GRRRLS SPEAK is a writing and performance group for middle school-aged girls–where girls get to explore the power and play of expressing their authentic selves through writing and theater. Johanna led thriving groups in Northampton Massachusetts for 8 years and will be starting groups in Boulder soon. Contact Johanna for info on upcoming GRRRLS SPEAK programming in Boulder.

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Read here about the Northampton group:

Ranging in age from 11 to 14, the girls meet every Monday afternoon to tell the stories of their days and spin words and movements into tangible, subtle art. Partially funded for three consecutive years by the Art Angels, they’ve produced standing room only performances that have blossomed into a highlight of the annual performance cycle in the Pioneer Valley. Audiences have cheered, wept, mused, and returned again and again to experience the girls’ blast of clarity and truth. The sometimes brilliant, sometimes quirky show of poetry with improvised and choreographed movement has earned a wildly loyal fan base far beyond the polite obligations of parents and friends.

Previous groups have performed in senior centers, elementary schools at the Hampshire County Youth Conference, at Earthdance Workshop and Retreat Center and at the Academy of Music in Northampton. The group has published 4 volumes of original poetry and taken weekend dance/write/play retreats at Earthdance in Plainfield.

“I was born in Northampton / where people dance in the streets / where strangers greet strangers / where discrimination is discriminated against… My life won’t stop singing. / And neither will I.” Ali Ware, age 12

“When we get together we write and we dance,” writes Johanna Walker, who leads the weekly workshops, “We tell each other our stories and sometimes our secrets. We remind each other how smart we are. We try out new ideas. Sometimes they fail, so we try something else. We collaborate. We improvise. We change course midstream…We laugh a lot.”

“This is how to hold your heart with one hand / This is how to laugh even when his hand / pushes your chest so hard you can’t breathe / This is how to sit still…/ oh yeah? Well This is how I open up so wide / that a jungle can grow and / toucans can sing out my / teardrops while apes / pound laughter out of / my heart…” Susannah Berard, age 14

Johanna Walker has been working in schools and community settings for over 15 years. She loves working with grrrls of all ages and is endlessly amazed by the poems they make and the dances they do.