By Eve Mefferd, College Intern

It was standing (and occasionally running frantically) amongst over 65 volunteers in training, that my time at WriteGirl really came into focus. January 14th was the largest WriteGirl Volunteer Training to date, a packed room filled with men and women with an LA skyline to our backs and up at the front, a presentation miraculously condensing the essence of this organization into just six hours. I got to take part in and help plan this exciting event as a WriteGirl college intern. Helping to organize this training, and working with volunteer liaisons and staff to see that it ran smoothly, provided a different window on WriteGirl than the one I got as a mentee.

By Savannah H., Age 14

Over 100 WriteGirl mentees explored the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens as part of our annual Creative Nonfiction workshop. WriteGirl mentee Savannah House, age 14, was inspired by a marble statue in the American Art Gallery named Ruth from 1853. 

By, Addissyn H., age 16

It’s that time of year again. I’m talking about the holidays. Halloween haunts begin the best horror novels known to man, and family woes surrounding Thanksgiving give way to the next bestseller in the genre of realistic fiction. Christmas inspires a funny children’s tale about when Santa converted to Judaism, and New Year’s provides the perfect scene for a cheesy romance. 

More specifically, though, I mean we’re racing toward November, which means National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is fast approaching.

This November marks my third year as a participant and – dare I jinx it – winner, which just means I was able to successfully write 50,000 words in 30 days, regardless of quality. Even being somewhat of an oldie at this, it’s terrifying. Somehow you have to pull 50,000 consecutive words out of a hat in such a short period of time, while not compromising your social life (however small it may be). 

By Patrice G, age 17

WriteGirl helped me find myself. I’ve been a part of WriteGirl for five seasons. It was here that I discovered my gift for writing poetry. I didn’t know my talent until I wrote my first poem, “My Mask,” and a WriteGirl mentor told me I was very imaginative. I’ve taken the guidance and feedback and now I’m self-motivated and determined to continue writing poetry and exploring my talents. 

Sharmin, age 17

Gender inequality has existed in every nation and every period in history. But here at WriteGirl, we are committed to joining the effort to stop gender inequality now. We want to encourage our girls, women, and male friends and supporters to stand and unite ourselves as Feminists against gender discrimination. We want to propagate equal opportunity for the masses and ensure that no one gender is neglected. 

Jacqueline, age 17

"Working together, we can bring equality to the sexes. Girls around the world should be allowed an education, a chance to express themselves using pen and paper. Writing is important to ending gender inequality, because our voices sometimes fail us. Our voices, it turns out, we can sometimes best express through the written word."

Clara age 17, Addissyn age 15, Jacqueline age 17

In August of this year, three lucky WriteGirls had the awesome experience of attending the Writer's Digest Novel Writing Conference! Over the three days of the conference, our WriteGirls picked up some great writing tips and insight from professional writers and publishers who shared their knowledge about writing, completing and publishing novels. 

WriteGirl mentor Katie Geyer and mentee Jackie, age 16

WriteGirl mentee Jackie, 16, joined Exec. Dir. Keren Taylor in accepting the National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award from Michelle Obama at the White House in November. Jackie’s mentor Katie Geyer, a photojournalist, was granted a White House press pass to photograph her mentee meeting the first lady! The two were separated for most of the day and each emerged with their own stories. They recently sat down to reflect on that day in November when they were invited inside the White House!

Blog post for Women’s History Month written by WriteGirl mentee Jackie, 12th grade.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to travel around the world. But not in the usual sense: I didn’t dream of five-star hotels or hyped-up restaurants. I wanted to be in the midst of it: to take in the culture and really connect with the people of that specific country. And Christiane Amanpour represented that dream for me.

Blog post for Women’s History Month written by WriteGirl mentee Amanda, Age 16.

“They thought that the bullet would silence us, but they failed. The terrorists thought that they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life, except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.”

If you aren’t acquainted with the speaker of these fiery words, the wise, 16-year-old Pakistani teen cloaked in vibrant hijabs and shawls of courage, then I am glad to introduce you. Malala Yousafzai, who, in 2012, was shot point blank in the head on her school bus by the Taliban for standing up for her right to education, was never weakened by the violent attack against her. If anything, the shooting empowered her.

Essay written by WriteGirl mentee Janel, 12th grade:

Three years ago, if anyone had asked me to read my poetry aloud in front of an audience, I would have laughed and politely declined. I was hardly comfortable sharing my written work with others, let alone getting up on a stage and performing the poetry I had scribbled into my journal and tucked away for safekeeping.

This all changed when I joined WriteGirl.

Essay by Jacqueline Uy:

"Back in elementary school, there was always that one kid who, when asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, would say, 'I want to be president.' That kid was me.

But as I got older I realized that what I really wanted to become was a journalist, specifically a foreign correspondent. Even with this, I never really thought that I would ever step foot in the White House, much less meet first lady Michelle Obama. So when the opportunity to do both arose, I reacted like any normal 16-year-old in my situation: I didn’t believe it."