Speaking in First Draft

In part two of our three part series on writing as activism, we're discussing environmental justice. In the last year, many of our GWN community members were impacted by climate disasters from hurricanes to fires to droughts, and more. So, in the face of this new reality, we're trying something new for this episode. Instead of an interview, you'll listen to pieces from community members Robyn Lam,...

In these tumultuous times, we often turn to art as a guide to true north. GWN's Kathryn Destin moderates a conversation with mentees Ayah Al-Masyabi and Allison Su. In this first episode of our three part series on writing as activism, you’ll hear a beautiful conversation about writing as resistance, surviving the overwhelming news cycle, and staying steadfast in your activism. You'll leave the ep...

Have you ever been told, "Okay, now explain it to me like I'm 5 years old," and then realized that prompt is much harder than you thought it would be? This week, we're learning about children's book writing from authors and mentor alum Linda Marshall, Ashna Shah, and Candice Jalili. In this thoughtful and enlightening conversation, our guests go through the many steps of children's book writing fr...

Our first episode of Speaking in First Draft Season 3 features a lovely and profound conversation between our very poetic Community Coordinators Sally Familia (they/them) and Azia Armstead (she/her). Together they explore Sally's new chapbook "Leaving, Then Coming Back", which discusses themes of departure, return, transformation, and so much more. Expect to learn this episode what Sally and Azia...

Bring out the garlic, crosses, and wooden stakes. This episode is all about vampires, and we get into it with Girls Write Now fellows Annaya Baynes and Kenna McCafferty. They discuss the history of vampires in Western media, the ethics of living under capitalism, and the way Black women often have the weight of the world placed on their shoulders. In this season two finale episode, you'll get to h...

Have you ever thought about dropping everything and just going ? Mentor Jaime Brockway did just that for two years and in this episode shares a short story about her adventures from her untitled travel memoir. She is interviewed by travel photographer and Senior Visual Editor at Travel + Leisure Taylor McIntyre. Together, they discuss what influences their travel writing from gender dynamics to cl...

Prepare to enter into an incredible world with familiars, fantastical tech, and magical girls. That is what's in store for this conversation between mentor Kristy Cunningham Bigler and mentee Shreya Darji. They discuss worldbuilding, the quest for character names, and the funny personalities of ferrets. In this episode, you'll get to hear all about Kristy's work-in-progress Code Name: Space Goddes...

We’re mixing it up this week with a special reflection on a video art piece from Girls Write Now Community Manager Jesse Jagtiani. Mentor Tatyana White Jenkins leads an inquisitive and informative discussion with Jesse about the process and inspiration behind her fourth installment of her video series “An American Tale.” Initiated in 2008 before the election of former President Obama, “An American...

While our last episode left off in contemporary Harlem, this week’s episode takes us to Paris during the French Revolution. Mentor Nola Solomon reads a chilling excerpt of her historical fiction piece, “The Gentleman of Paris,” and talks to Mentee Colette Holcomb about how a trip to a torture museum in Bruges, Belgium, inspired her latest project. Together, Nola and Colette discuss how to write fi...

Today is all about about love. Whether it’s platonic, romantic, or some “situationship” in between, love is present in all of our lives and manifests in unique and personal ways. Unfortunately, these manifestations are often hindered by a multitude of barriers, especially sexism. In this episode, Girls Write Now Community Manager Emily Rigby speaks with former mentee and current mentor Alexis Love...

This week we're delighted to present Mentees Dom Dawes (he/they) and Jamilah Araf (she/her) as they chat about Dom's poem "I Am From." You'll hear about Dom's creative process and how his teacher impacted his writing. We hope you enjoy this beautiful discussion about poetry as therapy, silencing the editor in your head, and the pressure to assimilate into the "ideal" American. Thank you to LOLA ,...

Any writer knows that our craft is a form of magic. A spell of creation, combination, and transformation, that conjures the stories people will treasure for generations. To honor Girls Write Now’s 25th anniversary, we're proud to introduce On the Art of the Craft: A Guidebook to Collaborative Storytelling , coming out April 23rd from HarperOne Books. In addition to presenting phenomenal stories by...

