Remember when we were in school and we had to write essays or copy lines as punishment?
Why do some people make writing a punishment when it’s so redemptive?
It’s like running laps when you messed up in phys ed or on another sports team. Running doesn’t punish me. It saves me.
Girls Write Pittsburgh knows this and right here in Pittsburgh offers writing as a source of inspiration and empowerment.
Girls Write
When I was a young girl, I didn’t know it was possible to have a job as a writer. I knew that some people had jobs as newspaper reporters, but that wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I wanted to write and tell stories, fiction and non-fiction. Perhaps I wasn’t particularly bright, because while I knew that people authored and wrote the stories I loved, I didn’t put it together that it could be a job.
Nobody said I couldn’t be a writer, but nobody said I could, either. But it’s ok. That didn’t stop me from writing. I’ve written my whole life. It just took me a long time to realize it could be my real-life job.
I always imagined I’d be a teacher. And in many ways in my life, I’ve done that and loved it.
But now, thankfully, I’ve gone and made a life for myself as a writer.
Being a writer is incredibly fulfilling and not just because I get to do what I love, but because I get to meet amazing people like the creator of Girls Write Pittsburgh.
I’m incredibly inspired by Girls Write Pittsburgh and I’m looking for ways to support this project. First, they need donations. Second, they need mentors. They need places to host events and they need authors and writers to mentor and host workshops.
I’m so committed to expanding the voices that are telling stories in our world, and I see Girls Write Pittsburgh as an important way to do that. If you’re an author, illustrator, storytelling, creative, writer, or just love good stories please consider supporting Girls Write Pittsburgh.