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!
Kindness? Or People Pleasing?
The poem “Kindness? Or People Pleasing?” highlights how the line between kindness and people-pleasing blurs for both parties— the pleaser and the pleased. Dom explores how the blur affects both from the pleaser’s perspective.
The Depths of Myself
A look at what I hide, even from those closest to me, and why.
The Last Dance
This piece is a short story about my character, Princess Amantdeiylaia. It's her 15th birthday, and an old friend pays her a visit. But is his presence welcomed?
How to tell the tale
Collage poetry unlocks ideas and feelings that live below the surface. The words guide me into the creation of the poems as I am being pulled by an external force.
2004
Here's a peek into the ever-evolving story of my life, encapsulated in a short but mighty list.
Shining, Shattering
I wanted to explore the literal meaning behind overused phrases and metaphors, such as “pools of light,” “it was like time had frozen,” and “it felt like flying.”
Bloodthirsty Queen
Body horror and glamour intersect to form a monstrous and bloodthirsty being that is both threatening and elegant.
Unearth
This poem represents the unearthing of old memories from the past and the things I used to treasure that I must now surrender to time.
Two Kids
Pulled from pensive thoughts about pasts and existence, we found ourselves letting go through "Two Kids.”
Salt Water Can’t Freeze
The death of a toxic relationship, sent to a watery grave made of tears. Fears that it will survive because there can be no solid divide.
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.