Robin Clare Barnes, Deborah Santana, and Michelle “Mush” Lee

Our Write Your Story Cinnamongirls are so lucky to have master classes in writing with incredibly gifted authors and teachers.

RC Barnes led an invigorating conversation as we kicked off our 2022 Write Your Story cohort. She spent time getting to know each of our girls through the stories they've seen on TV, at the movies, or in books, and stunned us all with opinions on every single story. The girls were impressed and thoroughly enjoyed the conversation; we learned how many of our favorite stories are a blend of genres.

Deborah Santana, activist, memoirist, and philanthropist, led our writers on interior journeys to find personal stories they could share in writing. She encouraged them to “be brave to tell our stories and stand in our truths.” The girls explored moments of courage in their own lives, their personal histories, genealogy, color psychology, and more. 

Michelle “Mush” Lee, poet and CEO of Whole Story Group, asked the girls to write a list of every person and every friendship that had hurt them in the past year; from this unconventional beginning, she led the group through a series of exercises that culminated in beautiful poems asking forgiveness and giving blessings.