ANTHOLOGIES
Girls Write Now Unmuted: The 2021 Anthology
Girls Write Now is thrilled to be in partnership again this year with Dutton, who produced this anthology. A special thanks to the team at Dutton—Christine Ball,Maya Ziv, and Lexy Cassola, and to Feminist Press and Jamia Wilson, who produced the ebook. Thank you as well to Amazon Literary Partnership for their continued support, which directly funds the production of our anthologies.
In the 2021 Girls Write Now Anthology, our mentees give voice to fear and silence, demand justice, and hold nothing back. To be unmuted right now requires a new brand of bravery, and these writers show how it’s done. Using stories, poems, essays, fiction, drama, interviews and more, they report on a global pandemic, a climate crisis and the movement for racial equality. They also invite us on their personal journeys through the labyrinth of young adulthood: feeling the rich soil of a neighborhood garden beneath their fingers; traveling through time in search of their parents; inhaling the charged air where young love is brewing. In a world pushed to the precipice of change, in a society that values the tried and true over the dynamic and new, the Girls Write Now class of 2021 is breaking the chains and showing what it means to speak loud, clear and true—to be unmuted.
Foreword by
Introduction by
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.
Girls Write Now Unmuted Print Anthology
Stories from Inside "Unmuted" Coming Soon!
Stories from Inside "Unmuted" Coming Soon!
If Only You Knew
Subconscious writes a letter to assure Natalie of the doubts she has about her self-worth.
Melanin Tears
A young girl born to immigrant parents trying to fit into American society. She realizes that she is uncomfortable with herself and the nation.
A Room of My Own
Join me on this four-year journey to become the Meril I am now.
If You’d Only Let Me In
If You’d Only Let Me In By Melanie Santiago Everyone tells Lucia she needs help, so she goes to an
As A Woman
In New York, there are many times I’ve been catcalled on the train. I wrote this poem to release my bottled up anger about the constant catcalls and times I was seen as an object.
of remembrance and regret
This essay is a tribute to my grandmother and an immortalization of my biggest regret.
Versions of our selves
These are poems we wrote, together and separately, while reflecting on the theme of transformation—these poems are about all the different versions of ourselves we hold at once.
tears of the past
Sometimes, we surprise ourselves in the ways we act in certain situations that life throws at us. This piece tells of my first encounter with this lesson.
Selected Poems
Writing poetry has served as an outlet to relieve stress during this anxiety-filled year. I’ve poured many of my feelings into these poems, some of which are selected here.
It Wasn’t Your Fault
To contemplation and betrayal.
Praise for Here & Now
From the Literary Community
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.