Earlier this week I attended a reading with my painting buddy, Nicole. The event featured young authors from WriteGirl. This non-profit pairs female adult writers (mentors) with female teenage writers (mentees), in the hopes that the young ladies will develop their writing abilities. But much more than that, the young writers also grow their confidence and self-esteem. One of their mottoes is “Never underestimate the power of a girl and her pen!” How’s that for fabulous, huh?
Anyhoo, there were 7 young writers – aged between 14 and 18 years – and the work of each was wonderfully different. Personally, I was engrossed and wildly entertained. The venue itself was sweltering (danged L.A. weather), but the girls were beyond cool. It was so inspiring to hear their thoughts, in their own voices. And to witness such potential! I swear, at the end of the event, Nicole said something along the lines of, “Okay, I can see our future is gonna be alright.” And I understood. So often in this world, we are exposed only to the bad kids. To the kids who seem – frankly – downright idiotic. To see these intelligent, creative, brave young women was not only refreshing, it was also comforting. If these girls end up running the world, we truly will be alright.
As Nicole and I drove home from the event, we discussed all we’d heard and seen. I said that one line I’d remember, from one of the young writers, was deeper than I’d expected from a 14-year-old. That lovely, bright child had said – and I’m paraphrasing here, as I didn’t write it down in the moment – “When I die, I hope my last breath is spent listening instead of talking.” Honestly – I could cry, just typing the words. For the life of me, I have no idea how someone so green could come up with something so heavy. But she did, and I will not forget it.
For now, I think WriteGirl’s programs are only in Los Angeles (though I could be wrong about that). With any luck, this program will spread across the globe. And more and more young girls will not only find their voices, but also be brave enough and willing to share their work. Personally, I can’t wait to hear what they have to say.