2016 WRITE NOW AWARDS

Tuesday May 17 6-9:30 PM Three Sixty° Tribeca &

partner to debut ’S new book, Is This Evil?

Lena and Jenni, and their creations, are “the result of talent, risk-taking, and devout mentorship from generations before them. The Girls Write Now model is based on these principles, and we are thrilled to partner with such groundbreaking writers and artists.”

-Maya Nussbaum, Founder & Executive Director, Girls Write Now

All proceeds from Lena’s book will directly support Girls Write Now programs PROGRAM

EMCEES ALICIA MENENDEZ Anchor & Special Correspondent, Fusion KIRBY-ESTAR LAGUERRE Mentee, Girls Write Now

OPENING REMARKS MAYA NUSSBAUM Founder & Executive Director, Girls Write Now

TRAILBLAZER HONOREE JANET MOCK Author, Redefining Realness & the forthcoming Firsts: A Memoir of the Twenties Experience, & Host, MSNBC’s SoPOPular!

PERFORMANCE JADA FITZPATRICK Mentee, Girls Write Now LINDA KLEINBUB Mentor, Girls Write Now

SYMBOLIC AUCTION ALICIA MENENDEZ KAMY WICOFF Board Member, Girls Write Now

GAMECHANGER HONOREE JOHN OSBORN President & CEO, BBDO New York

SPECIAL REMARKS GLORIA JACOBS Board Chair, Girls Write Now

GROUNDBREAKER HONOREE JENNI KONNER Executive Producer, Writer, & Director, HBO's Girls & Co-Founder, LennyLetter.com GIRLS WRITE NOW mentors underserved young women to find their voices through the power of writing and community.

Founded in 1998, Girls Write Now is New York’s first and only writing and mentoring organization for girls. Girls Write Now has been distinguished twice by the White House and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities as one of the nation’s top after school programs, twice by the Nonprofit Excellence Awards as one of New York’s top ten nonprofits, and twice by the Council as one of the city’s top girl- focused initiatives. Our girls—over 90% high need and over 95% girls of color—have performed at Lincoln Center and the United Nations, published original work in Newsweek, Elle India, AOL Cambio/Huffington Post, and our award-winning anthology, and earned hundreds of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. 100% of our seniors go on to college.

We are poised for INNOVATIVE GROWTH with a strategic plan to double the number of girls we serve and to enhance our college prep and alumnae services, extending the support we provide young women writers into college, career, and beyond. There is no better time to invest.

THE GIRLS WRITE NOW AWARDS is where we honor leaders who have paved the way for our girls to break through boundaries, both in life and in writing, to realize their promise and possibilities. Our honorees embody the principles we instill in our girls: dedication to craft, determination to tell a story with honesty and brilliance, and a passion to live life fearlessly. Girls Write Now mentors the next generation of writers, and our honorees are evolving the narrative and igniting change for our girls.

Girls Write Now, you are filling the “ SHAKEVA heart, the mind, the body. And truly, GRISWOULD it's a revolutionary act.” Girls Write Now Mentee, CHAPTERS — GLORIA STEINEM Reading Series EMCEE EMCEE

ALICIA MENENDEZ KIRBY-ESTAR Anchor & Special LAGUERRE Correspondent, Fusion Girls Write Now Mentee