This week we have the pleasure of hearing a conversation between Mentee Alum Imani Okwuosa and Mentee Ijeoma Asonye as they dive into an excerpt from Ijeoma's forthcoming graphic novel, Allergy Girl . They touch on everything from FX's The Bear  to why Ijeoma calls herself the human hummingbird to the theme of belonging. We hope you enjoy this high-spirited discussion about art, being an Issa Rae,...

Today’s episode features Mentees Chloe Lee (she/her) and Kayla Misa (she/they). You’ll learn about Kayla’s writing and creative process for her excerpts from one of her many poetry chapbooks. We hope you enjoy this insightful discussion about poetry, Asian identity, and embracing the silly parts of ourselves. Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now . Host: Kathryn Destin Produce...

We’re kicking off our second season with a conversation between Mentor alum and debut author of The Waves Take You Home, María Alejandra Barrios Velez, and Mentee Fiona Hernandez. María recently hosted a Friday Night Salon for Girls Write Now all about ancestry, inheritance, and the experience of writing her first novel in her second language. In this episode, you’ll hear María read two excerpts:...

In this final episode of Speaking in First Draft Season one, Mentee Justine Ramirez and Mentor Viviana Leo engage in a conversation about authentic representation of humanity in scriptwriting, the importance of planning and discipline in your craft, and the struggles with getting others to read your work. Join in on the laughs and enjoy this lighthearted conversation between two amazing storytelle...

Our celebration of Pride and Caribbean American Heritage continues in part 2 of the conversation between Girls Write Now Fellow Sally Familia and Mentee Carissa Ceasor. Last episode, our guests dove deep into how they use poetry to process and release their emotions, in addition to the impact their ancestry has on them. This week, Sally and Carissa talk more about poetry and give tons of great adv...

In celebration of Pride and Caribbean American Heritage Month, we bring you part one of a special two-part episode featuring Girls Write Now Fellow Sally Familia and Mentee Carissa Ceasor. In this riveting conversation, both our guests talk about what it means to explore their Caribbean ancestry and queerness through writing poetry. Carissa opens with three excerpts from their in-progress poetry c...

Sometimes mere existence is resistance, especially when you’re a woman in the midst of a war the entire world is watching. In Episode 9, our Senior Community Systems Coordinator here at Girls Write Now Lisbett Rodriguez interviews Ukranian-American poet and Girls Write Now Mentor Vera Sirota about her two poems “Despite All the Odds” and “Eve’s Eyebrows” part of her new chapbook We Bow To No One (...

In this bonus installment of Speaking in First Draft, host, Kathryn Destin, speaks with the incredible Chrissy King. Former strength coach, writer, speaker, educator, and Girls Write Now honoree, Chrissy entered the P&T Knitwear Podcast Studio during GWN's 2023 anthology launch party to discuss her book The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate...

Today, we’re talking about a movement that’s affecting a huge part of our creative community: the Writer’s Guild of America Strike. In this special episode, two writers working in TV from the Girls Write Now community, Micharne Cloughley and Hannah Rothblatt, discuss their involvement in the strike and what it means for the industry at large. Micharne Cloughley is a television writer and playwrigh...

For episode 6 of Speaking in First Draft, Mentee Jamilah Araf interviews Mentor Elle Gonzalez Rose about her debut novel Caught in a Bad Fauxmance . Elle graciously shares one of the earliest drafts of her book and tells us the backstory behind her creativity and her transition into the YA genre. Together, Jamilah and Elle cover a range of topics in the writing process, including outlining, changi...

This week’s theme is dreams. Episode five of Speaking in First Draft dives deep into the raw emotions that come up in relationships and in first-draft writing. Our guests discuss accepting friendship fallouts, the inevitability of hurting the ones we love, and making mistakes. Tune in to a vulnerable conversation from New Yorkers Vahni Kurra, co-producer and editor of Speaking in First Draft, and...

This week brings you a special episode where both of our guests share the first drafts of their current works in progress. You'll hear from mentee Ayah Al-Masabi, a creative hailing from Colorado interested in fiction and nonfiction, and her mentor Anne Hellman from New York, who founded The Grandmother Project - an online archive for people to share the stories of the women who come before th...

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...