Let's Stick Together to Honor The Dead

Let's Stick Together wall at Artober Fest, 10/26/13

MORENO VALLEY - Women Wonder Writers (“WWW”) had a successful presence at Moreno Valley Arts Commission’s 6th annual Artober Fest on Saturday, Oct. 26. Through October, WWW collaborated with Hip Hop Congress and Riverside County’s Department of Probation to teach at-risk Moreno Valley youth self-expression through arts and writing during three after-school workshops held at the Moreno Valley Police Department in preparation for Artober Fest.

When the doors opened Saturday at 10:00 a.m. to Artober Fest, the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center became a festive show featuring the work of local artists who displayed photography, painting, sculpture, musical performances, and poetry.

WWW erected its 10-by-10-foot panel filled with its youth artwork featuring “Calavera” skull paintings and a 5-by-10 “sticky note” art wall to further its Let’s Stick 2gether Campaign. Sticky notes were arranged on an indoor wall to make out a skull and spell the words DIA DE LOS MUERTOS.

“We wanted to bring awareness to ‘Day of the Dead,’ a Hispanic cultural holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2, honoring those who have passed away. WWW uses cultural traditions to teach tolerance to our scholars,” said WWW Co-Founding President Debra Postil and author of the newly released legal thriller, The Suburban Seducción.

WWW volunteers asked Artober guests to help fill up the wall with a sea of sticky notes. “Write a message or words honoring someone who has passed away,” directed WWW Head Instructor, Events Committee Member and Research Coordinator Alison Peacock to the Artober attendees. Messages ranging from lessons learned from deceased parents to recalling good times together to regrets of missed times, filled the wall.

At 10:45 a.m., WWW students and Moreno Valley teen artists Jamal Williams and Marissa Sharp took over the main ballroom stage to read their poems. By 2 p.m., UC Riverside Hip Hop Congress (HHC) President Paris Finnie and HHC members Nick Wright, Jessica Salas, Aldin Enriquez, Nicole Marquez and Yun Jae Shin performed hip hop and poetry cyphers with WWW youth on the patio.

Hip Hop Congress is an organization at UC Riverside and around the country dedicated to Hip Hop as a catalyst for social, economic and political change. To learn more about them, contact hiphopcongressucr@gmail.com.

Let's Stick Together for Fatherhood & Education

Million Father March - Seville Park, Fontana, CA

Women Wonder Writers joined Fontana's Million Father March Saturday, September 7 at Seville Park, designing a large graduation cap, adorned with a hot pink tassel, made out of sticky notes. The design furthers WWW's Let's Stick Together™ campaign, which brings awareness to issues affecting our youth in the community through sticky note art.


"We wanted to create something in line with the day's theme and with the help of Street Positive, one of the event's organizers, the graduation cap seemed perfect," said WWW President Debra Postil.

The Million Father March encourages fathers to become involved in their child's K-12 education and graduation. The cap, along with 2014, was posted outside the stage area where Fontana Mayor Acquanetta welcomed the crowd and read the day's proclamation. Attendees helped post notes, writing how the day inspired them and how they would be their child's hero this school year.  One note inspired us to continue Sticking Together stating, "it's inspiring to see a community really ban together and work toward a common goal."

Stay tuned for our next sticky note wall...

"The best investment is one that pays the most dividends, like fatherhood," 

Terry Boykins, CEO Street Positive

"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone can give another person; he believed in me," 

Jim Valvano, American college basketball coach & broadcaster

Team HOPE Graduates From The Write of Your Life



Team Hope unveils a butterfly during WWW Graduation June 3rd


RIVERSIDE - On Monday, WWW's Team HOPE celebrated the completion of their ten week program, The Write of Your Life, which was held at Educational Options Center (EOC) in Riverside.  After receiving a completion certificate and WWW's Infinity bracelet, each girl shared with the class how it has helped change the way she feels about herself, and how she deals with life’s hurdles.“I have a better outlook on life now. I know I can do anything and I am not alone,” said one WWW student.  “It felt wrong at first to talk about certain things because people might judge you. Eventually I felt safe here. I learned I could open up and share my problems. I was not the only one,” another student expressed.

The young scholars chose mental health issues, suicide and self-injury prevention for their focus in bringing awareness through their writing and artwork.  The team unveiled a large butterfly arranged out of colorful sticky notes in furtherance of WWW's Let's Stick 2gether Campaign.  "The butterfly signifies hope and renewal and is a reminder of how fragile life can be," said WWW Head Instructor Kathy Ediss.

The girls and their parents celebrated with tea and cupcakes as they spent the rest of the afternoon reminiscing about their favorite class and future plans. 

Tea & Cupcakes served during WWW Graduation

Parents also shared how they saw the changes in their daughters since joining the class. “I see a smile on my daughter’s face now that wasn’t there before. Now it’s there all the time,” revealed one parent.  The WWW Infinity Bracelets, which were gifted to each student, were accompanied with a poem:

THE INFINITE

Wear your infinity bracelet

And dare to wonder. 