When the women of Girls These past three years have “Write Now walked into our “been extremely memorable, writers' room they filled the and I cannot believe that our room with verve. As we shared time is about to end. I am stories and ideas, it was clear beyond grateful to have found through their contributions who I am as a writer and a that these were young women of unlimited potential, buoyed by young woman with the help of my mentor Avra and Girls Write the support of a community.” Now. Though this chapter may be over, I will continue to write. About “her,” about “him,” about “it.” About it all.” ALICIA MENENDEZ is an anchor and special correspondent at Fusion. Named “Broadcast Journalism’s New Gladiator” by Elle KIRBY-ESTAR LAGUERRE, a third year mentee, was born magazine, and “Ms. Millennial” by , Alicia has and raised in Brooklyn. She balances competitive dance classes, attend- emerged as one of the most influential voices of her generation. Most ing writing workshops with the Girls Write Now community, participat- recently, Alicia co-moderated the Brown & Black Presidential Forum ing in as many school events as possible (Hispanos Unidos and SING), in Iowa, pressing the Democratic hopefuls on issues of importance to and finding the time to volunteer. Kirby is a recipient of a Scholastic Art African-American and Hispanic communities. Alicia has also & Writing Award and has written in Alicia Menendez's writing room. contributed reporting to ABC’s Nightline and World News, as well as She recently won a Posse Scholarship to Vanderbilt University, where ABC’s Emmy-nominated 2014 Election Night coverage, and shared her she will be going in the fall. spirited take on current events on Good Morning America, This Week, and The View. How proud am I of Kirby? So, so proud. Because of her hard “work, smarts, talent, and maturity, she snagged a full scholarship From 2014 through 2015, Alicia produced and hosted a one-hour primetime special, Generation in Crisis, for which she traveled to to college. I never doubted for a moment she would wind up at a El Salvador, Jordan, and Rwanda to report on the international great school. It has been a delight getting to know her these past implications of a lost generation. Before joining Fusion, Alicia was three years and to see her develop into a strong, self-assured, an inaugural host and producer on the Internet-based video streaming serious, and seriously funny, woman. What a world of knowledge network HuffPost Live. about teenage life she has given me! I will miss her, but I cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next.” —Avra Wing, Girls Write Now Mentor TRAILBLAZER GAMECHANGER HONOREE HONOREE

JANET MOCK JOHN OSBORN Author, Redefining Realness & the President & CEO, BBDO New York forthcoming Firsts: A Memoir of the Twenties Experience, & Host, Creativity, storytelling and MSNBC’s SoPOPular! “brilliant writing powers our industry and the world at large. Only in telling my story The work Girls Write Now is “have I been able to step into my doing to nurture the talent of power as my own protagonist the next generation is both so I recognize how vital Girls Write Now is, giving a brilliant inspiring and vital. We're humbled to support those who create the generation of young sister-writers the tools, encouragement, and narrative.” power to see themselves as the heroines of their own stories.” JOHN OSBORN is President and Chief Executive Officer of JANET MOCK is bestselling author of BBDO New York, creators of the Barbie “Imagine the Possibilities” Redefining Realness and the forthcoming Firsts: A Memoir of the campaign. John has been in this role for twelve years – longer than Twenties Experience, and the host of So POPular! — a weekly any other New York agency head. Under John’s leadership, BBDO MSNBC digital series about culture. She is a sought-after speaker and New York has more than doubled revenues, expanded its client base to the founder of #GirlsLikeUs, a social media project that empowers include categories like retail, healthcare, and more, and diversified its trans women. workforce. The result: BBDO New York has been named an Agency of the Year 15 times by various media outlets, including in 2015. Born in Hawaii, Janet’s story of growing up trans caught the nation’s attention in a 2011 Marie Claire article. Since then she’s become one of John joined BBDO New York in 1991. Over the years, he has the most influential trans women and millennial leaders in media. TIME demonstrated that he is an energetic, positive, and passionate leader called her one of “12 new faces of black leadership” and one of “the most with a proven ability to build strong client relationships and to lead influential people on the Internet” while Fast Company named her one big multi-disciplinary teams in the creation of powerful communication of 2015’s “most creative people in business.” Now, Janet finds herself on programs. For example, he has been actively involved with many of the the other side of the story as a Contributing Editor for Marie Claire, a agency’s clients including FedEx, GE, J&J, Pfizer, CVS, Subway, Lowe’s, host for MSNBC, and correspondent for Entertainment Tonight. Mars, Visa, and the American Red Cross, to name a few. He began his BBDO career on Pepsi and was the principal architect of the agency’s integrated marketing efforts, expanding their offerings to include digital and social marketing, CRM, design, and more. He was named President and CEO of the New York agency in February 2004. GROUNDBREAKER PERFORMERS HONOREE

JENNI KONNER Executive Producer, Writer, & Director, HBO’s Girls & Co-Founder of LennyLetter.com

