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  • Here & Now: 2024 Girls Write Now Anthology

ANTHOLOGIES

Here & Now: Girls Write Now 2024 Anthology

In partnership with Dutton Books, Dottir Press, and Amazon Literary Partnership, Girls Write Now is thrilled to announce our newest publication, Here & Now: Girls Write Now 2024 Anthology. Available from Books Are Magic, McNally Jackson, and Amazon, the anthology is a multi-genre showcase from our 25th year of mentoring and training the next generation of young voices.

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Do not read this book, unless you want to know what real humans are thinking. Taking poetic license to express things in ways that make AI fear it will be replaced by humans, the stories in these pages reflect the here and now: a collective urgency as the pandemic recedes, the world overheats, wars overwhelm, and the national discourse is conducted in a language far from love. In these pieces, cooking unites families, supermarkets become places of connection and adventure, neighbors evolve into mermaids as the sea levels rise, and every month nails are trimmed to cut down memory. The smallest gifts in life become impossible blessings of gratitude. There is a sense of battle with the norms and an understanding that things are not right, but they will be. This anthology is evidence of a future worth fighting for in which the long tradition of building community through the written word is upheld during the highs, lows, and everything in between.

Get Inspired By The Next Generation

Hope Lives In Our Words: Girls Write Now 2025 Anthology breaks down the barriers of gender, age, race, and poverty, harnessing the power of stories to shape culture, impact industries, and bridge worlds.
McNally Jackson Books Are Magic
Reading from the 2024 Anthology Launch Party

Foreword by

Donna Hill

(she/her) Mentor

Mentor Donna Hill is a multi-published author with more than 90 published titles to her credit. Three of her novels were adapted for television. Most recently, her novel Confessions is B-Flat is be adapted for the screen with Amblin Partners and Executive Producer Octavia Spencer. Donna has an MFA in Creative Writing and is currently an Assistant Professor at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.

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Donna Hill

Introduction by

Forsyth Harmon

(she/her) Mentor

Forsyth Harmon is the author and illustrator of the illustrated novel Justine. She is also the illustrator of national bestseller Girlhood by Melissa Febos and The Art of the Affair by Catherine Lacey. Forsyth’s work has been featured in Granta, BOMB, Refinery29, The Believer, and more. She received both a BA and an MFA from Columbia University and currently lives in New York.

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Forsyth Harmon

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 Here & Now: 2024 Anthology

Read Collection

Stories from Inside Here & Now

Stories from Inside Here & Now

Elizabeth Shvarts Elizabeth Shvarts .
Elizabeth Shvarts Elizabeth Shvarts .

I Smile Lemon Peel

"I Smile Lemon Peel" is a heart-wrenching, at times sour (no pun intended) journey of a woman finding her place in the world as she navigates her relationship with her body and her struggle to reclaim her agency over it. An homage to the image of the 1950s housewife baking a lemon meringue pie, this poem depicts the untold story of women as survivors, not victims, as they witness sweets curdle before their eyes, refusing to crumble when people pillage their bodies/souls.

I smile lemon peel
Feminism & Gender EquityCourage & Resilience 4 min read
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Girls Write Now 2024 Anthology

Praise for Here & Now

From the Literary Community

“Are we willing to embrace the bittersweet beauty of our collective humanity by listening to the voices of our younger selves? Here & Now: Girls Write Now 2024 Anthology poignantly captures the sentiment of some of our most observant and silenced. Girls Write Now has gifted us an anthology that will compel you to listen and take action by inspiring you to remember what is truly at stake.”
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James Rhee Author and Honoree
“A vibrant community built to amplify the stories of young women and gender-expansive youth, Girls Write Now is doing essential work. The writing in this collection is fired by the power that comes with finding our voices. I am moved by these writers’ passion and inspired by their singular words.”
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R. O. KWON Author
“I hope you will experience every remarkable piece, each one written from a particular point of view no one else has, by writers from a myriad of backgrounds and perspectives.”
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Abi Daré Author and Honoree
“The Girls Write Now anthology showcases just how much talent and wisdom young people have to offer if we truly listen and give them a platform from which to speak. These are the voices we should all be uplifting”
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Beatriz Arango Author
Girls Write Now 2024 Anthology

Anecdotes from Inside

Mentees & Mentors share their experience working together

“I feel blessed, honored, and grateful to have been matched with Allison, my mentee. Allison’s independence, extensive range, versatility, and conscientious attitude towards life continue to inspire me to achieve my own goals. I reminisce about the moments when we’d freely share anxieties and uncertainties about the future. But also, during pair sessions we celebrate the joyful moments we’d experienced. I remember a particular prompt that both of us responded to: “Write about a moment when you felt most alive,” which has unexpectedly encouraged me to infuse each day with something exciting, pleasurable, and meaningful and to strive toward fulfillment.”
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Anh Le on Mentee Allison Su Mentor
“Anh has been an incredible mentor, both in the realm of writing and in life. Every pair session, she creates space to check in and talk about things like career goals or finding the time to write. Anh has inspired me a lot in my poetry, encouraging me to try new things and step out of my comfort zone. I look forward to each of our meetings and learning from Anh. Outside our meetings, she has also been immensely supportive, for example, by helping me reach out to people in the Girls Write Now community and finding publishing resources for me. ”
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Allison Su on Mentor Anh Le Mentee
“I met Megumi when she was fifteen years old, and was immediately struck by her thoughtfulness, passion, and perseverance. These qualities have only blossomed and cemented as she’s grown into the eighteen-year-old she is today, about to head off to the college of her dreams. Working with her has been an incredible honor. She’s given as much to me as I hope I have to her, bringing vibrance, laughter, purpose, and presence to my life. It’s been a joyful three years, and I am forever grateful to Girls Write Now for bringing us together.”
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Madeline Wallace on Mentee Megumi Jindo Mentor
“Wow, I can’t believe it’s already been three years with Girls Write Now. Even when I someday move on, there is one thing I will never forget: the unbelievable support system, starting with my mentor, Maddie. To think, our first interaction on Zoom was filled with anxiousness of “Will we really fit together?” Now when we meet, we can talk endlessly about whatever is on our minds—it’s such a turnover. I am so grateful for her knowing me so well, for always finding the right words of wisdom, and for all the sweet hugs and letters. Maddie, thank you.”
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Megumi Jindo on Mentor Madeline Wallace Mentee
“Working with Angie this year has been such a pleasure. I am fascinated by the stories she tells in her writings. They are universal topics I myself relate to, yet she finds such a unique way to articulate the different concepts she/her characters grapple with. My role as Angie’s mentor is to support her in understanding how valid and necessary her unique voice is and how to harness the strength of her differences. I feel lucky to play even a small role in encouraging her to continue building her own world—in writing and beyond.”
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Ashley R. Sowers on Mentee Angelina Marisol Freyre Mentor

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.

About the Committee