Hear from a Volunteer

Songwriter Michelle Lewis joined WriteGirl in its first season. At the very first workshop she was paired up with Allie, who at the time was only 11 years old. Allie had listed songwriting as one of her many interests, and Lewis, who has written songs for Jessica Simpson and Shawn Colvin, seemed like her perfect match. Four years later, Lewis is still Allie’s mentor.

“It’s been great to have that reality check that I can actually have a real friend that I can call and say hi to who is 15 years old,” says Lewis. “Let’s just say the enthusiasm of being a teenager is really infectious. I’ve watched her grow as a writer and as a person, and she’s definitely seen the trials and errors of my career. We’ve become so close that a lot of the times our writing sessions become chatting. Last summer Allie even interned for me.”

She is also concerned with keeping Allie challenged: “[Allie] is so prolific, and a lot of what she writes wants to be a novel, so I thought it might be fun to have her meet up with a novelist. We’re trying to keep [everything] tailored to the actual girl, and keep it flexible so she can continue to grow.”