What is Poetry to You?
The workshop began with a burning question – “What is poetry to you?” One of the guest poets, Darby Price, responded, “Poetry is an experiment all the time…until you really feel that your voice is in your writing.” This spoke to me on a different level. I had always tried too hard while writing poetry because I wanted it to relate to other people, when really it just has to form a connection with myself. We learned from incredible poets Ryka Aoki, Neelanjana Banerjee, Ashaki M. Jackson, and Yazmin Monet Watkins.
Cruella de Vil’s Therapy and NASA Satellites
When I walked through the door of the Songwriting Workshop, I had what I wanted to write about in mind. My heart was pulling at it and I had no choice but to follow.
Chords, Lyrics and Confidence
Every WriteGirl workshop is a new experience. Even if you’ve been to the Huntington Gardens ten times with WriteGirl, it’s still breathtaking. The Fiction workshop was no exception.
Words of Gratitude from WriteGirl Alumnae
We asked WriteGirl Alumni to share what the WriteGirl program has done for them and why they are grateful for it, even after their teen years. We are honored and excited to have been a part of these young women's lives.
What Are the Perks of Being a WriteGirl Intern?
Every day at 10 a.m, I sleepily push the door into the WriteGirl office in Downtown LA. Still hazy from getting up at 7 in the morning and dealing with Alameda traffic, I wake up with the enthusiastic good mornings from Katie, the WriteGirl office manager, and Jackie, the WriteGirl marketing intern. Besides the warm people and the funky office, what are some of the perks of being a WriteGirl intern?
Two Kinds of Snaps and One Lyricist
By Rachel A., age 15
One morning, I sat at my desk, scrolling through old photographs. It was winter break, and I was in a poetry slump. I’d decided to switch gears, and try my hand at writing song lyrics. So, I turned to my reservoir of inspiration: my photo gallery.
The album’s title was: CLICK: Photos, created sometime in the summer of 2016. I scrolled through old snapshots with fresh eyes, as I usually did with my poems. However, unlike with poetry, I couldn't remember why I took the photos in the first place. The more I thought and stared, the more depth I discovered beyond the beautiful facade.
Creating Character
By Saenah B., Age 14
Although this is already my third character and dialogue workshop, each year brings exciting surprises and guest stars. When I first enter the lobby of the Linwood Dunn Theater, I notice a rack of eccentric attire, from chic flapper dresses to fur-lined blue capes to a traditional German dirndl. Behind each outfit is a story: the women who irons her traffic officer uniform for work the next day, the bustling German lass with her hair woven into a dirty blonde plait. This demonstrates how tirelessly the volunteers at WriteGirl work to bring something interesting to the table every workshop.