<![CDATA[Girls Write Now: Writing Our Way to Wellness]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/s/writing-our-way-to-wellnesshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!novU!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e733737-85eb-47e7-b28c-b1dade51d0ab_1280x1280.pngGirls Write Now: Writing Our Way to Wellnesshttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/s/writing-our-way-to-wellnessSubstackSat, 11 Apr 2026 06:28:13 GMT<![CDATA[18. Artivism: A Conversation with Katherine Vargas & Sharjah M. Bodji Pt.2]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/18-artivism-a-conversation-with-katherinehttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/18-artivism-a-conversation-with-katherineThu, 30 Jan 2025 16:49:34 GMTIn this powerful final Part 2 of a two-part series, spoken word poet, photographer, activist, and Girls Write Now mentee Sharjah M. Bodji sits down with artivist, community organizer, spoken word poet, and author of Hues of Magic, Katherine Vargas, for a compelling conversation on the intersection of art, activism, and identity. Together, they explore the transformative power of spoken word poetry in advocating for BIPOC experiences, the importance of intersectionality in creative expression, and the role of art in challenging social injustices. Tune in as they dive into their shared experiences navigating multiple identities while using their craft to amplify marginalized voices and create meaningful change in their communities.

Writing Prompt: Your ancestors' wildest dreams have always been the freedom of happiness. How will you choose to honor that today? Tomorrow? Always?

Support Our Work: https://girlswritenow.org/give/

Order Katherine’s Book: Hues of Magic

Thank you for your listening ear this season. It has been such an honor to foster spaces that allow our beautiful Girls Write Now community to feel brave and empowered when talking about their writing and healing journey. Thank you for receiving us with open heart.

]]><![CDATA[17. Artivism: A Conversation with Katherine Vargas & Sharjah M. Bodji Pt.1]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/17-artivism-a-conversation-with-katherinehttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/17-artivism-a-conversation-with-katherineThu, 16 Jan 2025 17:01:29 GMTIn this powerful Part 1 of a two-part series, spoken word poet, photographer, activist, and Girls Write Now mentee Sharjah M. Bodji sits down with artivist, community organizer, spoken word poet, and author of Hues of Magic, Katherine Vargas, for a compelling conversation on the intersection of art, activism, and identity. Together, they explore the transformative power of spoken word poetry in advocating for BIPOC experiences, the importance of intersectionality in creative expression, and the role of art in challenging social injustices. Tune in as they dive into their shared experiences navigating multiple identities while using their craft to amplify marginalized voices and create meaningful change in their communities.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where the discussion continues with even deeper insights into the healing power of art and activism.

Writing Prompt: Your ancestors' wildest dreams have always been the freedom of happiness. How will you choose to honor that today? Tomorrow? Always?

Support Our Work: https://girlswritenow.org/give/

Order Katherine’s Book: Hues of Magic

]]><![CDATA[16. Undoing Overthinking with Meredith Arthur]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/16-getting-over-overthinking-withhttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/16-getting-over-overthinking-withThu, 28 Nov 2024 17:01:39 GMTWhen we're anxious, our bodies and minds go into overdrive. Sometimes, we can even experience physical pain. This week, Meredith Arthur, Chief of Staff for Pinterest’s Product Incubation Studio and author of Get Out Of My Head: Inspiration for Overthinkers in an Anxious World, tells the story of her own journey with anxiety and shares strategies from her Substack, Beautiful Voyager, and her Stress Relief Cheat Sheets. Listen to a healing conversation between Meredith and Girls Write Now staff member Vahni Kurra as they go deep on anxious minds, overthinking, finding solace in memes, and how you can create a sense of internal safety to help you be more resilient in times of stress.

