+
A WRITING CONTEST IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SWEET JULY
In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, and the impact of strong female role models, we partnered with Ayesha Curry’s Sweet July for a writing contest to elevate the voices of girls and gender expansive young adults.
Girls Write Now participants answered a prompt from On the Art of the Craft, our 25th anniversary guidebook coming soon from HarperOne: Tell the story behind a family heirloom or tradition. How has it shaped who you are?
WINNER
Deliberately Feathered
By Kayla Misa
Today, I realize that true piety lies not in blind obedience, but in the valor to understand and embrace our authentic selves, living candidly through the divine spark that resides within us all…
Read More
Watch the recorded Instagram Live between Kayla Misa and Ayesha Curry. Follow us @girlswritenow.
Runner Up
Here We Are Again
by Chanelle Ferguson
Here I am again reshaping a generational cycle of giving with soul expressions
Photos, poems, music, herbs, plants, and dreams.
Tradition feels like communal reenactment…
FINALISTS
Cucharita
By Sophie Da Silva
the silver spoon is mine
its ornate handle, sharp edge, & long neck
passed down in my family line…
Guide to Defrosting
By Chelsea Zhu
Sunrise and I wake up to watch
the world through color: black
birds, blue exhaustion, red January…
A Letter to My Grandparents
By Megumi Jindo
I just wanted to write something to you because this omnipresent sadness now cloaks me more than ever—the feeling that this summer in Japan will be the last time I’ll see you in the flesh, feel your beating heart as I jump into your arms and snuggle my little self around your neck…
A Necklace of Pearled Dreams
By Navya Vasireddy
A beaded necklace, adorned with stunning white pearls outlined with traces of brilliant gold, wrapped around the neck of my ammamma [grandma]. My poor conversational skills in Telugu, my mother tongue, did not inhibit me from comprehending the stories she shared with me…
Sweet Home
By Zaynab Ahmed
Home was never roses or butterflies
but birds and ducks and a stray cat that never leaves…
Threads of Resilience
By Waeza Jagirdar
In the weave of my family’s past,
A thread of resilience, steadfast,
It’s the storytelling of Palestine,
A heritage passed down, divine.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Mentee Asma Al-Masyabi designed illustrations for the winning piece, “Deliberately Feathered” by Kayla Misa, and the runner-up, “Here We Are Again” by Chanelle Ferguson. The illustrations include flowers inspired by the themes and cultures represented in each piece.