The possibilities are endless.

Limits exist only where you set them.

Unlock your future.

Then give the bracelet to someone in need.

Share your hope.

And dare them to wonder.

Team HOPE's program was hosted in collaboration with Women Wonder Writers (WWW), Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) and Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE). The program was faciliated by veteran WWW instructor Kathy Ediss, WWW Assistant Instructor Jennifer Ringl and EOC teacher Lynne Sher.  The team will conclude their writing program by visiting The Museum of Tolerance later this month on a field trip sponsored by RUSD.

WWW is a nonprofit volunteer organization, which implements creative writing, arts and mentorship programs for co-ed at-risk youth around Riverside County.  For more information about upcoming events, visit WomenWonderWriters.com.



Team Hope - Educations Options Center

Ride the Wave

Let's Stick 2gether Campaign, "Ride the Wave."

“Live Well” was the message at Thursday’s Mental Health Fair at Fairmount Park in Riverside.  Women Wonder Writers joined the Children’s zone on a beautiful sunny day, exhibiting its Authentic Self Artwork and inviting attendees to participate in their Let’s Get 2gether Sticky Note Art Campaign.  Children and adults were attracted to the sea of blue sticky notes, which were arranged into a big ocean wave.  A poem written by Women Wonder Writers set the tone:

Our minds are like the ocean,

Bringing unexpected weather,

And the calm before the storm.

Together we'll try & navigate

Like captains of the sean,

Surfers riding waves,

And fish avoiding predators.

Understanding our minds

Helps us save our 

sandcastles from the tide,

And prepare us for the storm.

Attendees were asked to write how they believed our minds are like the ocean.   “Our thoughts are like waves because our brain never stops going,” read one note.  “Ride the wave to get peace of mind” and quotes of encouragement filled other notes.  Children drew waves, palm trees and birds.  Other descriptive words, such as “wonderous, magical, beautiful and peaceful,” drew analogies between our minds and the ocean.  Attendees struggling with mental health hurdles were inspired to share their stories and write down words of wisdom. 

By the end of the day, a beautiful wave adorned a 24 by 36 inch board and the message was clear: Many of us struggle with mental health issues.  But understanding our minds will help us ride the waves.  Thank you Riverside County Department of Mental Health for sponsoring a wonderful day and helping us discover the wonder of our minds.

Fairmount Park Mental Health Day

Roadtrip Resilience

WWW Let's Stick 2gether Campaign, 5/7/13 Roadtrip Resilience

Women Wonder Writers (WWW) launched their first night of Roadtrip Resilience, a speaker series bringing stories of survivorship to at-risk youth.  This effort comes less than a month after WWW presented Dave Pelzer, the author of New York Times Bestseller A Child Called It, at Stop the Pain Teen Summit on April 20.

40 youth from Riverside County and graduates of The Write of Your Life, WWW's mentoring and writing program, filled a classroom of Yeager Hall at California Baptist University last night to meet guest speaker Professor Marilyn Moore.  The young scholars enjoyed cookies and lemonade, mingled and spent the early part of the evening writing messages on sticky notes which were added to WWW's sticky-note wall.

Resilience, which means the ability to "survive" and overcome hardship, was written in white chalk on black sticky notes spread across a vibrant sea of lime green sticky notes arranged into a plus and negative equation sign on the classroom whiteboard.  The art is part of WWW's Let's Stick 2gether Art Campaign, which sends powerful messages through sticky notes.  The attendees were asked to fill the notes with hardships they wanted to overcome and ideas how to. 

WWW Vice President Kacey Sutton
WWW Student Neireda

WWW Co-Founder Debra Postil kicked off the night asking the attendees to stand up if they were affected by hardships like bullying, abusive relationships, mental health hurdles, or peer pressure.  She explained the meaning behind the plus and negative signs made of sticky notes arranged by WWW Artists Judi Randolph and Joan McCullough.  "You can turn every negative into a positive," Executive Director Postil told the audience. 

WWW Vice President Kacey Sutton introduced Neireda, a WWW graduate who blew a whistle and read her personal poems of resilience.

Professor Moore then shared her harrowing story of child abuse that she suffered at the hands of her mother.  Growing up, Dr. Moore only knew the words: pain, blood, hunger, lonely, scared and "keep the secret," she stated.  "What label has been given to you?" she asked the young scholars, before inviting them to "now remove it."  She ended her presentation with a message of resilience: "Every time you survive something, you have resilience.  That which was a problem is my motivation.  That which was a negative is now a positive," she told a captivated audience.

5/7/13 Roadtrip Resilience

Professor Moore is an Associate Professor at the School of Behavior Sciences at California Baptist University, holding a master's degree in Sociology.  She has been married for over 40 years and has two grown children and lives in Orange County.  She created the CHOICES program, which is implemented at Operation SafeHouse Transitional Living Home and is on WWW's Advisory Board.  

