The workshop began with a burning question – “What is poetry to you?” One of the guest poets, Darby Price, responded, “Poetry is an experiment all the time…until you really feel that your voice is in your writing.” This spoke to me on a different level. I had always tried too hard while writing poetry because I wanted it to relate to other people, when really it just has to form a connection with myself. We learned from incredible poets Ryka Aoki, Neelanjana Banerjee, Ashaki M. Jackson, and Yazmin Monet Watkins.

By Saenah B., Age 14

Although this is already my third character and dialogue workshop, each year brings exciting surprises and guest stars. When I first enter the lobby of the Linwood Dunn Theater, I notice a rack of eccentric attire, from chic flapper dresses to fur-lined blue capes to a traditional German dirndl. Behind each outfit is a story: the women who irons her traffic officer uniform for work the next day, the bustling German lass with her hair woven into a dirty blonde plait. This demonstrates how tirelessly the volunteers at WriteGirl work to bring something interesting to the table every workshop.

On Saturday, January 25, over 100 WriteGirl mentors and mentees got an intimate view of the La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum during the Creative Non-Fiction Flash Workshop. This two-hour workshop explored many different types of creative nonfiction writing, including personal essays, memoirs, blogging, and literary journalism.

Held at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Downtown Los Angeles, 160 WriteGirl women and girls learned the art of songwriting from the industry’s best women!

Special songwriter guests including Bonnie McKee (Wrecking Ball, Roar), Allee Willis (Boogie Wonderland, Friends Theme), and others shared their expertise and guided our girls to create their own songs.