WriteGirl News

WriteGirl holds first Poetry Mini-Workshop and Reading in Larchmont
Poetry was our jam this spring as WriteGirl mentees produced verse after vibrant verse for our annual Poetry Drive, culminating in a mini-workshop and reading at Chevalier’s Books on Larchmont Blvd. on May 14.

CLICK: WriteGirl holding summer photography/writing workshops at The Huntington
Calling all teen girls! Join WriteGirl this summer for FIVE writing and photography workshops at The Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens. You will learn some great photo techniques and we will guide you through some fun writing activities inspired by the gardens and artwork. The series will wrap up with an exhibition of YOUR photography and writing on August 13th.

Maud Interview: Keren Taylor, Anything But Ordinary
Girls become young women, and then they become women. Along this journey of adolescence to adulthood, there are few organizations out there that assist girls in mentorship, communication skills and confidence — WriteGirl is one of them.

WriteGirl Mentee Sarahi heads to UCLA this fall
As June draws near, 17-year-old Sarahi is preparing for a rite of passage. It’s the month the Norwalk-native will be graduating from Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs. Making the event even more momentous – Sarahi is one of her high school’s valedictorians.
Sarahi’s eyes are already on the path ahead – entering UCLA in the fall as a freshman neuroscience major. This has also been a time of pondering the road that led here. One that involved being a WriteGirl mentee. A full-circle moment occurred when Sarahi was at the WriteGirl office working on her college entrance essays. She recalls, “When someone asks you to write about your life, it’s rare to do that at school, so you have to take a few steps back and reflect on which events in your life shaped you as a person.”

Silver Lake Blog: Catching up with mentor Lauren McQuade
May 12, 2016 | Silver Lake Blog
Through one-on-one mentoring and monthly creative writing workshops, girls are given techniques, insights and hot topics for great writing in all genres from WriteGirl professional women writers. Workshops and mentoring sessions explore poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, songwriting, journalism, screenwriting, playwriting, persuasive writing, journal writing, editing and more.
SLB has had the privilege of catching up with one of the WriteGirl mentors Lauren McQuade. Here is what she had to share…

Building character: The WriteGirl Character & Dialogue Workshop
Building characters and constructing dialogue was the focus for 82 enthusiastic WriteGirl mentees and 70 dedicated mentors who attended the Character & Dialogue workshop at the Linwood Dunn Theater on Apr. 16. Professional screenwriters helped the girls craft their stories, honing their screenwriting skills before professional actors brought those words to life on stage.

89.3 KPCC: Lights, Camera, WriteGirl! event brings stories of at-risk teens to life on stage
By TakeTwo | April 14, 2016 | Southern California Public Radio 89.3KPCC
This weekend Hollywood actors join forces with WriteGirl to portray stories written by teen girls on stage. WriteGirl is hosting a fundraising benefit at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood called *Lights, Camera, WriteGirl!*
Keren Taylor, the executive director of Write Girl, and writer Josann McGibbon, who's credits include "Runaway Bride," "The Starter Wife" and last year's Disney Channel hit "Descendants" joined host Alex Cohen in studio to talk about the organization, their red carpet benefit, and the process of mentoring young women to become confident poets, journalists, screenwriters, and more.

Generation Progress: WriteGirl Road to Success Academy rehabilitates incarcerated youth
To ease the transition of young people from incarceration to parole, and to prevent high rates of unemployment and recidivism, a new niche of rehabilitation programs has appeared in past decades to address Millennial rehabilitation, and to break the cycle of recidivism prevalent in low-income and high-crime communities.

Women You Should Know: Poem about Female Astronomer Written by WriteGirl mentee
An Ode To Astronomer Nancy Roman By 16-Year-Old WriteGirl Marina Orozco
Published by WYSK
In celebration of this year’s Women’s History Month theme, “Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government,” 16-year-old WriteGirl mentee, Marina Orozco pays homage to astronomer Nancy Roman with her poem The Stained Glass Ceiling.

From Mentee to Mentor: WriteGirl Alum Gives Back
One of Melanie Gonzalez’s most memorable WriteGirl memories was of a journalism workshop she attended as a mentee. It was the first time she had met a journalist, so she spent the workshop “grilling her [mentor] about her job.”
The former WriteGirl mentee now gives back as a WriteGirl mentor while she continues to pursue her passion for writing and journalism.

WriteGirl Alumna Reports on National Elections for The Huffington Post
As a reporter for The Huffington Post, WriteGirl alumna Ariel Edwards-Levy has worked on national elections and now oversees the online newspaper’s first all-female polling team in Washington, D.C.

You’ve Got the Music In You: 15th Annual Songwriting Workshop
Guided by 19 expert guest artists and singer-songwriters, our girls were encouraged to find the song within at the 15th annual WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop.

It's International Women's Day! Help Turn Dreams into Success Stories.
Our girls have big dreams. Help make them real.
WriteGirl gives teen girls from all backgrounds the writing skills, college guidance and confidence they need for success. On this International Women's Day, support the WriteGirl Poetry Drive and help us empower the next generation of inspiring women!

It's Women's History Month! Buy a poem, empower a girl!
It's Women's History Month! Buy a poem, empower a girl!
We asked our girls at a recent workshop: Who inspires you? Read what they had to say!

KPCC Features WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop
Lisa Loeb and other songwriters bring teen girls' songs to life
Singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb debuted a new song on Saturday afternoon to a crowd of more than 100 teen girls at the Huntington Library in Pasadena.
Can I say I'm broken? Can I say I'm scared? Can I say I'm just a shell of a girl? Cuz If you knew me, if you knew me, you'd already know.
She'd written the melody just minutes before and the lyrics were written earlier that day by 17-year-old Lauren Cook.

Alum News: Agent of Change
Former WriteGirl mentee Jeanine Daniels is making headlines for all the “write” reasons. Her latest short film “Social Media Movement” is currently airing on TV One as part of the "Change Agents: History in the Making" series in honor of Black History Month.

L.A. BIZ: WriteGirl Exec. Dir. Keren Taylor Receives Women of Influence Award
WriteGirl founder and Executive Director Keren Taylor was honored at the second annual L.A. BIZ Women of Influence Awards luncheon on Jan. 28.

Flowers wilt. Buy a poem instead!
Flowers wilt. Chocolate is a cliche.
Do Valentine's Day right with an original poem for your sweetie -- and the proceeds help empower girls!

Workshop: Capturing Moments in Time – Creative Non-Fiction
The sky was gleaming silver, coaxing us to be on the lookout for rain. This was not enough to dampen our spirits though, or put our pens on pause as we explored the Huntington’s Brody Botanical Gardens.

Change a life. Volunteer with us!
Apply your professional skills, explore your personal passions, and help a teen find their creative voice! We are seeking women AND men writers to mentor teens during the daytime. All you need are tenacious communication skills, a love of writing, and the willingness to show up.