Suffragist
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by Sandra M.
WriteGirl Mentee, age 16
suffragist
defiant fists
and swirling skirts
two items juxtaposed
International Women's Day: If I have a daughter
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If I have a daughter
by Gabrielle Gorman
WriteGirl alum, freshman at UCLA
Written for International Women's Day 2017
Dear America,
If I have a daughter, I will tell her
that the dark-skinned girls with tight curls like we,
are no less than the rest, we are melanin beauty queens.
Read MoreTwo Kinds of Snaps and One Lyricist
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By Rachel A., age 15
One morning, I sat at my desk, scrolling through old photographs. It was winter break, and I was in a poetry slump. I’d decided to switch gears, and try my hand at writing song lyrics. So, I turned to my reservoir of inspiration: my photo gallery.
The album’s title was: CLICK: Photos, created sometime in the summer of 2016. I scrolled through old snapshots with fresh eyes, as I usually did with my poems. However, unlike with poetry, I couldn't remember why I took the photos in the first place. The more I thought and stared, the more depth I discovered beyond the beautiful facade.
Read MoreNew Volunteers: Reflections from a Former Mentee
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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.
Read MoreGenHERation Discovery Days 2016
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by WriterGirls Hannah H., Luna G., Leaf H., and Diana B.
GenHERation is a company that strives to empower young women to rise to positions in power and create their own futures. Their summer installment of Discovery Days strives to embrace this mission by taking high school and college students to visit successful companies around the country in five different cities. I had the chance to tour Los Angeles over the course of two days and learn how to make my dreams reality from some of the most dedicated female executives.
Read MoreOf Cupcakes and Confidence
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The 15th Anniversary Season End Celebration of WriteGirl happened to be the second season event I went to and the ending of my first full season—a season filled with friends, writing prompts, and the thrill of having my first mentor.
Read MoreCreating Characters
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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.
Read MoreFinding my Rhythm in Songwriting
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By Arielle D., age 14
This is my first year at WriteGirl. I’ve gone to a few other workshops, so I’m getting into the rhythm of how things work there. Since it’s my first year, each workshop is new to me. It’s always something surprising and inventive. It feels nice to be surrounded by such creative people. You can feel the freedom in the air.
Read MoreCreating Poetry from Art
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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.
Read More6 Things to Pack for NaNoWriMo
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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).
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I Saw a Girl Change the World
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By Amanda G., age 17
I saw a girl shout
When they used her gender as an insult
the smoke in her eye
puddled like the smoke above cities
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Quiet Sort of Strength
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By Sandra M., age 16
As a 16-year-old still in the throes of adolescence herself, I can say with complete and utter confidence that adolescence is not a fun time. The dictionary definition says adolescence begins with puberty and ends with adulthood, so I have four years under my belt and another two years to go. And as I go about my school-filled life, it’s always a little disconcerting when I hear of girls roughly my age accomplishing amazing things.
Read MoreUna Forastera, An Outsider
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By Reina E. age 17
There are times when I’m not very conscious of things, that I don’t fully acknowledge my culture. Because I’m only thinking in a human sense. For I am a human.
But I realize that we are each beautifully different types of human, and the culture I belong to is enchantingly rich and vibrant.
Read MoreA Perfect Match
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By Sha’terra M., age 18 and Nadia Vazquez, WriteGirl Mentor
Last week one of our mentor and mentee pairs sat down to chat about the magic of writing and their experiences working together in WriteGirl!
My WriteGirl Experience: Saturday Blessings
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By Aunye S.A.
I was not completely thrilled to be spending four hours on my Saturday with a bunch of strangers when I first joined WriteGirl. I was in 8th grade and was already fed up with the programs my mother enrolled me in, and I was just sure I would hate this one like all the others.
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