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!
The Immortal Wishmaker
This story is an excerpt from the first chapter of my science fiction novel and it introduces the protagonist, the Immortal Wishmaker.
Empty-A
I've spent my whole life on trains, and most of my life writing. This project is an intersection of both experiences through a unique yet familiar format: Google Maps. Consider it “Poetry in Motion” for the next generation! Each poem was written while riding specific trains. Simply select a "line" (by the title of the poem) to read each full piece OR read stop-by-stop (stanza-by-stanza) if you select the teardrop icons.
Salt Water and Sea Breeze
A vivid, authentic multimedia piece meant to place the reader in a new world of a summer beach afternoon.
Sweetest 16
This is a tribute to me for my 16th birthday
Calling
This poem is inspired by D.A. Powell's poem "Calling All Gods."
Time
Sometimes, everything we want is on the other side of fear. Time waits for no man, but that doesn't mean we must always try to race against it.
The Recipe
Uplifting yet grounded, explore a euphoric reality bound by light and positivity instead of oppression and resistance.
The Deed
She died thinking about her friends…
Dear ‘M’
I thought I needed you, but in the end, I know you needed me.
The Sad Ones
Pretty loves are pretty but sad ones are prettier…
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.