Thanks for reading Girls Write Now! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

]]><![CDATA[15. On Liberating Our Bodies with Chrissy King]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/15-on-liberating-our-bodies-withhttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/15-on-liberating-our-bodies-withThu, 14 Nov 2024 22:01:19 GMTWe’ve been spending a lot of time here at GWN reflecting on our past conversations with our wonderful guests both on our Writing Our Way to Wellness and Speaking in First Draft podcasts. This week, we’re revisiting my (Kathryn Destin) conversation with Chrissy King in our Season 1 Bonus episode of Speaking in First Draft. As you’re listening, think about ways you can practice wellness with your body beyond exercise and diet but also through calming healing practices and extending your body grace when it needs it the most.

]]><![CDATA[14. The Role of Family in Our Wellness with the Girls Write Now Community ]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/14-the-role-of-family-in-our-wellnesshttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/14-the-role-of-family-in-our-wellnessThu, 31 Oct 2024 16:02:08 GMTJoin us as we revisit powerful clips from past conversations with inspiring guests: Arnell Calderon, mentee alumn, Nehanda Thom, our former Wellness Advisor; and author Sahaj Kaur Kohli. Together, they share personal stories and wisdom about how our roots shape our identities and well-being.

]]><![CDATA[13. The Value of Writing Communities with Maya Collins & Summer Boxer]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/13-the-value-of-writing-communitieshttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/13-the-value-of-writing-communitiesThu, 17 Oct 2024 17:23:27 GMTIn this special episode, we get to listen to two Girls Write Now mentees that have gotten the opportunity to publish their work within and outside of the Girls Write Now community. Maya Collins and Summer Boxer walk us through their experiences as young published authors, we get to hear how Girls Write Now supports their journey as poets and writers, and we learn how they write their way to wellness.

]]><![CDATA[12. Navigating Mental Health & Culture with Sahaj Kaur Kohli ]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/12-navigating-mental-health-and-culturehttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/12-navigating-mental-health-and-cultureThu, 03 Oct 2024 16:01:23 GMTIn this episode, community coordinator Sally Familia spends time with practicing therapist, founder of Brown Girl Therapy, and author of But What Will People Say?: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures, Sahaj Kaur Kohli. Listen in as they talk about what healing alongside community looks like, the intricacies of storytelling, and the layered experience of becoming a well person as immigrants, children of immigrants, and people of other cultures. 

Want to go deeper on wellness and writing? Join the Girls Write Now Collaboratory as a mentor, mentee, or member: https://girlswritenow.org/join-the-collaboratory/

Support Our Work: https://girlswritenow.org/give/

Get Your Own Copy: But What Will People Say?: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures

Featured Prompt by Sahaj Kohli: Understanding how our experiences impact our confidence in our identities:

Reflect on an experience you’ve had that made you very aware of your cultural, racial, gender, or sexual identity. 

How does this experience inform your sense of pride and shame regarding who you are and how you identify? How did this experience impact your relationship with others — either positively and/or negatively? What or who contributes to your confidence in your identity?

]]><![CDATA[11. The Healing Powers of Humor with Chelsea Devantez]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/the-healing-powers-of-humor-withhttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/the-healing-powers-of-humor-withThu, 19 Sep 2024 16:49:36 GMTWelcome back to Writing Our Way to Wellness! In this first episode of Season 2, we are honored to have author, comedian, director, and host of the podcast Glamorous Trash, Chelsea Devantez, and our very own Director of Engagement and Partnerships, Erica Silberman.

Enjoy this humorous conversation about stand-up, journaling, therapy, and the unique, transformative process that Chelsea used to write her debut memoir, I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This (But I'm Going to Anyway), out now from Hanover Imprint at HarperCollins.

Want to go deeper on wellness and writing? Join the Girls Write Now Collaboratory as a mentor, mentee, or member: https://girlswritenow.org/join-the-collaboratory/

Support Our Work: https://girlswritenow.org/give/

Order Chelsea’s Book: https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/chelseadevantez

]]><![CDATA[10. Career Creativity: Finding Joy in Your Work]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/10-career-creativity-finding-joyhttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/10-career-creativity-finding-joyThu, 01 Feb 2024 17:11:46 GMTAnd with that, our first season of Writing Our Way to Wellness comes to a close. While we’re sad to say goodbye for now, we are so thankful for everyone who joined us in this compassionate, soulful space.

