WriteGirl Workshops & Mentoring
WriteGirl members are anyone who identifies as woman, girl, gender-expansive, trans, nonbinary or femme – no matter where you are on your journey and exploration of personal identity, all are welcome here.
WriteGirl Workshops
WriteGirl Workshops
WriteGirl workshops bring together our teens and dedicated volunteer mentors to help guide and inspire them. Workshops are lively, interactive, and rich with writing tools, tips, and techniques. Over the course of a WriteGirl season (November - June), workshops cover the major writing genres including poetry, songwriting, journalism, comedy, fiction, screenwriting and creative nonfiction.
Each workshop features special guests, music, writing experiments, and a special segment called “Soapbox” where teens can rant or rave about anything for 30 seconds! Workshops also include self-care segments and breakout rooms for focused writing sessions. All workshops are offered at no cost.
The WriteGirl Method
WriteGirl has created a simple formula for success: use creative writing to build skills and confidence in a thoroughly positive atmosphere. We have learned that helping girls and gender-expansive youth find their voice and learn to express their ideas through creative writing leads to academic success. As their skills and confidence grow within the WriteGirl community, teens demonstrate improved grades, class participation and school involvement. WriteGirl works because it combines a comprehensive long-term program of mentoring with a rigorous, yet fun and engaging creative writing curriculum, embedded in a supportive, non-competitive environment.
Online and In-person
While most WriteGirl workshops are online, we do offer some optional in-person events for our Los Angeles area members. Both in-person and online workshops provide opportunities for teens to work one-on-one with a writing mentor.
WriteGirl in-person workshops are held mostly in the Los Angeles area at inspiring locations. Our larger in-person workshops are held at renowned cultural institutions like The Autry Museum of the American West, LACMA or the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Some of our smaller neighborhood workshops are held at libraries and community centers throughout the county.
Writing Wednesdays
WriteGirl also hosts online Writing Wednesdays, one-hour workshops on a Wednesday evening 1-2 times per month. These workshops give us the opportunity to cover more specialized genres like travel writing, comedy and spoken word poetry.
Saturday Workshops
Generally once a month, WriteGirl volunteers and teens meet to discover, write and learn together at our half-day Saturday workshops. Each workshop focuses on a specific writing genre, including poetry, songwriting, fiction, screenwriting and journalism. Workshops are structured but also fun, interactive, visual and dynamic.
WriteGirl Mentoring
WriteGirl Mentoring
Types of Mentoring at WriteGirl:
Workshop Mentoring (Monthly) (Mentor-for-the-Day)
WriteGirl mentors attend our Saturday workshops and work with a teen one-on-one for about 20 minutes during our Mentoring Breakout sessions. Teens work with a different mentor at each workshop. Participation in Mentoring Breakouts is optional.
One-on-One Mentoring (Weekly)
Teens can sign up to be matched with a mentor to meet with them weekly to write together throughout the season. Mentoring sessions last about an hour and are done by video or in person at a public location (if local). Both teens and their mentors also attend the monthly Saturday workshops but do not work together if the workshop is online.
*Please note that there is currently a waiting list to be matched with a weekly mentor.
Project Mentoring (Periodic)
If a teen needs help with a specific project, such as a poetry portfolio, or the completion of any creative writing project, the teen can ask to be paired with a short-term project mentor. Project mentoring might consist of one or two mentoring sessions or the project may last for several months. Project mentoring is usually done online.
College Access Program
College Access Program
The WriteGirl College Access Program is a college preparation and attainment program, for both girls and their families. We started the College Access Program because one day, a bright, curious fourteen-year-old girl told us her guidance counselor said she was “Not College Material.” Since then we have ensured that every WriteGirl teen has access to one-on-one guidance through the entire college application process. “Since 2001, WriteGirl has maintained a 100% college enrollment rate for all Core Mentoring Program high school seniors, and many of our teens are granted full and partial scholarships, including nationally-renowned Posse Foundation leadership scholarships and merit scholarships. WriteGirl college counseling is provided at no cost to WriteGirl teens.
The College Access Program:
■ hosts 8 college guidance workshops annually
■ develops individualized college plans
■ nominates teens for prestigious scholarships
■ assists girls and their families with complex FAFSA applications
■ facilitates preparation for standardized tests
■ provides 24/7 availability during heaviest deadline season
■ connects teens with access to a growing alumnae and volunteer support network
■ offers career guidance, including fellowships, internships and job opportunities
Bold Leaders
Bold Leaders
The WriteGirl Bold Leaders Program is a leadership development program for 10th, 11th and 12th grade WriteGirl teens. We created the program in 2019 when one of our girls said, “Everyone says we should be leaders, but nobody tells us how to become leaders.” At monthly Bold Leader gatherings, WriteGirl mentors lead activities and discussions centered on leadership skills such as managing teams, public speaking, business writing, networking, time management and interpersonal communications, among other topics.
Our Bold Leaders have participated in a variety of community partnerships. For example, in early 2021, WriteGirl partnered with The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLA) in celebration of their Los Angeles ofrenda, an altar of offerings. The Ofrenda Community Project offered a group of our Bold Leaders an immersive platform in which to delve into stories of their ancestors, cultures and family traditions. WriteGirl guided teens to complete deeply personal stories, poems and art pieces. Their photos, stories and reflections are currently featured on the NHMLA website. Read the Ofrenda stories here.
Publications
Publications
By participating in WriteGirl, teens have the chance to submit their writing to be considered for publication in our online literary journal, Lines & Breaks, which features writing from WriteGirl mentees, alums and special guests.
Since 2001, WriteGirl Publications has produced more than a dozen multi-award winning anthologies that showcase the bold voices and imaginative insights of our members. Unique in both design and content, WriteGirl anthologies present a wide range of personal stories, poetry, essays, scenes and lyrics. WriteGirl inspires readers to find their own creative voices through innovative writing experiments and writing tips from both teens and their mentors. Edited by a team of volunteers, WriteGirl anthologies are a concrete testament to each teen’s participation in the program.
WriteGirl’s critically-acclaimed anthologies have received more than 100 national and international book awards and recognition by prominent writers, including best-selling author Meg Cabot, who wrote the foreword to the WriteGirl anthology No Character Limit, and actor and writer Lauren Graham, who wrote the foreword to This Moment.
Learn more about WriteGirl Publications and where to buy our books.
Partnerships
Partnerships
WriteGirl has built long-lasting relationships with many community arts and culture organizations, such as The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, New York State Unified Courts, LACMA, the Los Angeles Times (and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books), Horizon Records, VaynerMedia, Pasadena Festival of Women Authors, Exposition Review and many others. We look forward to continuing these important partnerships, giving our teens unique experiences where they learn, write and share their reflections and views.