WWW is a writing and mentorship program for at-risk youth in Riverside County.  Roadtrip Resilience is a WWW speaker series featuring survivors who have overcome struggles throughout their life, which will be hosted every other month in 2013.  The media, past and present WWW members and those interested in learning more about WWW are invited to attend each social.  Check out WomenWonderWriters.com for upcoming events.

Thank you Professor Moore for surviving and sharing your story at Roadtrip Resilience!

Professor Marilyn Moore

Summer Goals

Roosevelt Middle School, Compton, California

200 young women filled the halls of the Roosevelt Middle School in Compton on Saturday, flooding into the auditorium waiting for the kickoff of an all day Empowering Conference.  Following an introduction and DJ music, the young scholars broke out into workshop sessions.

WWW was ready in room 109 with it's Sticky Note Art Campaign.  In a goal setting workshop taught by WWW Co-Founder and Executive Director Debra Postil, she asked the young women to write down their summer goals on sticky notes along with words of motivation to get them there.  She also passed around a monthly calendar, asking them to pick a date on the calendar and write it there too.  The young scholars wrote fearlessly, filling notes with messages  ranging from "start reading James Patterson books" to "I will sing" and "play basketball."


"Reaching a goal starts by writing it down," Ms. Postil said.  By the end of the workshop, the young scholars filled a foam board with bright purple and orange sticky notes, arranging them into the words "I will."

Let's Stick 2gether, "I will." Compton, CA

DREAM BIG

WWW's Let's Stick 2gether Sticky Note Art Campaign
Girls World Expo, Riverside Auditorium April 28, 2013

RIVERSIDE - When the doors opened on Sunday to Girls World Expo, the historic Riverside Auditorium became an uplifting, music pumping, empowering day of self-expression for the young women in attendance. We erected our ten-by-ten panels filled with our artwork including paintings, story boards on human trafficking and abuse, and a three-by-eight sticky note art wall to further our Let's Stick 2gether™ Campaign. Sticky notes were arranged to spell the words DREAM BIG. No two words seemed more fitting for the day.

Founded by Varinda Missett and Annmarie Gabaldon who have daughters of their own, Girls World Expo encourages young women to dream, believe and achieve. Following suit, we asked everyone in attendance to help fill up the wall with a sea of yellow sticky notes. "Write something you dream, believe or wish to achieve," directed Alison Peacock, a recent California Baptist University Graduate and WWW Volunteer Instructor. By 1:00 p.m., the wall was filled with messages of encouragement, hope and achievement. It had become everyone’s "wishing wall." Messages ranging from wanting to marry Justin Bieber to becoming the first Latina U.S. President filled the wall.

By 2:00, the Hip Hop Congress took center stage and a team of talented young UCR male dancers unleashed powerful messages through rapping and dancing. They were followed by Yaya and Ali, WWW students who read their personal poems of resilience. On the patio, Debra Postil, WWW Co-Founder and Executive Director, Riverside Prosecutor and Author of The Mamacita Murders presented Making the Right Choices: Living Above the Influences workshop. She asked her audience to write their goals on one side of a notecard and their roadblocks on the opposite side. Then she invited them to stand from their seats if they were facing obstacles like peer pressure, substance abuse, procrastination, unhealthy relationships, poor body image, low self-esteem or bullying, which helped everyone recognize they were not alone. "Living above the influences is a daily choice and sometimes even an hourly one," Ms. Postil stated at her conclusion.

A fashion show sponsored by Macy's ended the day where young women strutted their stuff in summer outfits and dresses. Many forms of self-expression helped make the day a success - dance, poetry, writing, music, art, and fashion. By 4:00, Riverside Auditorium settled back into its historic and quiet self. Girls World Expo and Women Wonder Writers had left the building and left many young women with a message to DREAM BIG.

Let's Stick 2gether: WWW Launches Sticky Note Art Campaign

Stop the Pain Let's Stick 2gether Campaign
 by Women Wonder Writers - Teen Summit - April 20, 2013

WWW launched its Let's Stick 2gether™ Campaign at April 20th's Stop The Pain Teen Summit.   

Teens & their parents picked their color note, taking a stand on an important issue: 

• Purple ~ domestic or dating violence
• Blue ~ bullying or sex trafficking
• Yellow ~ suicide
• Red ~ substance abuse
• Lime green ~ mental health 

Then they told us why they were taking a stand by writing a message on the note.  Last, they stuck it our wall, joining us in our stand on these important issues.  By the end of the Summit, we had a sea of vibrant colors, spelling out STOP THE PAIN. 

Other things on display in the Expression Room was The Authentic Self, our traveling youth art exhibit, which will again be on display along with a new Let's Stick 2gether artwork April 28 at Riverside Auditorium at Girl's Expo.  Stop The Pain was hosted by WWW, The Positive Results Corporation, California Baptist University and Street Positive for 750 teens & parents.  It was sponsored in-part by Riverside County Department of Mental Health, Riverside County Deputy District Attorney's Association, Farmer Boys, Riverside County Board of Supervisors, and Billy & Pamela Boykins. 

WWW Members, Presenters & Volunteers
Stop the Pain Teen Summit April 20, 2013