In your career, you are not, and never will be, powerless.

-Jeanine Marie Russaw

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In the season 1 finale, we're talking about the source of a lot of the stress in our lives: work. As writers, it can be hard to find workplaces that value our creativity and also give us the time and space to recharge our energy. But it's not impossible. Jeanine Marie Russaw, a Community Coordinator at Girls Write Now, chats with Community Manager Emily Rigby about finding joy and maintaining an authentic connection to your purpose in the workplace. Listen to how these writers and employees reclaim their stories, and in doing so reclaim their power.

Writing Prompt:

Find your “why.” Think of the work that you do and ask yourself why it is important to you. Challenge yourself to ask why your initial reaction is significant, why the second reaction is significant, and so on until you get to the core of why. Do this for your career and your writing practice.

Thank you to Sally Familia, Vahni Kurra, and Kathryn Destin who produced this season. And thank you, our listeners, for embarking on this wellness journey together.

Can’t get enough Girls Write Now content? Listen to Speaking in First Draft, our inaugural podcast, and subscribe for Season 2, which drops March 6.

Thanks for reading Girls Write Now! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

]]><![CDATA[9. Taboos: Wellness in the Black Community]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/9-taboos-wellness-in-the-black-communityhttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/9-taboos-wellness-in-the-black-communityThu, 18 Jan 2024 17:05:25 GMTSpecial Projects Coordinator Kathryn Destin moderates a conversation between Girls Write Now Mentor Ashley Sowers and friend Dr. Ijeoma Unachukwu about the taboo of practicing mental wellness in the Black community and the inequities the healthcare system enforces in its practices. They also explore the presence of misogynoir in professional spaces that view Black women as disposable and undeserving of wellness.

Resources:

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]]><![CDATA[8. Straight No Chaser: Authenticity as BIPOC in Publishing]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/8-straight-no-chaser-authenticityhttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/8-straight-no-chaser-authenticityThu, 04 Jan 2024 20:10:01 GMTIn advance of our event with Inkluded, we’re talking about wellness in the workplace. To do your best work, you need a safe and supportive environment where your authentic self is championed by your co-workers and superiors. For many Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other people of color, this is not a given.

The publishing industry has a diversity problem. According to a 2019 Lee & Low survey, 76% of publishing staff, review journal staff, and literary agents surveyed were white. Meanwhile, Black publishing professionals only made up 5% of all employees, and Latinx only made up 6%. Michael Mejias, founder of the Writers House Intern Program and Inkluded, is working to change that.

In this episode led by Margery Hannah, program manager at Girls Write Now, Michael gets candid about the meager gains of racial minorities in publishing and what can be done to accelerate progress.

“There are more people who look like us in the way that six cents is more than a nickel,” Michael said. “We’re populating publishing more now than in its 500 year history, but when you consider that it’s 500 years, that’s not a very big showing.”

Listen to an excerpt from their conversation in this episode of Writing Our Way to Wellness, which covers Michael’s meandering career path from flight school dropout to a publishing professional at Writer’s House, how Michael and Margery have seen the publishing industry change (and remain stagnant), and whether affinity-focused imprints are the sole solution to producing diverse stories.

Want to learn more about how you can break into the publishing industry as a BIPOC? Join us on January 9th for a free, online event with Michael Mejias and alum of the Inkluded Academy.

Watch the full conversation here.

Referenced in this conversation:

Lee and Low Survey

Thanks for reading Girls Write Now! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

]]><![CDATA[7. Teenagehood: Healing, Hurting, and, Writing Pt. 2]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/teenagehood-healing-hurting-and-writing-iihttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/teenagehood-healing-hurting-and-writing-iiThu, 21 Dec 2023 17:01:27 GMTIn Part II of a special two-part episode, mentee Chloe Lee guides Community Coordinator, Sally Familia, continue discussing teenagehood, healing, and writing as a tool for wellness. They explore the differences and similarities growing up in the Gen Z generation, and how that has informed their healing and writing practices. Chloe and Sally connect through their exploration of the inner self and their hopes for a new world for the generations to come!

