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!
mental illness teenage talk
My project about teenage depression is meant to let other teens know they are not alone. I want to bring this subject out in the open so other teens can be aware that this is a serious topic to deal with, but they can talk about it. This is my first time doing a project like this, and I want to continue my podcast in an effort to reach out to other teens to begin the conversation in a safe space.
Tiny Worlds
Oftentimes, it's easy to lose ourselves in the bustle of society. Easy to fall into the online world and never resurface. In this collection of poems, the beauty of nature is explored in a personal way, with the hope that you will find a new reason to stop and appreciate the world around us. These poems reflect on what can be seen, and describe the complexity of nature that I hope you find to ring true. These poems are dedicated to the sky, the flowers, the trees, and the ocean, who need our protection now more than ever.
Anatomy 125
This erasure poem is a visual representation of my own writing process. You can see the crossing out of words as well as the words I had to write back in. Sharing any kind of writing is an innately intimate experience, but this specifically feels personal for the way that it displays my mistakes as well as the final project.
Different Views
People who struggle with making friends or getting good grades will connect with this piece. Beware, the beautiful sunsets and powerful words might make some cry.
Project Silmo: Reconstructing a Nation
I've been analyzing and thinking about The Silmarillion for years now. After multiple rereads, hours upon hours of research, drafting, and redrafting, here are my final thoughts on Tolkien's legendarium.
Dear NYC: A High-Schooler’s Take On Life
Race, as a visual marker, affects our daily lives —whether it be through making snap judgments or the Model Minority stereotype. Discussions of race tend to be neglected in academic institutions themselves: the questions of both how to include rather than exclude and how to better diversify communities continually rise.
Dedicated to my Natural Hair
I wrote a letter to my natural hair because I recognized that I was dealing with some deeply engrained self-hate issues regarding it.
Sunrise
In the newest iteration of "Sunrise," I explore an acoustic arrangement featuring myself on keyboard and vocals.
Lordecast
My podcast, Lordecast, discusses the topic of Lorde's music and how it has affected my perspective and views throughout my life. This podcast is a joint conversation with my mentor about the way music has a profound way of shaping people, no matter how old or different they may seem to be. Lorde has always been one of my favorite artists, so it felt natural to do a piece about her.
The Wild Inside
My project is a compilation of several of my poems narrated alongside many photographs from my nature collection. I find that there are endless possibilities when depicting the natural world and its challenges: stories, music, light and shade, color, and poetry, to name a few.
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.