WriteGirl News
Helping Them Get to College and Beyond
Throughout the year, the WriteGirl College Access Program hosts a series of college entrance workshops for our teens to help them with everything from their personal statements and financial aid forms to choosing a college that suits their needs and interests. We have a dedicated team of dozens of volunteers who meet with our teens one-on-one to help them every step of the way, even if that means 11pm phone calls to help them meet a midnight deadline.
WriteGirl Alum Performs at The 2024 Paris Cultural Olympiad
WriteGirl alum Shandela Contreras was recently selected as one of the Los Angeles Poet Delegates for the 2024 Paris Cultural Olympiad Sport + Poetry Games!
WriteGirl Returns to The Autry for In-Person Spring Poetry Workshop
WriteGirl was excited to welcome our teens and mentors to an in-person WriteGirl Poetry Workshop at The Autry Museum of the American West on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
WriteGirl Members Perform at Women’s History Month Event featuring LA Mayor Karen Bass
WriteGirl had the honor of being invited to the Getty House, the historical residence of Mayor Karen Bass, to perform poetry at the Women’s History Month Panel on March 17, 2024.
WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop Brings Teens' Songs to Life
“Songs can be about anything, from caffeine to paperclips to love,” WriteGirl Executive Director Keren Taylor said, kicking off the 2024 WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop and Showcase of Songs on Feb. 24, 2024. This spirit of playful creativity permeated the workshop, with more than 150 teens, volunteers and observers in attendance, including lauded songwriters Lykke Li and Rissi palmer.
A Fireside Chat with Keren Taylor (By a WriteGirl Alum!)
As 2023 comes to a close, WriteGirl Executive Director Keren Taylor sat down with WriteGirl alum and broadcast journalist Sofia Silvia to discuss what’s ahead for WriteGirl in the coming year, and also reflect a little bit on the past 22 years.
WriteGirl Partners with LA Music Center for Love Amplified Poetry Jam
Against a backdrop of funky beats, interpretive dance and a live audience, five WriteGirl alums and mentees performed an inspiring group poem at the Music Center in Los Angeles on June 14, 2023.
WriteGirl Mentee Shares Poem at Skirball Cultural Center event
WriteGirl mentee Jane shared her poetry as a featured speaker at a special event on April 19, 2023 at the Skirball Cultural Center, a distinguished Jewish educational institution in Los Angeles.
Amanda Gorman Talks Poetry and Imposter Syndrome with WriteGirl Teens at In-Person Event in Los Angeles
On February 23, 2023, WriteGirl partnered with the Estèe Lauder Companies to host a special creative writing workshop for WriteGirl members: “My Imposter Self Speaks: Battling Imposter Syndrome and Speaking from the Heart,” featuring Special Guest, WriteGirl Alum and Estée Lauder Global Changemaker Amanda Gorman.
WriteGirl Volunteer Publishing Round-Up!
We’re so proud of all the creative work that our WriteGirl volunteers are putting out into the world. There’s too many to list them all, but here are a few recent highlights.
Songwriters Bring Teen Writing to Life at Annual WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop
On March 11, 2023, teens became songwriters for the day! Nearly 100 WriteGirl teens and alums, many of whom previously would not have considered themselves songwriters at all, heard their words in a new light with the help of 11 accomplished guest songwriters and nearly 100 WriteGirl volunteers at WriteGirl’s 22nd Annual Songwriting Workshop and Showcase of Songs.
WriteGirl Hosts Writing Day at Natural History Museum
WriteGirl partnered with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to host a writing day on Saturday, March 18th, 2023.
How WriteGirl Helped Two Mentees Become 2023 Posse Scholars
For more than two decades, WriteGirl has guided high school senior mentees in our Core Mentoring Program to enroll in college — many with scholarships and as the first in their families to go on to higher education.
WriteGirl Mentees Awarded Prestigious Scholastic Awards
This last year has brought numerous awards and achievements for WriteGirl mentees.
WriteGirl had 17 mentees receive an award from the 2022 Region-at-Large Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
WriteGirl Presents Professional Development Workshops for Teachers
WriteGirl Teaching Artists led two professional development workshops for teachers in February 2023, one at the Whittier Public Library and another as part of the LACOE (Los Angeles County Office of Education) Literacy Lifts Conference in Alhambra.
WriteGirl Celebrates Teen Voices in the 3rd Edition of Lines & Breaks
WriteGirl recently published Reflections, the third edition of Lines & Breaks, our online literary journal. From tiny epiphanies while surveying bedside lamps to an ode to one’s hands, WriteGirl community members share reflections on their identity, their families, their passions and their futures.
WriteGirl Inspires Teens in Uganda
As part of the international expansion WriteGirl has undertaken over the past two years, WriteGirl has begun facilitating creative writing workshops with a group of girls at a school in Kampala, Uganda. We held our second online workshop with them on Sunday, January 29, 2023.
The Kelly Clarkson Show Spotlights WriteGirl and the Power of the Pen
WriteGirl was featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show alongside WriteGirl supporter and volunteer Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) on November 15, 2022. We were thrilled to have WriteGirl Executive Director Keren Taylor and WriteGirl alum Grace Lyde featured on the Kelly Clarkson couch, where Kelly chatted with Keren, Grace and Lauren about all things WriteGirl.
Season 21: A Year of Growth and Innovation
WriteGirl’s 21st season was a year of growth, innovation and optimism. Our teens published their writing in a new online literary journal, performed their work for audiences across the country and continued to thrive through mentorship.