Thank you for supporting this Girls Write Now podcast! To receive more podcasts like these, consider subscribing:

]]><![CDATA[6. Teenagehood: Healing, Hurting, and Writing Pt. 1]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/teenagehood-healing-hurting-and-writinghttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/teenagehood-healing-hurting-and-writingThu, 07 Dec 2023 17:00:52 GMTIn this Part I of a special two-part episode, mentee Chloe Lee guides Community Coordinator, Sally Familia, through a beautiful conversation about teenagehood, healing, and writing as a tool for wellness. They explore the differences and similarities growing up in the Gen Z generation, and how that has informed their healing and writing practices. Chloe and Sally connect through their exploration of the inner self and their hopes for a new world for the generations to come!

Thank you for supporting this Girls Write Now podcast! To receive more podcasts like these, consider subscribing:

]]><![CDATA[5. Nutrition: Feeding the Body and the Soul]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/5-nutrition-feeding-the-body-and-the-soulhttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/5-nutrition-feeding-the-body-and-the-soulThu, 09 Nov 2023 17:00:48 GMTOne of the best ways to care for our mental wellbeing is to care for our physical bodies. Community Manager Margery Hannah and mentee alum Chanelle Ferguson dive into the ways that their upbringing in their particular communities has influenced their relationship to physical health, and how care for the body is intimately tied to care for the soul. This episode covers tea as a favored Caribbean remedy, how to handle stress in the body, and how food deserts are affecting communities of color.

Featured Poem: Soul Food by Kamari Bright
Featured Prompt by Mentee Alum Chanelle Ferguson:
Write a letter from your body to you answering the question, "How has your body taken care of you?"

Thank you for supporting this Girls Write Now podcast! To receive more podcasts like these, consider subscribing:

]]><![CDATA[4. Social Media: Gen Z on Harm and Healing]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/social-media-gen-z-on-harm-and-healinghttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/social-media-gen-z-on-harm-and-healingThu, 26 Oct 2023 16:00:34 GMTGirls Write Now community members Michelle Chen, Luca Sabine, and Sheyla Javier talk about what it’s like to grow up with social media as Gen Zers. In an era of performativity, doomscrolling, and engagement farming, this episode explores the underbelly of the social tool at all of our fingertips.

Thank you for supporting this Girls Write Now podcast! To receive more podcasts like these, consider subscribing:

]]><![CDATA[3. Ancestry: Curación en Comunidad]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/ancestry-curacion-en-comunidadhttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/ancestry-curacion-en-comunidadThu, 12 Oct 2023 16:00:25 GMTGirls Write Now Community Coordinator, Sally Familia, and Mentee Alum, Arnell Calderon, honor Latinx Heritage Month by discussing what ancestral and familial healing means and looks like to them. With an emphasis on memory, connection, and compassion, Sally and Arnell explore history & literature.

Thank you for supporting this Girls Write Now podcast! To receive more podcasts like these, consider subscribing:

]]><![CDATA[2. Suicide: Care for the Soul]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/2-suicide-care-for-the-soulhttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/2-suicide-care-for-the-soulThu, 05 Oct 2023 16:00:23 GMTGirls Write Now Community Coordinator, Sally Familia, and Danielle Whyte, Director of Ambassador Outreach at The Yellow Tulip Project, engage in an openhearted conversation about the emotional and spiritual challenges that arise in the wake of America's suicide epidemic. They discuss the power and value of the individual and the significance of presence and tenderness. Together, they dream up a world where love is at the forefront and kindness is the guide.

Disclaimer: This episode discusses suicide and grief.

