing, including creating and executing integrated marketing programs, branded content, and signature events. As vice president of corporate beauty sales and marketing at the Meredith Corporation, she oversees a team of uncommon women who manage the company’s business relationships with L’Oréal, Estee Lauder, and other beauty companies. After her first job out of college at New York Magazine, Ahu has spent the last two decades at a wide variety of magazine brands from House & Garden to Vogue Turkey. In fact, Ahu grew up in Izmir, Turkey and first came to the US to attend Mount Holyoke College, majoring in history and communications. Her daughter Maya is also a communications student at Syracuse University’s Newhouse, and together, they split their time between NYC and the Catskills. In addition to her daytime job, Ahu is passionate about supporting Mount Holyoke, GWN and DEI focused work at both Meredith as well as CHIEF, the membership network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders.
Mustafa Topiwalla
Mustafa Topiwalla is a Managing Director and Head of the Healthcare Corporate Banking team at RBC Capital Markets. He has over 15-years of experience in Finance and has covered a number of sectors over his career, including Healthcare, Media & Telecom, Consumer, and Industrials. Mustafa’s day-to-day job consists of covering clients and managing a team that delivers top quality ideas to and execution of financing solutions for corporate clients, which include mid-sized firms to Fortune 500 companies. Mustafa is actively involved in Diversity and Inclusion by being a member of RBC’s US Diversity Leadership Council and an Executive Sponsor of the Multicultural Employee Alliance. Mustafa received an AB (honors) in Economics from Middlebury College and an MBA (honors) from Columbia Business School. He lives in New York City, with his wife Melissa Connor and daughters Layla and Yasmeen.
Honorary Board
Cazzie David
Author & Screenwriter
Abbi Jacobson
Comedian, Writer, Actress & Illustrator
Tayari Jones
Novelist & Girls Write Now Board Alum
Rupi Kaur
Poet, Author, Illustrator & Performer
Emma Straub
Novelist, Books are Magic Owner & Girls Write Now Mentor Alum
Cleo Wade
Artist, Poet, Activist & Author
Meet the Girls Write Now Honorary Board
Cazzie David
Cazzie David is the creator, writer, and star of the critically acclaimed web series Eighty-Sixed. She is a columnist at Graydon Carter’s Air Mail and has written for Vanity Fair, the Hollywood Reporter, Glamour, InStyle and Vogue. She is also the author of the New York Times Bestselling memoir No One Asked for This (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Photo Credit: Katie Mccurdy
Abbi Jacobson
Abbi Jacobson is an actor, writer and artist based in New York City. She is the Series Creator, Executive Producer and star of the critically-acclaimed show Broad City, premiering its fourth season this summer on Comedy Central. Upcoming, Jacobson will Executive Produce FX’s female-centric half-hour comedy pilot Meaty with Jessi Klein, and will star in the Netflix heroin drama 6 Balloons alongside Dave Franco. Jacobson is a New York Times-bestselling author of her illustrated book, Carry This Book, and has also released two coloring books: Color This Book: New York City and Color This Book: San Francisco.
Tayari Jones
New York Times best-selling author Tayari Jones is the author of four novels, most recently An American Marriage. Published in 2018, An American Marriage is an Oprah’s Book Club Selection and also appeared on Barack Obama’s summer reading list as well as his year-end roundup. The novel was awarded the Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly known as the Orange Prize), Aspen Words Prize and an NAACP Image Award. It has been published in two dozen countries. Jones, a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow, has also been a recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, United States Artist Fellowship, NEA Fellowship, and Radcliffe Institute Bunting Fellowship. Her third novel, Silver Sparrow, was added to the NEA Big Read Library of classics in 2016. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. She is an Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University and the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Creative Writing at Emory University.
Rupi Kaur
Rupi Kaur is a poet, author, and performer. Her second book, the sun and her flowers—an instant global bestseller, is an artistic sibling to her debut, milk and honey—one of America’s bestselling books of 2017. milk and honey has sold over 5 million copies, been translated into more than 42 languages, and was on the New York Times Bestsellers List for over three years. Photo Credit: Nabil Shash
Emma Straub
Emma Straub is the New York Times-bestselling author of four novels—All Adults Here, The Vacationers, Modern Lovers, Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures—and the short story collection Other People We Married. Her books have been published in more than 20 languages, and All Adults Here is currently in development as a television series. Emma and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York.
