Speaking in First Draft

Bring out the garlic, crosses, and wooden stakes. This episode is all about vampires, and we get into it with Girls Write Now fellows Annaya Baynes and Kenna McCafferty. They discuss the history of vampires in Western media, the ethics of living under capitalism, and the way Black women often have the weight of the world placed on their shoulders. In this season two finale episode, you'll get to hear all about Annaya’s work-in-progress Innocent Blood.

Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now.

Host: Kathryn Destin

Producers: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Editors: Annaya Baynes, Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel

Have you ever thought about dropping everything and just going? Mentor Jaime Brockway did just that for two years and in this episode shares a short story about her adventures from her untitled travel memoir. She is interviewed by travel photographer and Senior Visual Editor at Travel + Leisure Taylor McIntyre. Together, they discuss what influences their travel writing from gender dynamics to climate change. 

Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now.

Host: Kathryn Destin

Producers: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Editors: Annaya Baynes, Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel

Prepare to enter into an incredible world with familiars, fantastical tech, and magical girls. That is what's in store for this conversation between mentor Kristy Cunningham Bigler and mentee Shreya Darji. They discuss worldbuilding, the quest for character names, and the funny personalities of ferrets. In this episode, you'll get to hear all about Kristy's work-in-progress Code Name: Space Goddess. 

Find more of Kristy’s work:

Website: curiographic.com

Portfolio: krisbigler.com

Infinite Spiral Comic: enterthespiral.com

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel

We’re mixing it up this week with a special reflection on a video art piece from Girls Write Now Community Manager Jesse Jagtiani. Mentor Tatyana White Jenkins leads an inquisitive and informative discussion with Jesse about the process and inspiration behind her fourth installment of her video series “An American Tale.” Initiated in 2008 before the election of former President Obama, “An American Tale” investigates Boston and New York voters’ political consciousness in the last three presidential elections. Listen to learn more about Jesse’s videography roots in Germany, her plans for the upcoming 2024 election installment, and the common narratives she’s beginning to uncover at the polls over the last 16 years.

Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now.

Host: Kathryn Destin

Producers: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Editors: Annaya Baynes, Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel

While our last episode left off in contemporary Harlem, this week’s episode takes us to Paris during the French Revolution. Mentor Nola Solomon reads a chilling excerpt of her historical fiction piece, “The Gentleman of Paris,” and talks to Mentee Colette Holcomb about how a trip to a torture museum in Bruges, Belgium, inspired her latest project. Together, Nola and Colette discuss how to write fictional narratives about real people, and why the themes of the French Revolution are still relevant today.

Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now.

Host: Kathryn Destin

Producers: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Editors: Annaya Baynes, Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel

Today is all about about love. Whether it’s platonic, romantic, or some “situationship” in between, love is present in all of our lives and manifests in unique and personal ways. Unfortunately, these manifestations are often hindered by a multitude of barriers, especially sexism. In this episode, Girls Write Now Community Manager Emily Rigby speaks with former mentee and current mentor Alexis Love about her piece “An Uncommon Love Story.” Follow along with us a beautiful and riveting tale of Harlemites navigating revolutionary love and regressive sexism inspired by Alexis’ experiences of home, bell hooks, and late nights in the club.

Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now.

Host: Kathryn Destin

Producers: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Editors: Annaya Baynes, Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel

This week we're delighted to present Mentees Dom Dawes (he/they) and Jamilah Araf (she/her) as they chat about Dom's poem "I Am From." You'll hear about Dom's creative process and how his teacher impacted his writing. We hope you enjoy this beautiful discussion about poetry as therapy, silencing the editor in your head, and the pressure to assimilate into the "ideal" American.

Thank you to LOLA, a feminine & reproductive care brand, for supporting Girls Write Now.

Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now.

Host: Kathryn Destin

Producers: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Editors: Annaya Baynes, Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel

Any writer knows that our craft is a form of magic. A spell of creation, combination, and transformation, that conjures the stories people will treasure for generations. To honor Girls Write Now’s 25th anniversary, we're proud to introduce On the Art of the Craft: A Guidebook to Collaborative Storytelling, coming out April 23rd from HarperOne Books. In addition to presenting phenomenal stories by young writers, this book is a treasure trove of prompts and quotes to inspire your own writing. In this episode, you'll hear Committee Chair Spencer George lead a reflection on the unique drafting process for the book with fellow Chair Richelle Szypulski, our former Senior Editorial Manager, and Kat Jagai, an Editorial Advisory Committee member and mentee and mentor alum of Girls Write Now. Plus, our guests will respond in real time to a prompt from the book and give you the time to write along. We hope you enjoy this magical episode, and will celebrate with us this moment of collaborative creation.Prompt: Combine the most important myth you know with what you imagine is the favorite mythology of the first stranger you see.

This week we have the pleasure of hearing a conversation between Mentee Alum Imani Okwuosa and Mentee Ijeoma Asonye as they dive into an excerpt from Ijeoma's forthcoming graphic novel, Allergy Girl. They touch on everything from FX's The Bear to why Ijeoma calls herself the human hummingbird to the theme of belonging. We hope you enjoy this high-spirited discussion about art, being an Issa Rae, and writing anti-heroes.

Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now.

Host: Kathryn Destin

Producers: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Editors: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel

Today’s episode features Mentees Chloe Lee (she/her) and Kayla Misa (she/they). You’ll learn about Kayla’s writing and creative process for her excerpts from one of her many poetry chapbooks. We hope you enjoy this insightful discussion about poetry, Asian identity, and embracing the silly parts of ourselves.

Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now.

Host: Kathryn Destin

Producers: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Editors: Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel