GIRLS WRITE NOW (GWN), the first and only East Coast nonprofit to combine mentoring and writing instruction within the context of all-girl programming, has, since 1998, helped nearly 3,000 underserved or at-risk girls from NYC’s public high schools develop into the next generation of writers and readers. In recent years, GWN has been profiled in The New York Times and featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. In November, the organization received a 2009 Coming Up Taller Award from First Lady Michelle Obama and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, distinguishing Girls Write Now as one of the top 15 after-school arts and humanities programs in the nation.

Description and/or History:
Girls Write Now connects our young aspiring writers to accomplished women, to encourage self-expression and charting a bright future. Our program includes:

-One-on-one Mentoring: We pair at-risk girls (mentees) and professional women volunteers (mentors) according to their interests. These pairs engage in writing/editing sessions once a week throughout the school year. These projects are incorporated into a writing portfolio, edited with the help of the girls’ mentors, to prepare them for job interviews, internships, contests, scholarships and the like.

-Writing Workshops: Our genre-based workshops (attended by mentees and mentors) are held one Saturday a month at Teachers & Writers Collaborative. Fiction, poetry, playwriting, memoir and journalism are used to explore issues and themes such as social justice, gender, race, and religion.

-Special Events: GWN sponsors college and career seminars, individual college counseling sessions with a certified guidance counselor, cultural field trips, and public readings featuring original student works.

Contact people:

Meghan McNamara, Program Director, (212) 336-9330, (email) Heather Smith, Enrollment Co-Chair, (212) 336-9330, (email)

Address:

520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 2020 New York, NY 10018 (See a map)

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: A/C/E, 1/2/3, N/R/Q/W train to 34th St./Penn Station,   Walk distance (in minutes): 2-5