Reflecting on Hope & Girlhood During Women's History Month...Donna Hill's Life@GWN

Picking up the pen isn’t easy, and for Donna Hill, neither is putting it down. Donna, a Girls Write Now mentor and editor on our print committee committee, Intersectional Voices in Editorial, is the author of over 90 novels, Executive Director for the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, and the winner of a 2024 American Legacy Book Award for Confessions in B-Flat. This Essence bestselling writer has been a member of the Girls Write Now community for over five years, and continues to enrich us all with her unabashed hope.

And she’s not just a best-selling author, she’s also the brain behind this year’s anthology title “Hope Lives in Our Words,” a call to write in the face of fear and uncertainty. Donna’s story reminds us of the importance of “the power we have at our fingertips” and how far we can go when we encourage girls and gender expansive youth to express themselves to the fullest extent.?

For Women’s History Month, Donna Hill revisits her inner child and tells us just how she came to be the woman she always dreamed of.?

Tell us about your life@GWN.

My experience with GWN began as a mentor “pre-covid,” which was an amazing experience. I hope that I learned as much as I gave. I am still in touch with my very first mentee who has gone off to college and is soon to graduate. Although I am no longer a mentor, I try to offer what time and skills that I have. I have conducted several online workshops, and I am a member of the IV Print committee that works to put together the GWN yearly anthology.

What is it about the Girls Write Now work environment that you find so special?

I am always excited about any group or organization that prioritizes young women and gender expansive youth, especially instilling in them the power that they have in their fingertips.

What’s your superpower? How does that inform the work you do at Girls Write Now?

My superpower is also my kryptonite. I find it difficult to say NO. I wind up taking on multiple projects and tasks at once. That gets me to accomplish amazing things and meet incredible people, but it also often robs me of sleep!

The theme for our upcoming anthology is “Hope Lives in our Words,” which you brought to us. How did you come up with the title and what does it mean to you?

The idea of “hope” was sparked by Molly (Macdermot, Director of Special Initiatives at Girls Write Now) who indicated that it was the idea that was being floated and a title was needed for the anthology. I thought about how impactful the words of a writer can be. They can begin conversations, fuel ideas, make us laugh or cry and the power of words can give us hope in the hands of those whose vision of the possible is put on the page. Writers are the chroniclers of our times. It is important now more than ever that the words we share can inspire the hope that we need for the days ahead.

You helped us create the upcoming anthology title-what is giving you hope right now?

In this current climate what gives me hope are those who speak out in resistance. That there is a surge of young people doing amazing things and letting the world know about it.

This month we’re celebrating Women’s History Month and Girls Write Now day. What is your favorite memory of girlhood?

One of my favorite memories was when my dad would pack us up in his great big Cadillac (baby blue) and drive us out to the drive-in movie theater in Long Island. It didn’t matter what the movie was. It was the adventure! Getting food from the concession stand right before the movie started and the speaker that would hang from the car window to be able hear the movie. My sister, brother and I looked forward to that every summer.

Who are some authors who give you hope for future writers?

Bernice McFadden, Lauren Francis Sharma, Isabel Wilkerson, Denene Millner, Ibi Zoboi, Tomi Adeyemi

If you had to give words of hope to the next generation of writers from marginalized genders, what would they be?

Write. Read. Be fearless. Tell your story. You are the only one who can.

If you could teach a class in something at which you excel, what would that be?

Crafting the novel.

What’s the best place you’ve traveled to?

Antigua

What’s the best career decision you’ve ever made?

Leaving the business world and into academia.

What do friends know about you that would surprise your colleagues?

I am extremely shy and I have to work really hard not to be. I love my solitude.

Who do you look up to?

My younger sister! She is amazing.

If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

I would have started everything earlier!

Coffee or tea?

Coffee

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

The editor of a woman’s magazine!