ANTHOLOGIES

Ctrl + B: The Girls Write Now 2019 Anthology

Girls Write Now is thrilled to be in partnership with Dutton who produced this year’s anthology. This collection was also made possible thanks to a charitable contribution from Amazon Literary Partnership. Thank you to The Feminist Press and Jisu Kim, their Senior Marketing and Sales Manager and Girls Write Now mentor, for partnering on the e-book for Ctrl + B.

Ctrl B Anthology
Ctrl B Anthology

The Girls Write Now 2019 class of mentees, and young people the world over, are coming of age in strange times; times when the powers that be are attempting to strip our control over our art, our livelihoods, our homes, and our bodies. But these young writers are bold. In this unique collection, mentees and mentors boldly take control of their own narratives, tackling topics such as inequity, love, belonging, ignorance, power, lineage, beauty, and so much more.

Support Young Writers

Get a copy of the Girls Write Now 2019 Anthology: “CTRL + B” to support our mission to champion writers to break down the barriers of gender, age, race, and poverty to mentor, teach, and connect writers and leaders across disciplines and around the nation. With a focus on those historically disempowered due to their gender and gender identity, we harness the power of stories to shape culture, impact industries, and bridge worlds.
Reading from the 2024 Anthology Launch Party

Introduction by

Tomi Adeyemi

Honoree

Named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people, Tomi Adeyemi is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Nigerian-American writer and storyteller based in Los Angeles, CA. After graduating from Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, she studied West African mythology, religion, and culture in Salvador, Brazil. Her first novel, Children of Blood and Bone, debuted at #1 on The New York Times Bestseller list and is being developed into a movie by Disney’s Fox & Lucasfilm. Its highly anticipated sequel, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, also debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. When she’s not working or playing with puppies, Tomi can be found teaching creative writing on her website. In 2020, she was named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in Media, and her website has been named one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.

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Foreword by

Phoebe Robinson

Honoree, Special Guest

Phoebe Robinson is a stand-up comedian, writer, producer, actress, and publisher. In addition to writing national best selling essay collections “You Can’t Touch My Hair,” “Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay,” and “Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes,” she launched her own imprint Tiny Reparations Books in 2020. Robinson is also the co-creator and co-star of the podcast “2 Dope Queens” and HBO series of the same name. Other onscreen work includes the TV adaptation of “Everything’s Trash,” and standup special “Sorry, Harriet Tubman,” both of which are produced by her company, Tiny Reparations.

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Read What's Inside

Browse our collection of stories from inside the book. Complete with notes from the author and anecdotes from our mentees and mentors.

Stories from Inside "CTRL + B" Coming Soon!

Stories from Inside "CTRL + B" Coming Soon!

A Year in the Life

High school is a new chapter in every adolescent’s life, and it can be terrifying. Especially if you do not know anyone or if you are going through some mental issues. I was in the same predicament as some of you and looking back, it would've been nice to get some friendly advice from someone my age. My podcast can hopefully help high school students make the best of their four years or look back on them with a smile on their face.

For The Culture: The Black Hair Edition

This is a trailer for a podcast episode that will tackle the appropriation of Black hair in America. Kim Kardashian, a woman of major influence, appropriated Black hair when she wore box braids and called them “boxer braids.” I found it so offensive that I wanted to explore it and open up a conversation about it. I wanted to dismantle the cultural significance that was being ignored— and potentially lost. This podcast was my chance to be truthful about what matters to me: the intersection of hair and my identity.

Fresh Kills Transformation

What was once the largest landfill in the world before closing in 2001 happens to be within my hometown and community of Staten Island. Since then, the landscape has been engineered to become the largest park in New York City. This landfill has greatly affected the health of those in my community. By conducting research to better understand the effects of the landfill on the climate and public health, I realized how my interests can merge and benefit public knowledge of this space. To have my voice heard beyond what can be accomplished in a social media post, I decided to write a script and assemble audio to create a podcast. Through this podcast, others can learn about benefits and concerns relating to the parks department-led engineering project.

In Good Sentences

It is currently 2020—57 years after Sylvia Plath’s death in 1963—and yet she is still one of the most widely discussed writers today. Plath is now stereotyped as the quintessence for the depressed teenage girl because she wrote poems about heartbreak and depression and died by suicide after hearing that her husband was unfaithful. But in reality, Plath was, and is, one of the few writers who was able to transform her dark emotions into beauty. And as one of the forefront writers of her conservative generation, she was also most definitely a feminist.

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Girls Write Now 2024 Anthology

Praise for Ctrl+B

From the Literary Community

“Girls Write Now has become one of the most important organizations for teenage girls in America and a most powerful bridge between what can be imagined to what will be created, and flourish, out of imagination.”
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AMBER TAMBLYN Author
“It is an astonishing, life-changing thing to come into the knowledge, as a girl, that your mind matters and that your voice is valuable. Girls Write Now is an irreplaceable organization, capturing this alchemy in every piece and every relationship it facilitates and creates.”
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JIA TOLENTINO Author
“Without mentors like my mother, my aunt and others, my relationship with the written word would not have crystallized or grown to what it is today. I owe everything to my childhood mentors for introducing me to writing and the arts as both rehabilitation, and a way to seize and exist in my power. Girls Write Now champions writing and mentorship as a path to individual and collective power, and for that I am in awe of their work and mission.”
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WAYÉTU MOORE, Author
“When I name myself, I become myself. In these pages, girls name themselves, their worlds, their wishes, their pain and their heart’s finest joys. Right here, girls become their true selves.”
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MIN JIN LEE Author
“To lead the world to justice and hope, we must empower a generation of young women to speak with authority and write their truth. Girls Write Now is making that happen—one girl at a time.”
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LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON Author

Intersectional Voices in Editorial Print Committee

Every year, the Intersectional Voices in Editorial (IV Edit) Print Committee brings their talents to the task of editing, producing, and promoting this fresh collection of writing from today’s emerging voices. The committee is made up of mentors, mentees, and other volunteers who are passionate about diversifying the publishing landscape.