Girls Write Now Collaboratory
Meet Your Future Colleagues: Mentees Seeking Publishing Mentors
Hundreds of Mentees Applied. Hear From Six. Mentor One.
Join Girls Write Now for a Fall Journey—a multi-generational mentoring experience that pairs publishing professionals (ages 25 and up) with emerging young writers (up to age 24). You’ll connect one-to-one with a mentee and take part in live workshops, salons, and chats built around a rich curriculum. Mentor application deadline is September 15.
Girls Write Now is a nationally award-winning nonprofit, media incubator, and multi-generational community. For nearly three decades, we have broken down the barriers of gender, age, race, and poverty to mentor, teach, and connect writers and leaders across disciplines and around the nation.
Who Can Be a Mentor?
Journeys are open to employees at every level and in every department, and require no specific writing expertise. They run November 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027, take three flexible hours a month, and can be done virtually from anywhere in the U.S.
The fall application deadline is September 15, 2026.
The application includes biographical information, a few short questions, a writing sample, references, and a ranking of your preferred Journeys, followed by fun group interviews and background checks. During onboarding, mentors confirm their spots, complete training on Girls Write Now’s safety and red flag protocols, and are matched with their mentees.
What’s in It for You?
- Sharper storytelling and communication skills that travel back into your day job
- Hands-on management and people-development experience—the kind that’s hard to get before you manage
- Creative renewal—structured time to write, share, and play, on your calendar
- Cross-generational connection that’s increasingly hard to come by anywhere else
- A community of thousands of mentor-peers across publishing, tech, finance, fashion, health, and beyond
- The satisfaction of collaborating on a completed creative project—a zine, story collection, or portfolio piece—at the end of every three-month Journey
Two Fall Publishing Journeys
- Career Journey: Inside Book Publishing: 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.
- Building Buzz Journey: Publicity in the Publishing Industry: Together you’ll explore how books get marketed, discovered, and onto bestseller lists—and how publicists build the campaigns that get them there.
Young writers ready to enter publishing told us who they are and what they need. You could answer one of their calls.
BUILDING BUZZ: PUBLICITY IN THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY
A 19-Year-Old Poet Seeking Guidance
Pennsylvania
“I would like to work with someone who enjoys poetry and editing. I hope that we will be able to not only work on my writing and professional life, but also speak casually about less serious topics. I love to bake, read poetry, and re-watch sitcoms. I also enjoy going to the movies often!”
BUILDING BUZZ: PUBLICITY IN THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY
A 24-Year-Old Political Science Major Pivoting to Publishing
California
“I can be a bit reserved at first, but once I am comfortable I really open up! I am really goofy and I love to talk about books, music, movies, and pop culture. I also tend to reference a lot of internet moments. I would love for [my mentor] to be goofy and similar sense of humor but can get serious when need be.”
THE CAREER JOURNEY: INSIDE BOOK PUBLISHING
A 19-Year-Old Looking for a Patient, Kind Mentor in Publishing
North Carolina
“I am a queer young adult from North Carolina who is new to this process and a bit shy! I enjoy reading ‘weird girl’ novels and writing, but I also love to spend time with my cats! I would like someone who is patient, kind, and accepting to answer the myriad of questions I know I will have. I want them to be interested in reading, writing, and the book/publishing industry as a whole.”
BUILDING BUZZ: PUBLICITY IN THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY
A 22-Year-Old Seeking Connection
California
“I am a very creative and caring person. I make friends easily, and I love to talk to and meet new people. I love reading, and I’ve been trying to read more this year. I am looking for someone who is easy to talk to and likes having both professional and casual conversations. I would love someone who has similar interests to me. I am looking for someone who is open and easy going.”
THE CAREER JOURNEY: INSIDE BOOK PUBLISHING
A 19-Year-Old at Work on a YA Romantasy Novel
Texas
“I want to work in publishing, and I’d love to work with someone who has also worked in publishing or understands the inner workings of it, so that I can jumpstart my career.”
THE CAREER JOURNEY: INSIDE BOOK PUBLISHING
A 23-Year-Old Writer Trying to Get a Start
New York
“I’m looking for someone who can help me network in the publishing industry—and hold me accountable for my writing.”
From Our Mentors
