Black and Brown Girls Storytelling Fellowship The Black and Brown Girls Storytelling Fellowship aims to provide a platform for Black and brown girls to tell their stories. We are providing storytelling training, support and mentoring to nurture the development of a creative storytelling project of the fellows choosing. Our fellowship will culminate with a showcase in September 2023. Be on the lookout for showcase announcements, but get to know each of our storytellers now! Experience fellow Nabila Anandira's work now! Experience fellow Journey Hightower's work now! Experience fellow Mia Prince's work now! Experience fellow Hannah Richo's work now! Experience fellow Shyienah Jiménez-Rivera's work now!

Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman, was a central figure in the gay liberation movement ​ By Christina Maxouris, CNN ​ Updated 9:54 PM EDT, Wed June 26, 2019 Click on picture to read the article

What is Nonfiction? Nonfiction is a form of writing that tries to accurately represent an event, information, people, or community. This means that the subject of the writing really happened. It is different from fiction because the writer does not make up the story, but it can be told from a subjective (how our biases, opinions and experiences shape an event) or an objective viewpoint (an attempt to be free of biases or a specific perspective). Nonfiction attempts to be accurate, but that doesn’t mean it always is, it just means that the author believes that their account of the subject is truthful. Nonfiction can take many forms including self-help books, biographies, memoirs, history, cookbooks, news articles, op-eds, and travel writing. Types of Nonfiction Did you know that nonfiction books are the most sold books in the United States? There are many types of nonfiction, so these are just some to get to you started: Narrative Nonfiction : Narrative nonfiction (sometimes called creative nonfiction) tries to tell a true story about an event, place, people, or community. This genre, although telling a true story, is written like a fictional story and flows as though it was a novel instead of real life. It often includes, like in fiction, a climax and a resolution to the story. Expository Nonfiction : Expository writing educates the reader about a specific subject and exposes new information or teaches them a new skill. It presents information and can come in many different formats. Examples include news articles, textbooks, or cookbooks. Examples of Nonfiction Here’s a list of nonfiction examples that can help you start thinking about your own writing. A couple of questions to ask yourself for further thinking are included after each link. If Your Schools Won’t Teach Anti-Racism, Here’s What You Can Do at Home : by Meena Harris How did the author use real life experiences and examples to support her thoughts? How does she provide new information? Teaching Ferguson & Black Lives Matter : by Bettina Love How did you feel reading about the author discussing events that happened in their classroom? How does the author convey a story through their writing? Exercise: The Ultimate Form of Self Care : by Dr. Jacque Strait, PhD What did you think of the way the information is formatted? How is the writer’s point made? Stay Curious in Tutka Bay: Because Small Things Matter : by Juno Kim What did you think of how the story of the travel is told? What impact does reading someone’s account of a place, you may not have been to, have on you? Nonfiction Topic Ideas When you write nonfiction you generally need to have some sort of research or knowledge of the subject to support your writing. You may need to do some additional research depending on the subject you wish to write about. Now You Try! Read the following topics and pick 1-2 that you might be interested in writing about. Try to come up with a few ideas for each topic, which can help you form an outline for your writing: What event in history do you find really interesting, or do you think needs to be told from a different perspective? Is there a person in your community or family who has a cool or interesting life? Who is it and why would you want to write about them? Are there recipes from your family or community you would want to share? What are some of the recipes? What current issue (schools, pollution, etc.) do you feel passionate about and have a strong opinion that you can express? What research would you need to support your opinion? Is there a place you’ve traveled to or a community you live in that you think the world needs to know more about? Where is that place and who are the different people or things someone would need to experience? Is there a skill or subject you know a lot about and want to teach other people? What is that skill or passion you have? How would you go about writing about it if you had to describe it step by step? Nonfiction Prompts Pick 1 of the prompts below and write a response to it: What event in your life has angered you the most? Write the scene where it happened, and tell us what you would do if it happened again. Write about a secret that you’ve never told to the person you love. Find an object that means a lot to you in some way. Using the memories, the connection, and meaning of that object to you, try to create an advertisement as to why someone else should have this object as well. Free write a diary entry about your schedule as soon as you woke up today. Pick a very specific topic you have always wanted to learn about. For Example, dark matter in space, cat’s purring, tornado weather, etc. Do research on this topic and explain how it works. Want More? Here are a few nonfiction works to help you generate ideas about topics you can write about: An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz: The history of the United States is often told through the perspective of those who have colonized others and held power. This history book is told from the perspective of Indigenous people on how history unfolded. The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table by Minda Harts: Drawing upon her knowledge working in many businesses, the author wrote a book that helps women of color figure out how to navigate the workplace. The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Che Guevara: Born in Argentina, Che Guevara, then a medical student, took a journey across South America in honor of his friend’s birthday. In this book, the audience learns more about how the trip and how the people he met on it changed his life. Vietnamese Food Any Day by Andrea Nguyen: Our parents and families are often a key part of how and what we cook. In this cookbook, the author draws upon her experiences growing up and her mother’s cooking tips to write a book about the food of her culture. Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin by John D’Emilio: This biography of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin describes his life and the way his background and identity shaped his life and legacy. Other Helpful Examples The 20 Best Works of Nonfiction of the Decade ‹ Literary Hub Ten essential resources for nonfiction writers Learn About Nonfiction: Definition, Examples, and 9 Essential Nonfiction Genres - 2022 - MasterClass Are you ready to submit your nonfiction worl or a section of it? Upload here!

