JORDAN CHE
YEARS AS MENTEE: 2
GRADE: Junior
HIGH SCHOOL: Hunter College High School
BORN: Queens, NY
LIVES: Queens, NY
PUBLICATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS: Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: Silver Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention; New York State Summer Young Writers Institute Anthology
MENTEE’S ANECDOTE: Although our schedules don’t align as well as they did last year, the rarity of my pair sessions with Maria only makes me treasure them more. Whether in a café in Koreatown or in a busy food court, our meetings are filled with laughter, catching up, and new ideas. I couldn’t ask for a better mentor to put up with my constant need to twist a story around—our mutual love for unnatural appendages makes us the perfect match. Our time spent together this year has allowed us to cross the line from assigned pair to true friends.
MARIA WHELAN
YEARS AS MENTOR: 2
OCCUPATION: Literary Agent, InkWell Management
BORN: Dublin, Ireland
LIVES: Brooklyn, NY
MENTOR’S ANECDOTE: I love the Girls Write Now community, but Jordan, my fabulous mentee, made me most excited to kick off another year. Whether we’re writing or chatting, Jordan and I always have something to laugh about. She amazes me with her ability to weave a smart and intricate story with some sort of wacky twist. Over some sort of dessert and writing exercise, the sessions fly by with Jordan! I feel incredibly lucky to have Jordan as a mentee, and, dare I say it—a real friend!
No matter how small and meaningless something might seem, its impact on the world can be bold in surprising ways—we just have to keep our eyes open.
the drumming of a million soldiers
wakes you up faster than your alarm
with one glance at the tear-speckled sky
you wordlessly open your umbrella
endless streaks roll off the window panes
collecting in a puddle underneath
you step over it with ease
keeping your head held high and your socks still dry
storm clouds blend in with murky skies
wisps of ink on watercolor canvas
it doesn’t make a difference
you see the world in black and white anyway
a leaking gas pump still neglected on the sidewalk
spills trickles of black magic
snaking down sloped streets
and into ponds of water blossoms
glassy fins join with viscous gold
and pull away with iridescent emotion
rainbow ripples through an obsidian mirror
butterfly printed and pinned against stone
you rush through the neighborhood in your Chevy
eyes fixed on traffic lights and not what stains the streets
a tiger stripe grows along its tires, nature’s complimentary paint job
maybe now you’ll pay attention.