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 am I made of?
This piece showcases not only the hardships I faced as a queer girl in a Christian household but how I overcame my self-doubt and learned to accept myself as I am.
Where I’m From
This is a poem about where I'm from as a 16-year-old, born and raised in Queens, New York in a small family of four.
Summer
A short story I wrote about one of my favorite memories from summer that blurred into my favorite dreams.
9 Weeks Until My End Of Year Algebra Exam – Here’s How I’ll Pass It
I have a big Algebra exam coming up at school so I need to get organized ASAP and study so I’m one step closer to my dream of going to medical school. Wish me luck!
The Long Winter
A short film about the daily lives of high school students following the Omicron outbreak.
Let It Sink In
“Let It Sink In” is a short montage film translation of a piece that I wrote revolving around teeth. It’s an exploration of love and relationships through using teeth metaphors and food/teeth imagery.
you, me, and the borough
Lena and Courtney are both New Yorkers—but they live in different boroughs: Brooklyn and Staten Island. After a year spent on Zoom, they gave one another tours of their respective corners of the city.
‘Taking Root’ Introduction
For every teen who Girls Write Now helps to find their voice on the page or elsewhere, that’s one more young writer who will have confidence in their own ability to learn and achieve and lead.
‘Taking Root’ Foreword
Never underestimate the power of a story.
LOST
As your voice fumbles, I look into your eyes, to never look back. You are shaking—or should I say trembling.
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.