Poems from this episode:

I Think There’s Something Very Toxic Going On in American Society

by Sally Familia

*written using an article titled: Suicide Rates Among U.S. Adolescents Doubled in 10 Years, published this past May 2023. 

Note that the economic downturn and housing crisis is rough on families. 

Parents are under strain. Kids feel it, too. 

Rapidly rising tensions open hostility.

Kids sense the future is not bright.


Expose kids to the bad side. 

The past amplifies this message.


The world is a terrible place—

said the patterns. 

Suicide, big cities, firearms, death. 

Death versus the heart. The problem. 


Researches found that young teens’ suicide rates spiked. 

The same pattern. The pressure.

They hear the message: they need to have a good life. 

The past. That stressor. 


We tend to be a society that lets kids paint

grim pictures of suicide remains. 


Intervene. Look out for a friend. 

Spend time with them. 

They can talk to you. 

Let them know you’re listening.

Love Affirmations 

by Danielle Whyte

I have to dare to love. 

I have to dare to release the tension in my body. 

I have to dare to let go of my grip on strength to make room for softness. I have to. 

I must. 

I can. 

Because that is the most beautiful form of love: a free love. 

Affirmations for An Opening Heart 

by Danielle Whyte

I let go of the assumption that the people I love can not reciprocate the love I give. I open my heart to being loved 

radically, 

holistically, 

and thoughtfully 

by all those who surround me. 

I flow fearlessly into relationships and communities that love me. 

Eclipse: A Healing Poem 

by Danielle Whyte

It seems as though there are people of this world that as tears roll down their cheeks, the world stops, and people flock 
                 With arms extended to wrap them in comfort 
                 To affirm: “I am here, my love, let it out. You are safe, I love you.” 
As tears fall down my cheeks, my arms extend. To wrap my own body. A firm but tender grasp that fits into the decades-old indents. I am always there for me. 
My voice affirms my aches, “ I am here, my love, let it out. You are safe, I love you.” 

A sun that soaks in its own warmth. 

I do not yet know how to loosen my grasp - to let someone else hold me. 
                But I can learn. I can feel. 
Because the sun finds peace in the coverage of an eclipse. 
                Since, just for a moment, it does not have to occupy the sky by itself.

Thank you for supporting this Girls Write Now podcast! To receive more podcasts like these, consider subscribing:

]]><![CDATA[1. Grief: Shedding Heavy Things and Pulling Weight]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/grief-shedding-heavy-things-and-pulling-weighthttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/grief-shedding-heavy-things-and-pulling-weightThu, 14 Sep 2023 17:30:09 GMT

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Girls Write Now’s Creative Marketing Director, Chelle Carter Wilson, and Wellness Advisor and mentee alum, Nehanda Thom, tell personal stories of loss and the many manifestations of grief, from cutting off your hair to writing letters to those who have left us. Chelle and Neh embrace the vulnerability that comes with experiencing the spectrum of grief from the death of family members to the falling out of friendships. Join this much needed conversation on how these two process through writing, therapy, remembering to take care of yourself, and so much more.

Disclaimer: This episode discusses dying, death, and grief.

Thank you for supporting this Girls Write Now podcast! To receive more podcasts like these, consider subscribing:

]]><![CDATA[Welcome to Writing Our Way to Wellness]]>https://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/welcome-to-writing-our-way-to-wellnesshttps://www.girlswritenowmedia.org/p/welcome-to-writing-our-way-to-wellnessThu, 14 Sep 2023 15:23:05 GMTHave you ever read a book that changed your life? Have you used a song to make it through a tough time? It's clear that our favorite art has the power to heal us, but what about the act of writing itself?


Join Girls Write Now’s community of writers, therapists, artists, students, and healers as they explore wellness in the art of writing. Writing Our Way to Wellness gives silenced voices a brave space to navigate what wellness looks, sounds, and feels like to them. Through intergenerational and cross-cultural stories about mental health, listeners and our guests will come away with more tools to help them navigate the challenges that follow being a human in this ever-evolving society.

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