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!
Beneath Her Skin
A homage to The Woman in the Yellow Wallpaper. What happens when we feel trapped in modern day.
Writing Our Way to Wellness: Season 1, Episode 7 Part 2
In Part II of a special two-part episode, mentee Chloe Lee guides Community Coordinator, Sally Familia, continue discussing teenagehood, healing, and writing as a tool for wellness. They explore the differences and similarities growing up in the Gen Z generation, and how that has informed their healing and writing practices. Chloe and Sally connect through their exploration of the inner self and their hopes for a new world for the generations to come!
Prison Break
In the Amazon Rain forest of South America, Larry witnesses his friends get maliciously kidnapped. After the incident, Larry is determined to rescue them and bring his friends back home.
Frostbites
Hastily jotted at night, during recent teenage angst, inspired by the winter season.
the ‘filler’
A poem narrating one perspective of what it’s like to be ‘the filler’ – someone who believes they merely take up space, despite how much they try to escape the confines of the role.
The Life of a Teenage Superhero
An excerpt of a piece soon to be part of a larger novel.
anatomy lesson
a lesson on anatomy, taught by two special people
The Patient Daughter
We all carry many pieces of our identity with us every day. This piece examines a core part of myself and the role that I have been given in this life.
Evolution of a Size
This is the story of a teenager and how she navigates her life being plus-sized. It is a moving story about the way society's opinions about her body have influenced her life even in adulthood.
Bitter Berries
This piece explores the impact of grief and disenchantment in the process of growing up.
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.