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!
Forever & Always
This short story is about my character, Princess Amantdeiylaia, who has a heart-to-heart with her lady-in-waiting and closest (and only) friend, Rhettna.
A Kiss at Midnight
The expression “a kiss at midnight” would normally evoke romantic images or scenes from fairy tales. This flash fiction collection puts 5 twists on the familiar theme.
the devil and the deep blue sea
Choices
The Elevator Bond
I smile and walk up to the waiting room. Even if I don’t get this job, at least I’ve got my friend back.
A Letter to Mom
A raw letter addressed to my mom: hurtful memories one part of me hopes she still remembers, imperfections still left uncovered, and everything I never said to her.
To Little Rapunzel
This piece describes the long journey of how I found acceptance and gained pride in my cultural identity through narration from my six-year-old self to now.
Hope, in my country, is the thing with leaves
Inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem “Hope” is a thing with feathers”, this poem talks about Hope as a fleeting, never-reaching entity in the Dominican Republic where Hope is a cultural and spiritual value within generations.
The Drunken Wolf
Howling inside all of us is a wolf. Some of us have tamed it, others must let it make its ferocious sound. Poetry360 mentee Kayla Misa embraces their inner wolf in their poem “The Drunken Wolf” about their Filipina heritage, anger, and betrayal.
Faith’s Hope
Shutting her eyes firmly until compression so all she could see were glittering stars, Hope's imagination stretched into answering her yearning for a companionship to fulfill her dreaded playtime. Just like that, Faith was born.
Remsen Ave.
All I want to say is that I'm forever grateful to Nana and Papa, may they rest in peace, for opening up their home to me and allowing me to hold many great memories.
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.