January 2010

POETRY WORKSHOP ON VIDEO!

The Poetry workshop on January 30th is sure to be a wellspring for our 2011 book. The workshop gave 70 girls and their 70 mentors a chance to explore the genre using exciting interactive activities that allow the girls to strengthen their skills. Guest speakers took turns explaining and giving examples of metaphor, sensory details, wisdom, endings, and other poetry fundamentals, followed by writing prompts to incorporate these approaches into their work. In scheduled intervals, mentors "switched" partners, allowing the girls to get input and support from several professional writers in one day. Guest poets included Suzanne Lummis, Patricia Seyburn, Pat Payne, Dorothy Randall Gray and Kim Dower.

At the end of the day, mentees proudly read their new work in their own bold voices. And it was captured on video. Click the link below to check out the real Poetry Workshop action! Click Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pn1XExQdMM

WRITEGIRL TEENS SPEAK OUT...

WriteGirl mentees were invited to a private session and Q&A with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Susan Lori-Parks ("Top Dog/Underdog"). Ms. Parks was the first African American woman to earn that award. The girls engaged in a Q&A and then attended the town hall meeting discussion, “Lincoln and King’s Unfinished Work.” Motivational speaker and entrepreneur Stedman Graham moderated a panel that included actor Richard Dreyfuss, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), LA County Office of Education Superintendent Dr. Darline Robles, writer/director Gary Ross and renowned Lincoln scholar Ronald C. White. Participants discussed the ways that words, entertainment and the arts explore race and freedom. WriteGirl mentees questioned the panelists which afforded them an opportunity to speak in public at a high profile event.

Pictured Left to Right: Keren Taylor, Suzan Lori-Parks and WriteGirl teens.

3 AWARDS FOR WRITEGIRL'S NEW ANTHOLOGY!

"Silhouette: Bold Lines and Voices from WriteGirl," released in January, has gotten rave reviews and has already won first place in 3 book contests:

London Book Festival, Anthologies

Los Angeles Book Festival, Non-Fiction

National Best Book Awards, USA BookNews, Poetry Anthologies

To date, WriteGirl anthologies have won a total of 21 book awards!

AND THE NEXT AWARD GOES TO....

...our own WriteGirl Executive Director, Keren Taylor. Her latest recognition is the "Soroptimist Ruby Award: For Women Helping Women." Honorees are chosen from women who have worked in extraordinary ways to benefit women and girls.

In the past 2 years Keren received the Business & Professional Women’s Community Woman of Achievement Award (pictured right), the President’s Volunteer Call to Service Award and the Community Hero Award from Springfield College. She was a finalist in "Women Making a Difference Award" from the Los Angeles Business Journal and in the "California Governor & First Lady’s Medal for Service."

December 2009

JOURNALISTS AND PANDA KICK OFF SEASON 9!

Over 240 girls, volunteers and family members were on hand at the Miguel Contreras Learning Center to launch WriteGirl's 9th season. Notable female journalists from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, National Public Radio and Time magazine, among others, came to work with our teen girls and offer advice on what it takes to break into the fast-paced news world.

Panda Express catered the event bringing with them an array of delicious Chinese food and volunteers to help. As always, lunch was a big hit with our girls and their families.

CELEBRATING 10 WEEKS OF WRITING!

We’ve completed 10 weeks of writing workshops at five Los Angeles County Office of Education alternative schools, and we celebrated with readings for the students and their families and friends. Students at these School-age Family Education (Cal-SAFE) schools are pregnant or parenting teens and face significant challenges.

WriteGirl volunteers work with these girls in our In-Schools Program to help them find their bold, original voices. The readings were fun, uplifting and very emotional for both the girls and audience members.

The In-Schools Spring semester will culminate with a publication of their creative work and a public reading on June 1st at the Los Angeles County Office of Education in Downey

November 2009

MENTEE WELCOME DAY!

WriteGirl teens gathered at our new location, the Miguel Contreras Learning Center, where new and returning girls got to know each other. After checking in on computers this year, they launched into an variety of writing activities, from journalism to poetry. Girls shared their work, mingled, and most importantly, they wrote. To be sure, this day started our teens thinking about pieces that will be included in our new WriteGirl anthology to be released at the end of the season.

WRITEGIRL’S SPIRIT OF SERVICE!

We are proud to announce that WriteGirl is included in a new book, "Spirit of Service." Inspired by President Obama's national call to service, it's a daily guide that explores the many ways we can get involved in service to others, with 365 specific suggestions and an interactive website featuring opportunities around the nation.

"Spirit of Service" lists over 500 organizations with information about how to help. (www.spiritofservice365.com)

WriteGirl is on page 259!

June 2009

SEASON END – A GREAT CELEBRATION

More than 400 guests gathered at the Writers Guild of America Theater in Beverly Hills to celebrate the end of Write Girl’s eighth season and preview the new anthology, Silhouette: Bold Lines and Voices from WriteGirl. Girls read their original work and were thrilled to have guests Sprague Graden (“24”), Pamela Guest and Peter Facinelli (“Twilight”) also bring their words to life onstage. Silhouette celebrates the voices of teens from more than 60 different Los Angeles high schools, and women writers from top newspapers, publishers and entertainment companies. Writing advice and an entire chapter of writing experiments will help you develop and share your own bold voice.

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