My whole life has been “supported by the gift of being given the space to tell stories. Seeing these brilliant and driven young women take on the world through words gives me so much hope for the future, both of television and the world.” MENTEE MENTOR JENNI KONNER began her career as a writer on ’s celebrated television series, Undeclared. In 2012, she joined Lena Dunham as Executive Producer on HBO’s hit TV series, Girls, which JADA FITZPATRICK LINDA KLEINBUB follows the lives of four young women living in New York City. In 2014, was born in Waterbury, is a third year mentor at Girls Jenni and Lena co-founded A Casual Romance Production. Recently, Connecticut. However, she calls Write Now and a member of the Jenni and Lena established their own imprint at Random House where Queens, New York her true home. anthology committee. She is they will publish diverse, emerging voices in fiction and non-fiction. She is currently a mentee at currently enrolled in the Teaching Girls Write Now, has received Artist Internship Program at Jenni and Lena have also co-authored the weekly feminist online an honorable mention for poetry Community Word Project. newsletter and website LennyLetter.com. The project gives a platform in the Scholastic Art and Writ- She received her MFA in Creative to young female voices to discuss feminist issues, featuring political ing Awards, and was published Writing from The New School. essays, personal stories, interviews, artwork, an advice column from in Voice to Voice: The 2015 Girls Her work has appeared in The Dunham and Konner, and essays from notable names including Write Now Anthology and the New York Observer, The Brooklyn , Jane Fonda, and former Girls Write Now forthcoming (R)evolution: The Rail, Yahoo! Beauty, Grabbing Awards honoree Gloria Steinem. 2016 Girls Write Now Anthol- the Apple: An Anthology of New ogy. She is a senior at Preparatory York Women Poets, Front Porch Academy for Writers in Springfield Commons, and The Best American Gardens and is actively pursuing a Poetry Blog. She is also a career as a child psychologist. She painter, photographer, and recently received the New York organic gardener. Times College Scholarship and will be attending Bryn Mawr College in the fall. GIRLS WRITE NOW: A YEAR IN THE LIFE CRAFT Mentors and mentees meet weekly ONE-TO-ONE to work on their writing MATCH and come together as a community for MONTHLY WORKSHOPS on Girls are matched and form diverse genres like flash fiction, persona one-to-one relationships with RECRUIT poetry, and podcasting with expert speakers amazing mentors, including from BUZZFEED, MSNBC, THE Hundreds of potential mentors professional poets, playwrights, MAYOR’S OFFICE, and more. and mentees from ALL 5 journalists, and editors, hailing BOROUGHS apply for from the New York Times, 130 pair slots. Google, Penguin Random House, and more.

AWARD PUBLISH Our girls have won Each girl's work is published in PERFORM HUNDREDS OF our AWARD-WINNING Girls showcase their work in SCHOLASTIC ART & ANTHOLOGYor digital our annual CHAPTERS WRITING AWARDS companion, and partner outlets READING SERIES and and 45 awards in 2016 alone! like AOL Cambio/Huffington Post, QWERTY DIGITAL The Toast, Chime for Change, EXHIBITION alongside Women's eNews, and more. award-winning keynote speakers and panelists. COLLEGE & BEYOND College prep experts provide customized guidance HONOR throughout the year. 100% OF OUR Our mentees have been lauded SENIORS GRADUATE AND GO at the WHITE HOUSE , ON TO COLLEGES like Bard, Brown, LINCOLN CENTER , the Columbia, John Hopkins, New York University, UNITED NATIONS , and Vanderbilt, Wesleyan, and many more. our Girls Write Now Awards. SYMBOLIC AUCTION SYMBOLIC AUCTION

$5,000 SPONSORS $1,000 PRINTS 100 ANTHOLOGIES

ONE WORKSHOP Publishing a book isn't easy but we take the strongest, most boundary-pushing work each girl writes and collect it in our award- Our writing and digital media workshops drive our program, winning literary journal. We publish pieces from all of our mentors introducing girls to multiple genres of writing, tied together each and mentees, showcasing the stories that surprise us and stretch our year by an overarching theme: 2016 being (R)evolution. With mentors understanding of the world and ourselves. and mentees writing side by side, our monthly workshops are where our community gathers, where we take creative risks, where we remember that we are all in this together. Everyone is challenged to work outside her natural genre: poets become memoirists, writers become performing comedians, and we discover new ways to express ourselves at the intersections of technology and art.

