Every great writer is a great reader. At Girls Write Now, we're celebrating Independent Booksellers Month with a collection about the power of the bookstore and the transformational possibilities of the written word.
Through fiction, video essays, and book reviews, our writers tackle what it means to write your own future and to see yourself reflected in someone else's story.
Moving Up by Emmy Cai
As Elery adapts to her new job at the publishing firm, she looks back on her previous job at the local bookstore. The skills she gained stacking books may be more useful than she thought.
The Historical Construction of Colonialism and Race in Aimé Césaire’s Notebook of a Return to the Native Land (Excerpts) by Lulua Sha
This paper was originally written for my First-Year Writing Seminar: Writings of Exile. It discusses Césaire’s writing on colonial violence and the internalization of exile, rather than it being simply a phenomenon of physical displacement.
Books & Baked Goods by Victory Ogunnaya and Kaley Roberts
Podcast hosts Victory and Kaley discuss the themes in Toni Morrison’s Beloved and sample some treats from Brooklyn Sweet Spot.
Between the World and Me & James Baldwin by Amoya Evans
This piece was inspired by one of my favorite books, Between the World and Me. Everyone should read this book and these writers.
Becoming by Sandy Tan
In our modern world, where technology has transformed the way we do everything, stories are no longer only found in books. In the visual novel “Becoming,” the audience follows the story of a high school junior named Sonia Young. Sonia discovers a book that lets her revisit her past and gain the confidence to write her next chapter. This interactive story gives the user a little insight, and perhaps control, over the chaotic world of a teenage girl.
Fragments: The Need for Attention by Ugonna Agwu
My stop-motion poem is inviting, and it gives good advice on how to live your life: try to be more open and express how you feel to others, so that you are not bottling up your problems and keeping them to yourself. The found poem was inspired by words that stood out to me in a few used books, and as I highlighted many words, it became easier to pinpoint the topic of the poem.
In the Books by Kathy Rivera
“In the Books” is a short clip about trying to find myself and who I want to be. This video is worth watching for those who do not know who they want to be and want some type of inspiration. This is coming from a girl who does not know what she wants to do in her career path, but at least knows where she wants to start. This work made me feel vulnerable and can help others understand that there are other women to look up to.
Why Obsessions Matter by Altagracia Diamond Abreu
I chose to write about how my obsession with comics books, which seemed the opposite of my personality, has allowed me to grow into who I am, both as a writer and as a person.