An Interview Podcast
Speaking in First Draft
Season 4 Debuts on March 4th!
First released in September 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.
Listen to Speaking in First Draft
Listen to Speaking in First Draft
Taking my place in history for her
Women in history are known to be overlooked and made small. The women in my family have been forgotten and overlooked, and even I didn't realize how much these women have motivated and affected me and my writing. This is my thank you letter to those women, and this is my message for them. It's inspirational and it comes from my heart.
For The Culture: The Black Hair Edition
This is a trailer for a podcast episode that will tackle the appropriation of Black hair in America. Kim Kardashian, a woman of major influence, appropriated Black hair when she wore box braids and called them “boxer braids.” I found it so offensive that I wanted to explore it and open up a conversation about it. I wanted to dismantle the cultural significance that was being ignored— and potentially lost. This podcast was my chance to be truthful about what matters to me: the intersection of hair and my identity.
Fresh Kills Transformation
What was once the largest landfill in the world before closing in 2001 happens to be within my hometown and community of Staten Island. Since then, the landscape has been engineered to become the largest park in New York City. This landfill has greatly affected the health of those in my community. By conducting research to better understand the effects of the landfill on the climate and public health, I realized how my interests can merge and benefit public knowledge of this space. To have my voice heard beyond what can be accomplished in a social media post, I decided to write a script and assemble audio to create a podcast. Through this podcast, others can learn about benefits and concerns relating to the parks department-led engineering project.
In Good Sentences
It is currently 2020—57 years after Sylvia Plath’s death in 1963—and yet she is still one of the most widely discussed writers today. Plath is now stereotyped as the quintessence for the depressed teenage girl because she wrote poems about heartbreak and depression and died by suicide after hearing that her husband was unfaithful. But in reality, Plath was, and is, one of the few writers who was able to transform her dark emotions into beauty. And as one of the forefront writers of her conservative generation, she was also most definitely a feminist.
you through my eyes
This podcast is an adventure in interpersonal relationships. I asked my mother to share three songs she associated with herself. Meanwhile, I compiled my own three-song playlist of tunes that I associated with her. The intent behind this piece was to demonstrate how women perceive themselves versus how other women perceive them. It’s a reminder that there’s strength within each of us that we ourselves cannot always see.
The Secret of Cooking
My mentor and I were in Grand Central Station when it hit me that I should share my culinary journey and the reasons I enjoy cooking. I shared my idea with Caroline and she loved it. We decided to start with a script, then use Anchor to record. After countless edits, my script was ready to be recorded. I thought the recording and editing would be easy, but it wasn't. I had to record and edit multiple times before I got the content I wanted. When I checked the box "record podcast" on my agenda, I felt accomplished and ready to take on the world.
What to do!
My piece is about fitting in during high school. It was inspired by my observation of some people changing over time to be something they are not. Teenagers today are constantly risking everything and changing who they are just to fit in with a group they see as superior to the rest. This represents my best work in the program this year because I made a crucial topic humorous and entertaining. Yes, I made it funny, but it is still very much something that happens a lot and can sometimes lead teenagers into a lot of trouble.
One Less World
This poem is for my friend who betrayed me. She told me she had seen her friends betray her and talk shit behind her back, but that doesn’t mean she had to do the same to me.
Begin at the Beginning
I decided to focus on bringing awareness to mental health, which is a topic that means a lot to me. I want to bring voice to those who have felt silenced. My work is titled “Begin at the Beginning” because sometimes that is what we have to do. It was also the title of a favorite childhood book of mine.
Embrace It
When creating this piece, I wanted to embrace a little piece of cultural diversity in the U.S., but also show that historically, diversity hasn't been welcome here. The piece is a reminder that just because we get along better now, there are still societal problems that aren't solved.
