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.
Stories from Inside "Unmuted" Coming Soon!
Stories from Inside "Unmuted" Coming Soon!
Where Are the Children?
We wrote stories based on old nursery rhymes, giving them a new twist. Ivy's story "Where Are the Children?" is a reimagining of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," which Kathleen has illustrated.
She and the Remnants of Plants
Exploring themes of mental illness specifically within the Asian-American immigrant community and isolation, She and the Remnants of Plants centers around a teenage girl’s relationship to plants and death.
High School Students Across the Country Start Projects During Quarantine
The article centers on five high school students in the US who are pursuing their hobbies to create projects that are bringing people around the world together during the pandemic.
Twenty-One (audio play)
A short audio play about influence, being under the influence, and the influence of parents' choices on their children.
King of Kings
Who decides what a text means? And how much can be lost in translation?
The Side They Never See
Captured in a moment of pain, this poem was a way for me to release my emotions onto the page. I hope to show anyone who encounters this piece that they are not alone.
Deadly Militia
A short story that portrays the life of a young child soldier during the Congo War.
The Ocean’s Depths
Based off of my love for the ocean but fearing what is underneath the waves.
Stages of Isolation
This co-written poem reflects our journaled memories of the year 2020, as well as our conversations with each other about our lives in lockdown.
And There I Was
An autobiographical comic about gender identity, coming out to yourself, and finding your way.
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.