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!
Marmalade, Bread & Butter, Honey
This trio of poems explores big feelings through the lens of a small and nonsensical subject matter: breakfast condiments.
Headaches
Here's the only poem I've ever written that is good but not about someone I still talk to. Enjoy!
journey while traveling
My piece “journey while traveling” was inspired by my high school experiences and transformation into a young adult. This poem starts with me as a young teen and progresses into my exploration of adulthood.
COVID Rewind: Thoughts & Reflections
A look into 2020 through the diverse eyes of interviewees from New York City. These interviewees describe their thoughts and experiences living through the pandemic.
A Certainty
This poem focuses on the philosophy of interpreting life objectively; there is a certain calm in accepting reality as is, and taking pleasure in the mere fact of our existence.
These Days
This is a piece about how it feels to deal with the struggles that grief may bring. And about trying to move forward by taking one day at a time.
A Flighty Peace
The leader of an ancient tribe, tired of her war-ridden world, ignores the battle that looms behind her. But the death of her lover forces her to commit one final flight for peace.
I did raise my boy to die…
My poem explores a mother's emotions about sending her boy to war.
Pandemic Letters: The Wind or a Leaf Stuck to the Sidewalk
After reading the poetic correspondence between Natalie Diaz and Ada Limón entitled “Envelopes of Air,” we decided to write poetic letters to one another, which naturally interrogated our feelings and thoughts during a pandemic.
The Crows
Broken family ties and ominous crows haunt Jo as she faces the dangers of the forest.
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.