$2,500 SPONSORS ONE COLLEGE BOUND EVENT

Our College Bound Program is open to all New York City high school girls. In the summer, we offer a free, expert-led workshop series focused on resume/cover letter writing and the college application essay. In the fall, we run a full day College Bound Seminar. These workshops serve hundreds of youth within and beyond our mentoring community.

$100 BUYS A GIRL SUPPLIES FOR ONE PROGRAM YEAR

With a strategic plan to double the number of girls we serve, we have doubled the size of our headquarters! Invest in a creative space for the next generation of women writers by donating toward new workshop seating, workshop packets, A/V equipment, and more. SPONSORS PAST HONOREES

VISIONARY CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE Author of the national bestseller Americanah & We Should All Be Feminists

JUJU CHANG Co-anchor of ABC News Nightline INNOVATOR EMMA COOKSON Chairman of award-winning advertising agency BBH

DAWN L. DAVIS Vice President & Publisher, 37 Ink an Imprint of Atria/Simon & Schuster

CHAMPION TAMRA DAVIS Producer, Director, & Author

TAYARI JONES Novelist and former Girls Write Now Board Vice Chair ROBERTA KAPLAN CREATOR Partner, Paul, Weiss, Wharton & Garrison LLP

PAMELA PAUL Editor of the New York Times Book Review

GLORIA STEINEM Feminist, Activist, & Author

Girls Write Now makes the extraordinary“ possible — helping girls SUPPORTER find and give shape to their voices. Through their writing we are offered the stunning possibilities of what our world will become with girls like these continuing to write and create change.” —Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist & forthcoming Hunger HOST COMMITTEE CHAIRS Marci Alboher, Ellen Archer, Sandra Bang, Maya Nussbaum, Kerry Smith, Kamy Wicoff

HOST COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRS Lisa Chai, Marie Dolan, Rebecca Gradinger, Faiza Issa, Michelle Levin, Pooja Makhijani, Dr. Karen Bishop Morris, Erica Mui, Chelsea Rao, Laura Scileppi, Maureen Sherry, Elaine Stuart-Shah

HOST COMMITTEE MEMBERS Amy Berkower, Dawn Campanile, Lee Clifford, Galina Espinoza, Nancy Gendimenico, Emily Jane Goodman, Catherine Greenman, Gloria Jacobs, Moon Kim, Christina Baker Kline, Sang Lee, Justine Lelchuk & Ben Block, Clare Smith Marash, Marissa McMahon, Diane Meier, Nancy K. Miller, Martha Nelson, Hope Pordy, Hannah Seligson, Julia Shullman, Alix Kates Shulman, Ellen Sweet, Sally Ware, Lisa Wohl

BOARD MEMBERS Gloria Jacobs, Board Chair, Sandra Bang, Vice Chair, Ellen Sweet, Secretary, Kerry Smith, Treasurer, Michelle Levin, Acting Board Development Chair, Erica Mui, Finance & Audit Chair, Laura Scileppi, Fundraising Chair, Marci Alboher, Ellen Archer, Marie Dolan, Galina Espinoza, Justine Lelchuk, Maya Nussbaum, Chelsea Rao, Elaine Stuart-Shah, Kamy Wicoff

STAFF Maya Nussbaum, Founder & Executive Director, Tracy Steele, Director of Operations, Maria Campo, Director of Programs & Outreach, Emily Wurgaft, Director of Development, Naomi Solomon, Program Manager, Isabel Abrams, Senior Program Coordinator, Emily Yost, Senior Program Coordinator, Sierra Ritz, Program Coordinator, Molly MacDermot, Senior Communications Advisor & Editor, Hannah Lythe, Communications Manager, Amber West, Senior Grant Writer, Sandra Pons, Development Coordinator

EVENT CONSULTANTS Emily Morgan, Event Manager, Amy Richards, Event Consultant, Soapbox, Blaine Edens, Event Consultant, Soapbox, Andrea Sparacio, Graphic Designer, Tom Hunt, Videographer, Leah Pellegrini, Photographer

INTERNS Camille Fung, Mikaela Houghton, Isabela Quintero, Jessica Risolo AD

ONE THOUSAND, TWO MILLION, TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY TWO CONGRATULATIONS TO TEAM BBDO!

