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!
Reimu and Marisa
The project is an animation about two girls named Reimu and Marisa, who battle monsters with their magical powers to protect their town, Genso. For this project, I was inspired by a video game called Touhou. It represents my best work in the program this year because I put so much time and effort into thinking about the story and plot; planning it out; and creating it.
Her
"Her" tells multigenerational female narratives from real young women who shared their thoughts and experiences with me. They talk about their mothers, themselves, their fears, regrets, and hopes. I created a found language audio poem using their interviews to combine their voices and express a piece of what it's like to be seventeen/eighteen and a young woman navigating changing relationships.
What the Scissors Taught Alana
Today, we're constantly being criticized for how we look, what we wear, and how we act, and we're forced to change ourselves to avoid criticism. Alana faces the same problem. She loves her long, jet black hair. But as her hair gets increasingly longer, people are starting to talk about her, and especially her hair. Feeling pressured, she decides to cut her hair short. She feels bold, but something doesn't feel right…
In Flux
You are slowly becoming the person you always wanted to be.
The Tree Comedian
My name is Oakley. I am a tree comedian. I do comedy for trees.
Uncle (Let’s Say) Bob
I fought off my first monster at age five.
Senjuti Gayen Is
It is a bold thing to acknowledge who you are.
We Want You!
We are the force of females.
Freedom
Freedom, a simple word, yet with so much meaning. Something that we all yearn for, but not everyone has…
By Grace, through love
You are the outer Grace; I am the inner.
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.