Speaking In First Draft is an interview podcast platforming the current and next generation of storytellers from the nonprofit Girls Write Now. First released in March 2023, members of the Girls Write Now community share a draft of one of their works in progress and discuss both the writing process and what creative expression looks like to them. Listeners will have the opportunity to engage with the inner machinations and perspectives of writers, producers, and artists from a diversity of episodes and stories.
Any writer knows that our craft is a form of magic. A spell of creation, combination, and transformation, that conjures the stories people will treasure for generations. To honor Girls Write Now’s 25th anniversary, we’re proud to introduce On the Art of the Craft: A Guidebook to Collaborative Storytelling, coming out April 23rd from HarperOne Books. In addition to presenting phenomenal stories by young writers, this book is a treasure trove of prompts and quotes to inspire your own writing. In this episode, you’ll hear Committee Chair Spencer George lead a reflection on the unique drafting process for the book with fellow Chair Richelle Szypulski, our former Senior Editorial Manager, and Kat Jagai, an Editorial Advisory Committee member and mentee and mentor alum of Girls Write Now.
Want to listen to more? Explore our previous episodes below.