by Sandra M. WriteGirl Mentee, age 16   suffragist defiant fists and swirling skirts two items juxtaposed some thought them strange comrades some thought women should be “demure” or “obedient”   they were called suffragists for the way they fought to have a say in the country they lived in but perhaps it is because of the suffering they endured: cruel words, mocking condescension   “Men, their rights, and nothing more “Women, their rights, and nothing less,” said Susan B. Anthony yet every step we take towards equality feels like the tugging of a stubborn mule– whose hooves try ..read more

If I have a daughter by Gabrielle Gorman WriteGirl alum, freshman at UCLA Written for International Women's Day 2017   Dear America,   If I have a daughter, I will tell her that the dark-skinned girls with tight curls like we, are no less than the rest, we are brown beauty queens.   That our gay and trans sisters are as worthy as we, as human as her, as women as me. That a true Christians fear God not those with hijabs.   If I have a daughter, I will tell her that we're people. We’re people living for the American Dream and ICE agents have badges where their hearts should ..read more

WriteGirl mentee Jessica Kim was named the 2021 LA Youth Poet Laureate on June 19, 2021. Of the 18 finalists, 12 were WriteGirl mentees! Click here to view the performances. Ghazal for K By Jessica Kim Jessica Kim is a Korean-American high school student, a WriteGirl mentee, a disability rights advocate and a poet. Jessica performed her poem “Ghazal for K” at the 2021 LA Youth Poet Laureate finals. Late last summer, halmeoni visited California, bone-dried and thinned like seaweed on the kitchen counter. She asks why I have not thinned, fattened instead like a whale ready for slaughter ..read more

She Is By Sofia Pezo, 14 Sofia is in the 9th grade at Culver City High School. "I wrote this for every young girl out there who just needs to feel their inner lioness roar again. She IS strong. Don't ever forget that.” She closes her eyes Willing herself To breathe, Just breathe, And it’ll all blow over She curls into a ball Whispering to herself That she’s strong She IS strong And she’ll never be broken She finds herself wondering As she breathes again Why is it her, Why her, That is always falling? She feels something surging In her veins It’s there It IS there, And it roars like a lione ..read more

Sofía Aguilar, writegirl alum By Sofía Aguilar, age 21 Sofía is a WriteGirl alum, and a college senior at Sarah Lawrence College Without us, where would you be? Without all the women you love, you need —not just your mother or sister but your neighbors, your authors, your scholars— would you survive a day? For so long we were made to feel powerless because you were afraid for us to feel powerful and we don’t blame you. Have you seen us? Have you heard our quiet walkings as though tigers in the grass, our mouths ready to roar? Here we are (look at us) not following but leading, not surviving ..read more

WriteGirls on the Central Perk cafe set of the TV show "Friends," which filmed on the Warner Bros. lot.  by Hannah R. When I received an email that WriteGirl was offering full scholarships to GenHERation’s “Discovery Days 2016,” I knew I had to take advantage of this opportunity (even if it did mean that I would have to wake up at 6 AM!). GenHERation is a company that strives to empower young women to rise to positions in power and create their own futures. Their summer installment of Discovery Days strives to embrace this mission by taking high school and college students to visit succe ..read more

WriteGirl was invited to travel to Rome, Italy, in November of 2019 for YouthMundus, an international youth empowerment conference helping to inspire youth to use their creativity as a vehicle for change! WriteGirl staff and two alums represented WriteGirl on a women’s empowerment panel alongside organizations such as Women’s March Global, Women Occupy Hollywood and Equality Now. WriteGirl also hosted an interactive walk-through workshop to help youth discover the power of their voice. Our two WriteGirl alums, Janel Pineda and Sara Kimura, recently reflected on their experience at the fe ..read more

The 15th Anniversary Season End Celebration of WriteGirl happened to be the second season event I went to and the ending of my first full season—a season filled with friends, writing prompts, and the thrill of having my first mentor. It went quite smoothly, the food great and the speakers excellent. Especially Felicia Day, who to me was the highlight of the guest speakers, mingling and talking with us during the breaks and lunch; she was incredibly nice and charming. The thing that nobody tells you before performances is that on stage, you can hardly see anyone. The lights are just that blind ..read more

By Cadence Lusinsky, WriteGirl Intern “Why in this age has heaven allowed you more and Women less? ... Why should Women not write as well as men?” These questions were posed by Aphra Behn, the first English woman to become a professional writer, in her 1678 play Sir Patient Fancy. I had the opportunity to read through a first edition copy of Behn’s play at Whitmore Rare Books. WriteGirl held a workshop there for interns and alumni on July 19th. In addition to Behn’s play, we looked at pieces by Angelina W. Grimke, the first African-American woman to become a published playwright, and by Lili ..read more

By Alejandra, age 17 Being in a room surrounded by women holding pens and notebooks, as one woman stands at the front, her voice clear and loud, and her message just as strong – it can change a girl. She can become addicted to the unbelievable high that comes with empowerment. I know I did. This is why I couldn’t resist going to the last WriteGirl workshop, even though it fell on the same day as my school’s prom. It would be about memoir writing (my favorite genre) and hosted at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. So at 10 AM, I pulled up to the all too familiar Urban Light exhibit – you kn ..read more