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!
When Life Gives You Half a Lemon
It’s gotta be that a little bit of my actions and a little bit of fate’s help just worked in my favor. And that’s what terrifies me.
Angry
You label me angry because of my nappy hair and oppressed because I choose to cover it…
Day One
Katerina was alone, but it hadn’t always been like this.
Cliche Teen Crisis
Excuse me?” She looks up from her phone, a deer in headlights. “I think you dropped this…”
Better
You deserve so much better than your fears.
Girls
My mother is soft like dandelions and freshly washed sheets.
En Su Espejo
Adulthood begins when you are able to look beyond the person you see in the mirror.
Abandoned by Faith
As I began to mature in my teenage years, my faith wavered.
Why Obsessions Matter
I chose to write about how my obsession with comics books, which seemed the opposite of my personality, has allowed me to grow into who I am, both as a writer and as a person.
The Rebirth of Shanai Williams
Where do I fit? Where is my opening?
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.