Cleo Wade
Cleo Wade is a friend, community builder, and the author of the books, “Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life” and “Where to Begin: A small book your power to create big change.” She has been called the poet of her generation by Time Magazine and one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company. Cleo sits on the board of The Lower East Side Girls Club, the National Black Theatre in Harlem, the Women’s Prison Association. When Cleo is not at home in California with her partner, Simon Kinberg, and their daughter, Memphis, she can be found traveling around the country on her sold-out book tours, which have become a safe space to laugh, cry, hug, and offer support to fellow readers. Photo Credit: Rony Alwin
The Girls Write Now Circle
HONORARY CHAIRS
Ellen Archer & Jeffrey Gracer Ann & Bob Hammer Maja Kristin Jane Lauder Susan Sawyers James M. & Margaret V. Stine Kate Stroup & Matthew Berger
CO-CHAIRS
Joy Altimare Cate Ambrose Judith Curr & Ken Kennedy Rebecca Gradinger Andrew Guff Agnes Gund Kate Levin & Robin Shapiro Suzanne Levine
Amy Morrill Bruce Morrow Maya Nussbaum & Todd Pulerwitz Lynda Pak Alina Roytberg Ahu Terzi Mustafa Topiwalla & Melissa Connor
VICE CHAIRS
Marci Alboher & Jay Goldberg Rachel Bloom Josephine Bolus Rachel Cohen
Catherine Greenman Janice Horowitz Hope Pordy & Bob Osmond Nicolas Rohatyn
Alanna Schubach & Scott Kilpatrick Elaine Stuart-Shah Lisa & Frank Wohl
PATRONS
Nisha Aoyama Stuart Applebaum Amy Berkower & Dan Weiss Veronica Chambers Jill Cohen Daniel Brodnitz Marie Capasso Brian DeFiore Lynn Feasley
Melissa Febos Elizabeth Frankel Anne B. Fritz & Libbie Thacker Lisa Gardner Forsyth Harmon Carol Hymowitz Robert Koroshetz Molly Meloy & Jeff Fitts
Natalie Nussbaum Molly Pulda & Gary Sernovitz Linda Rose Liane Roseman Zoe Rosenberg Amy Singer Gail Stuart Ann and Tom van Buren
MEMBERS
Christine Ambrose Steven Baum Jillian Berman Lisa Chai Seth & Lynn Cohen Marya Cohn Ritik Dholakia Jamie Ducharme Renee Dugan Andrew Ertman Sandra E. Garcia Megan Giddings Keli Goff Tia Hanke-Hills Laura Hankin
Jennifer Harlan Courtney Hartman Michael Hirschhorn Jackie Homan Eliza Karp Claire Karwowski Joyce King Kelly & Chris Koenig Amalie Kwassman Meg LaBorde Kuehn Jeffrey LaPlante Wendy Lauria Hilary Leichter Robert Levin Meghan Louttit Erica Lubetkin Tara McCann
Ciara McCarthy Gregory McGillivary Damon Noller Amy Padnani Chelsea and Harish Rao Leslie Riedel Terry Rieser Andrea Rizvi Michael Rogan Lilli Ross Jennifer Schuessler Lisa Schwartz Katy Staples Caryn Summer Thomas Urbain Vivian Wang
Girls Write Now Agents of Change
GAMECHANGER | 100-200K
LEADERSHIP | 75-95K
VISIONARY | 50K
INNOVATOR | 25K+
CHAMPION | 10-20K+
CREATOR | 5K+
SUPPORTER | 2.5K+
Foundation & Government
75-100K+
New York City Council STARS CityWide Girls Initiative New York State Council on the Arts
40-50K
Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund Harman Family Foundation New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
10-25K
Charles Lawrence Keith & Clara S. Miller Foundation Costas Family Foundation Find Your Light Foundation The Nancy Friday Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Foundation The Rona Jaffe Foundation
5-9K
Berger Family Foundation Blue Hill Road Foundation Cowan Slavin Foundation The Diller - Von Furstenberg Family Foundation Just Buffalo Literary Center The Lotos Foundation
1-4K
DuBose Family Foundation Robert & Mercedes Eichholz Foundation Fondation Femme Debut Holidays with Heroes Marshall-Freimanis Family Giving Fund New York Community Trust The Raymond and Gloria Naftali Foundation The Starbucks Foundation
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