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 Walls Could Talk
This is a fantasy story that I wrote in one of our pair sessions. This piece is only the first chapter of a novel I am working on.
Blackbird
Like blackbirds we lived in a constant state of struggle trying to survive. Every time we tried to fly there were others pecking away at our wings. Like that bird, fueled by our need to survive, we learned to soar.
Pneuma
This poem is dedicated to all the girls who are forced, by circumstances, to hide their identity so they can be present for those around them. One reminder: You need to be your authentic self. Go out, find your flame, and take your place in history.
Tales Of A Mixed Girl; An Open Letter To All The Mixed Girls Struggling To Find Their Identity
A person's identity is shaped by many factors such as nationality, race, ethnic group, physical appearance, talents, interests, language, religion, and especially culture. Here is a deeper insight to my growth as a mixed girl; My History.
Evening Distractions
For this flash fiction exercise, we started with a prompt and edited down to 100 words. I cut out words that didn't hold as much significance to the story, and what’s left was intentionally included to help show the reader instead of telling them.
sayonara, hello
"sayonara, hello” is a cross-genre piece that explores the discrimination and isolation immigrants face. It is told from the perspective of a young Japanese girl who searches for acceptance from the people around her.
Stolen Sound
In the midst of our busy lives, we find time to pursue our interests outside of work and school. I wanted to explore one young woman's creative passion and what happens when an unexpected force interferes with that sacred time.
Springfield Cemetery
Before I moved, I lived in front of a cemetery for most of my childhood. In one of Girls Write Now's Friday Night Salons, I remembered the cemetery and thought it would be fun to spin a ghost story about it. Cemeteries are always so spooky!
Devotion
There has been a time in all of our lives where we've placed our significant other above ourselves and our responsibilities. I wanted to show how we as women often lose who we are trying to help someone figure out who they want to be.
Agatha and the Naming
“Agatha and the Naming” is the story of me, in a way trying to claim my place in my family’s history. While Agatha’s struggle is name-based, mine is skill- and future-based. She gets to meet her namesake while I still question mine.
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.