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!
What would you even call what you see outside the window.
Someone once told me they saw me looking out a window and there was a lot going on inside. The floor was made of clouds and I was scared to jump.
Trauma
Trauma honors a woman who lost her life to a moving train at the 42nd Street terminal station in New York. This is my heart, rage, and tears in your hands.
Uncoordinated Silhouettes
Sometimes individuals wish to be blinded by reflection, distraught by the truth that lived in their childhood. This poem explores the duality of recollection and humanizes each perspective.
Secretly Special
Being on my school’s running team has been one of the most formative experiences of my life. This essay tells the story of one of the important lessons I learned about leadership.
Excerpt from “Shattered Glass”
Seventeen-year-old Darla has lived in the small town of Silver Lake her whole life, surrounded by memories of her family's history of abusive relationships.
House of Lies
House of Lies is the beginning of a thriller novel that Janiya plans to complete. It speaks to love, lies, revenge, and the consequences of choices.
My Names
Growing up, I would use any name except my own. It was partly because I didn't feel worthy of my full name, Emanuelle, and partly because I didn't like my nickname, Emmie. Eventually, I grew.
Winnie, Untitled
This is a character study of a woman named Winnie from the perspective of her friends, family and peers.
The Bracelet
This story, is about a teenage girl, who lives vicariously through the bracelet on her nightstand.
Freedom through the pages
Finding a breakthrough in the form of writing. Looking up to other writers that have inspired me to no longer allow myself to drown in my own mindless thoughts.
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.