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An excerpt of Clear Blue Paranoia by Mercedes Garcia ​ "Who's there?" "Please don't hurt me." "I don't want to die!" ​ Angela forced herself to sit up in the nighttime quiet of her bedroom. Her head throbbed from lack of sleep and her heart beat fast from fear of the unknown. She sat up and turned the lamp on, looking around the room as she did so. Her therapist told her to face her fears to prove that they were irrational. With conviction, she jumped out of bed. Before she could talk herself out of it, she opened her bedroom door quickly then closed it again when she didn't see anything. What was that noise? S he asked herself. She walked over to her bedroom window and looked through the thick, black security bars. She could see her back porch and the tidy yard that housed a few aged, tall trees. There was an old green fence, then a jungle-like yard surrounding another house across the way. Angela looked at the decrepit, old house and wished someone would tear it down. It wasn’t helping the night terrors that have plagued her for years. Every time she thought about it, she wondered who could be hiding behind its rotting wood, waiting for the right moment to attack. ​ Angela, you’ve got to get a grip. S he told herself. ​ She turned the lights back off and got into bed, convincing herself that all will be well. But twenty minutes later, she still wasn’t asleep. The tree shadows seemed to be putting on a show and keeping her awake with the choreography. Worse, the more she watched the shadows the more she could follow along. It was as if the trees had something to say and it wasn’t good. God , she thought, what was wrong with her? People had always accused her of being paranoid and tonight it was worse than normal. Five years ago this week, her father died, and it was still difficult to accept. It wasn't just that his death was unexpected, but the fact that she found him made it 100 times worse. His blue, decaying corpse etched into her memory like a cave drawing. Angela would never forget seeing his dead body on the kitchen floor of his lonely little apartment. It had been two weeks since she had heard from him, which was normal. They weren’t exactly close and he had gotten so weird by the time he died that hardly anyone visited him anymore. She had been leaving messages for him for about a week, but he hadn’t been returning her calls. She called the landlord then, went to his apartment and knocked on his front door until the landlord appeared. The landlord opened the door with a master key and as he did so, the strong smell of old trash and rotting food assailed them at the entrance. Angela remembered giving in to the urge to gag. She called out to her father, but there was no answer. As the landlord went off to the bedroom to see if her father was in there, Angela stood transfixed in the small living area of his apartment. The sun was shining through the cracks in the thick velvet curtains, highlighting the specks of dust flying through air. On the coffee table were small replicas of Jesus. There was Jesus with his arms open wide, welcoming visitors. There was Jesus holding a staff and Jesus with two fingers in the air, giving the sign for peace. The randomly placed Jesus figurines somewhat resembled a nativity scene, but Angela knew that they were permanent decorations in her father's home regardless of the season. ​ Angela remembered hearing the landlord walk behind her and into the kitchen. He gasped and came immediately out of the room. ​ "What?" Angela asked him. ​ The landlord tried to get her to leave the apartment with him, but Angela wouldn't go. She broke away from him and ran into the kitchen. Her father was on the floor, with his hand permanently clutching at his heart. His body had a purple hue and flies were circling his head. Angela remembered wanting to turn and run away from the scene, but was mesmerized by her dead father’s eyes. They were both open wide and seemed to say, “I told you so.” ​ If you would like to read the full story, please reach out to us at info@theuntoldnarratives.com ​

Black and Brown Girls Storytelling Fellowship The Black and Brown Girls Storytelling Fellowship aims to provide a platform for Black and brown girls to tell their stories. We are providing storytelling training, support and mentoring to nurture the development of a creative storytelling project of the fellows choosing. Our 2024 fellowship will culminate with a showcase in December. Be on the lookout for showcase announcements, but get to know each of our storytellers now!

