Speaking in First Draft

In this episode, you’ll hear a lovely conversation between mentee Allison Sengkhounmany, a high schooler from New York, and mentor Davia Schendel, a musician and performer. They open up with an excerpt from Davia’s poem “Bridgewalk” based on a dream she had where she was visited by her late grandmother. Listen in to hear Allison and Davia discuss the similarities of their relationships with their...

In this episode, you’ll hear Mentor Tracy Morin, a magazine writer and editor, talk with Mentee Ava Fung, a high schooler from New York City, about her humorous non-fiction piece, “Toothache.” Ava’s piece compares her feeling like an outcast in her family to their toothbrushes. All of them use shiny, electric toothbrushes, and she preferred her ratty, normal toothbrush until her parents forced her...

In the very first episode of “Speaking In First Draft,” host Kathryn Destin interviews Girls Write Now Mentor Martina Clark about the first draft of her memoir and audiobook “My Unexpected Life: an international memoir of two pandemics, HIV and COVID-19.” With 4.6 stars on Amazon from over 3,000 reviews, this deeply personal yet, humorous piece details Martina’s international career and activism a...

Are you feeling burnt out by the sheer amount of content we all get these days? We’re now in a world where more people than ever have access to resources and platforms to tell their stories. While that is mostly a good thing, it can be overwhelming to keep up with the surplus. In a culture oriented around production, hustle, and output, slowing down to appreciate the creative process is often toss...