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!
We’re on the Same Page
Two curious kids, Isabella and Imogene, each find a fantastical journal hidden beneath a tree at their local park and unknowingly unlock a correspondence with each other that transcends time, space, and perhaps even reality.
Climate Activism is Hard
Why is advocating against climate change a difficult journey, especially for youths?
Pieces Of Me
"Pieces of Me" unfolds as a series of letters from a soldier to different family members, offering glimpses into the emotional toll of war. It moves through themes of suffering, guilt, love, and redemption.
Eating (God) Disorder
This poem is about my experience growing up being forced to be Kosher.
Remembering Joy
These pieces share an insight into the challenge of finding joy in the world after coming out of the strangeness of mental illness.
ImaginEater
In a futuristic society, ImaginEater is a gadget that conjures food for people to consume without adverse health impacts, but Quasara discovers that unanticipated uses of ImaginEater can have serious repercussions.
102, 103, 104, 105 Word Stories
Here, you’ll find four flash fiction pieces that highlight moments of loss, love, and joy, written over the course of the past year. Short pieces to remind us that we’re all human
The Happiness Mandate
In high school, relaxation is a crime. Guilt regarding an upcoming homework assignment or exam often overshadows true happiness. Yet, as the anonymous narrator soon discovers, a dystopian 'Happiness Mandate' is not the answer either.
Let’s Be Five
Let's Be Five is a story about reflecting on the first semester of college and having to make the decision to be your own person.
Hayat
This poem reflects the resilience of the Palestinians people who are struggling for justice, dignity, and peace.
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.