My Childhood (a memoir excerpt) ​ By Ellicent Daley ​ Childhood memories are the most cherished in a person’s life, whether they were good or not so good. Looking back, my childhood days were both good and not so good. I can remember my mother who was just four feet ten, but a little spitfire and my dad, six feet four, but a gentle giant, and my brother, as mean as a star apple tree. You see, the star apple would not fall from the tree, regardless of how ripe it is. If you did not pick it, it would stay on the tree and dry out into nothing. ​ So who was I? I was this shy, scrawny, back of the class, little girl with a head of hair like that of a horse’s mane, and a texture as curly and rough like steel wool. It was so long and coarse that my mother could not comb it every day. Sunday was my “Mane combing” day, which was an ordeal in and of itself both for mom as well as for me. I was so afraid to have my hair washed and combed that I wish Sunday would never come. I wished the week would stop at Saturday, and begin again on Monday that would skip my ordeal, but that was just “wishful thinking.” ​ Mom would wash my hair every Sunday, oil, and twist each part and twist them into each other. She would tie my head at night with a scarf and brush it up every morning. Mom would say, “Why ain’t you a boy so I could cut this thing off your head?” ​ Not only my hair was a problem, but she really wanted me to be a boy because she preferred boys to girls. But who is it that said we have freedom of choice? If we really was free to choose, I would have chosen to be a boy just to please my mother then I would get some of the love she showered on my brother. She would refer to him as her, “loving stomach.” But I was glad I was born a girl. Girls are gentle, delicate, tender, dainty, lovely and all that goes with being a female. Girls can be dressed in the prettiest little dresses, hair can be adorned with ribbons, wearing the little pattern leather shoes with frilly socks. That was how mom dressed me. Whereas boys can only be dressed in pants, a shirt and tie. People would always compliment me, “What a pretty little girl you are with all that hair.” That made me feel special. Mom didn’t like me getting all that attention from strangers, and my brother was not being complimented. ​ Mom was the disciplinarian. She would not fail to use the strap for the smallest things. My brother and I would hide the strap so mother would send us to cut the redwood switch, but then we were a step ahead of her. We would use the knife to cut around the switch, so with each strike of the whip, it would break. Mother caught onto our trick, so she started wearing an apron with a pocket. This was where she kept the strap. “Hide my strap now,” mom would say. Mom was just four foot two, but she was a little spitfire. She was always busy caring for the family. She was an excellent cook, a work from home dressmaker, but with all her busy family life, she would find the time to care for the sick in our area. ​ People who have sick family members would come get her at any hour of the night, and she would light her lantern, and go and administer to the sick. Dad would say, “But Ina, you can’t go this late, who will come back with you?” ​ “Don’t worry Vic. I’ll soon be back. God will protect me.” ​ Most times she would not return until morning, but she was certain to come back on time to make breakfast and get my brother and I ready for school. Mom was called “the lady with the lantern.” She had a good, kind heart always ready to hear the burden and sorrows of others and especially those she loved. ​ Dad was six feet four. He was a gentle giant. The laid-back parent, but one who instilled morals in his children with words instead of the strap. I can remember a code dad would often use. “Before you speak ill of your neighbor, ask yourself these three questions: Is it right? Is it true? Is it necessary?” ​ Another he would use especially to my brother who would always lie, dad would say, “A liar is not believed even when he speak the truth.” ​ He was a stone mason by trade, a farmer, a good husband and father, and a good provider. He loved his family. I was daddy’s little girl.

This episode is a compelling discussion with Dr. Elizabeth Santiago about why it's important for young people to own their narratives. Through the telling of her own story, Dr. Santiago helps us to understand why it can be harmful to tokenize young people, why students of color require support navigating higher education spaces, and how her own story influences her game-changing work at MENTOR. Click anywhere below to access the episode.