What if girls felt free to write? What if other women writers gave them the tools, inspiration and mentoring they needed to help them discover their voice, express themselves, and become writers?
Those are the questions Natalie Appleton and Kerry Gilbert asked one day as they were discussing a 15-year-old girl whose friends had left her behind and high school was being unkind.
The thing that got her up most days was the thought that she could write another story.
“We remembered what it was for us to discover writing as teenagers; how we would have loved more than anything to come to a place where that interest could have been nurtured,” said Appleton.
And that’s how Storymakers for Girls was born.
“One of the best things new writers can learn is how important building a community of like-minded writers can be to their process. It’s great to know that you are not alone in your love for story,” said Gilbert.
Through creative writing workshops and community–both in person and online– Storymakers for Girls helps young women writers find their voice and confidence in whatever genre interests them.
Appleton has a master’s in creative writing from City University London (U.K.). Her writing has appeared in publications around the world, including The New York Times.
Gilbert just released her second book of prose poems, Tight Wire (Mother Tongue Publishing), and teaches literature and creative writing at Okanagan College.
Their debut five-week workshop, designed to nurture and inspire young women writers aged 15 to 17 years old, runs Tuesdays from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m., starting May 24 and ending June 21.
The workshop will be hosted at the Caetani Cultural Centre’s Port studio.
To register or for more information, visit www.thestorymakers.ca.
