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!
The Mysterious Reappearance of Princess Amantdeiylaia, an Excerpt
The excerpt is about an alien princess who is ostracized from the outside world and is forced to be isolated by her controlling grandmother.
Contempt of Love
After five years apart, Aurora and Griffin's lives collide again. Aurora can't see past her anger, while Griffin spends his time hiding his past and trying to ignore his feelings for Aurora, which never left.
An Ode to Sandy: Three Things I Love
This poem was written from the perspective of Sandy. The word “sandy” itself may spark memories of your own, but I will leave it to you, reader, to figure out who Sandy truly is.
a study in nihilism
A short story about what happens when dreamers give in to hopelessness and futility.
spacetimecontinuum
This poem was originally rooted in the pandemic and quarantine, but evolved into a piece on introspection, rumination, and growth.
Palms
When I was born, I didn’t have hands…
Living in Gratitude While Missing My Native Tongue
It's easy—almost far too easy to just say where we are from. A country. A place. A word. But where we really come from is from our parents and our culture. A history.
Have You Seen This Word?
This poem explores the mystery of lost words and where one must go to find them.
Light-bulb
Note: Even if you’re like me and prefer to read the ending first, surprise! There’s no ending and you’ll still be as curious as when you started.
The Watchtower, an Excerpt
Two Japanese American twelve-year-olds in World War II relocation centers, hatch a plan of escape. But something unexpected happens on the day they plan to leave.
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.