In partnership with publishers Open Road, Penguin Group, Random House Children’s Books, and Writers House, Girls Write Now explored this year’s theme New Worlds, celebrating the incredible diversity and creative fearlessness of our intergenerational community. In April, special guest speaker Adele Griffin, National Book Award nominee and author of Sons of Liberty and All You Never Wanted, joined the stage with our talented teen writers in SoHo’s Scholastic auditorium.
In Our Words
Adele Griffin was so inspired by our girls that she wrote a beautiful foreword for our 2013 anthology, New Worlds. Read it on our blog.
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Girls Write Now Readers
Kiara Kerina-Rendina, Golden Daughter; Ilana Schiller-Weiss, An Artful Experience; Rachel Candelaria & Wendy Caster, The End and Mallo Cups; Xiao Shan Liu & Alyssa Vine Through All Kinds of Weather; Tatyana Alexander, How to Dream Wide Awake & Impurifying the Body of a Goddess; Teamaré Gaston, Dear Rachel; Samantha Young Chan & Alex Berg, Crossing Paths; Corrine Civil, Expectations; Maya Lashley, Generational Girl Curse; Andreina Avalos & Heather Graham, Crushes Can Drive You Crazy; Karla Kim, Our Missing Half; Valene Mezmin, Letter From an Avid Dreamer; Emily Ramirez & Jennifer Cody Epstein, Rising and Reunion; Rumer LeGendre, My Ideal Horrible Life; Angelica Rozza, The Silent Room; Fanta Camara, Story Time with Grandmother; Sophia Chan, Untitled; Carmin Wong & Hadia Sheerazi, Who Am I.
Excerpts
- Karla Kim, Our Missing Half.
“Half is never satisfying. You don’t ever want to look at a glass half empty or half full; you want it to be bubbling over. Full is meaningful. Half leaves you wanting. So when I met my half brother for the first time three years ago in the airport at Seoul, all I could focus on was his half buttoned shirt, half twisted necklace, and the way he half hugged my mom as she tentatively placed her arms around his neck.” Read More
- Angelica Rozza, The Silent Room.
“For eight months and twenty-two days, I haven’t left my house. I have a full supply of facemasks, disinfectant sprays, hand sanitizers, and latex gloves. I use specific dinnerware, which only I can eat off of. My food is not allowed to touch. I wipe down every chair before I sit. I don’t touch knobs on cabinets or doors. I never drink tap water. I don’t order take-out because I must know the person preparing my food.” Read More
- Carmin Wong & Hadia Sheerazi, Who Am I?
“Black. White. Asian. South Asian. Native American. Hispanic. One or more. Other. I have to check a box. “Please check one or more of the following groups in which you consider yourself to be a member:” But I don’t belong in a box. I never have. Before I was just me. Female. Daughter. Sister. Best friend. Artist. Writer. Dreamer. Teenager. Sometimes rebel. Mostly Girl-in-Progress.” Read More
Alum Emcees
- Sarah Herrington is a writer and youth yoga teacher. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times and the SF Chronicle, and she was chosen by Oprah Magazine as a “Poet to Watch”. A graduate of NYU, she has published books of poetry and yoga instruction. She is currently working on a Young Adult novel. In addition to writing Sarah leads OM Schooled teacher trainings. Sarah spent two years as a GWN mentor and is grateful for the community she is in touch with to this day. Drop her a line at www.sarahherrington.com.
- Stephanie Huancas lives in Queens, New York. She received a B.A. in Psychology from Queens College. From 2005 to 2007 she was a mentee at Girls Write Now where she completed a poetry portfolio and was published twice. When not writing,
Stephanie loves to paint and crochet. She is an animal lover, and is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Japanese and French. It’s through GWN that Stephanie and Sarah first met — and they continue their mentoring relationship to this day.