Here’s to continuing to inspire girls to tell their stories!

The

Team

©2015 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.

154658_BB_GirlsWrite_BBDOCongratsAd.indd 1 4/25/16 10:31 AM T:4.5”

The New York Times T:3.25” Company salutes all the aspiring young women supported by Girls Write Now BBDO stands with Girls Write Now and all of those working to imagine the possibilities.

716661-1 This advertisement was prepared by BBDO New York Filename: 716661-1_V1.indd CLIENT: BBDO INT Proof #: 1 Path: Macintosh HD:Users:angelique.p...661-1_ Created: 2-7-2013 4:10 PM PRODUCT: Global Markering Leadership Award Dinner Mechanicals:716661-1_V1.indd Saved: 4-25-2016 5:38 PM JOB#: 716661-1/P0000XXXX Operators: Perian, Angelique / Danna, Sherry Printed: 4-25-2016 5:38 PM SPACE: FULL PAGE 4/C Print Scale: None BLEED: None TRIM: 4.5” x 3.25” Fonts Ink Names SAFETY: None Arial (Regular, Bold), Avenir (45 Book, 65 Medium) Magenta GUTTER: None Graphic Name Color Space Eff. Res. Black PUBS: Global Marketing Leadership Award Dinner None ISSUE: None TRAFFIC: Donna Mendieta ART BUYER: None ACCOUNT: None RETOUCH: None PRODUCTION: None ART DIRECTOR: Alison Baker COPYWRITER: None “When looking at funding arts education programs around the country, the Find Your Light Foundation focuses on the quality, impact, and sustainability of each program…Girls Write Now reaches the highest standard in each one of these categories and shows how much the arts can change the trajectory of young people’s lives.” – Josh Groban Grammy nominated singer and songwriter, Kamala Films is proud to support founder of the Find Your Light Foundation Girls Write Now! We are proud to support Girls Write Now!

Congratulations to this year’s honorees: Jenni Konner Janet Mock John Osborn

GIRLS WRITE NOW 2016 CHAPTERS READING SERIES WITH KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Thank you for mentoring the next generation of powerful women writers.

March 18 April 15 May 20 June 17 TANWI MIA ALVAR ANGELA NAOMI NANDINI In The FLOURNOY JACKSON ISLAM Country: The Turner The Star Side Bright Lines Stories House Of Bird Hill ALL READINGS AT GENERAL SOCIETY LIBRARY, 6-8 PM, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC www.girlswritenow.org/chapters2016 G I R L S 2016 W R I T E N O W

Q W E R T Y

DIGITAL MEDIA EXHIBITION DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY TELEVISION CENTER June 4, 2016, 6 - 8PM Ashley C. Ford moderating a panel of speakers from Google, Revelist, and more

girlswritenow.org/givewritenow 2016 GIRLS WRITE NOW AWARDS HONORING LEADERS WHO WRITE THE WORLD

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT GIRLS WRITE NOW THANKS OUR HONOREES, OUR COMMUNITY OF MENTORS, AND OUR GENEROUS SUPPORTERS.

TOGETHER WE ARE PAVING THE WAY FOR THE Girls Write Now thanks NEXT GENERATION OF WOMEN WRITERS. The New York Women’s Foundation BOARD OF DIRECTORS for their years of support and Gloria Jacobs, Board Chair Sandra Bang, Vice Chair mentorship. Ellen Sweet, Secretary Kerry Smith, Treasurer Michelle Levin, Acting Board Development Chair Erica Mui, Finance & Audit Chair Laura Scileppi, Fundraising Chair Marci Alboher Ellen Archer Marie Dolan Galina Espinoza Justine Lelchuk Maya Nussbaum Chelsea Rao Elaine Stuart-Shah Kamy Wicoff