Day Eight invites our community to a poetry reading celebrating the Spring 2025 Women and Girls Writing Program this Saturday, March 29th, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm at the Shepherd Park Library, 7420 Georgia Ave NW. The reading will include youth participants in the program, who have spent the semester growing their writing skills with workshop leader Amuchechukwu Nwafor, and guest faculty writers. The reading will be hosted by Amuchechukwu Nwafor and additionally feature program faculty poets Maritza Rivera, Rebecca Bishophall, and Pacyinz Lyfoung.
Day Eight’s “Write Now” Women and Girls Writing Program is designed to provide a supportive and creative space for DC-area middle and high school girls to grow. The program met twice a week over the course of the semester, engaging in weekly writing workshops designed to nurture technical capacity. This program, funded in part by Learn24, is part of Day Eight’s ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for youth to hone their craft and build community through art and storytelling. For more information or to confirm your attendance, please email admin <at> dayeight.org.
Amuchechukwu Nwafor is the 2024 DC Poet Project winner and author of the book, Salt Water Roots. A writer, educator, and teaching artist, ‘Amuche’ is a first-generation born Black American.
Maritza Rivera is a Puerto Rican poet and Army veteran and founder of the Mariposa Poetry Retreat and Casa Mariposa Press. She is co-editor of the afro-latin anthology, Diaspora Cafe, D.C., published by Day Eight in 2022 and her work appears in numerous magazines and anthologies.
Rebecca Bishophall is the co-author of Breaking the Blank, published in 2023 by Day Eight. She graduated from Trinity University in 2006 with a major in Communications, works in member services for a non-profit organization, and has featured at Spit Dat open mic, Capitol Hill book fair, the Afrocentric Book Expo, and elsewhere.
Pacyinz Lyfoung is a French-born and raised, Minnesota-grown, Hmong/Asian American woman poet, attorney and activist. She emerged as a poet among the Asian American Renaissance and is currently working on her poetry manuscript to be published by Sahtu Press, an independent Laotian American publisher.
We invite you to join us for this special reading with family, friends, and anyone who values the importance of youth-led creativity and artistic growth.