Speaking on Writing as Therapy
Featured Guests: Â Dom Dawes and Jamilah Araf
This week we’re delighted to present Mentees Dom Dawes (he/they) and Jamilah Araf (she/her) as they chat about Dom’s poem “I Am From.” You’ll hear about Dom’s creative process and how his teacher impacted his writing. We hope you enjoy this beautiful discussion about poetry as therapy, silencing the editor in your head, and the pressure to assimilate into the “ideal” American.
Music by mentee alum Jaya Rao-Herel
Thank you to LOLA, a feminine & reproductive care brand, for supporting Girls Write Now.
Jamilah Araf
Explore More
Dom Dawes
Dom Dawes is a diligent sophomore at Hunter College who has been writing for the past six years. Dom began writing enemies-to-friends short stores on Wattpad. He has mostly focused on fiction, and has also experimented with poetry and creative nonfiction. He looks forward to branching out into writing more nonfiction this year. He is preparing for a career in writing and publishing, and is seeking an editorial internship now. Dom is an animal lover, and has a particular love of cats because they are very clever and require us to earn their affection.
Jamilah Araf
Jamilah Araf has been writing forever and has always enjoyed story-telling. Currently, she is branching out at the newspaper club at her Queens high school and enjoys physical and digital art, coding and music. While she might not call herself an athlete, Jamilah rollerblades, ice skates and swims. In addition to being a writer, Jamilah aspires to be a lawyer or a teacher. Today, you can find her jamming out to Ed Sheeran and Onerepublic or obsessing over Hamilton, Disney and the MCU. She eats Thai food, her grandmother’s desserts and ice cream with her family and friends.
