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.

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.
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.
Stories from Inside Here & Now
Stories from Inside Here & Now
Where We’re From
New York skyscrapers are far from the sky-scraping Smoky Mountains, and in combining our stories, we shared our fierce pride for our homes and the inherent poetry there is in growing up in these places.
meat
This poem is a classic extended metaphor and an angry feminist poem about a woman’s relationship to food and the kitchen.
Religion
I discuss my devotion to and fascination with neuroscience while comparing it to religion.
The Power of Synthesis
This piece is my Common App personal statement that I submitted as part of my college applications. It shows colleges more about my ability to synthesize and share information effectively.
Interview with Luz
This piece is an introduction to who I am in a professional light while also shedding light onto my ambitions and goals for the future.
To write about things that have ended a long time ago
A lot of my writing is related to loss—in this case, it’s old friends. Though I’ve yet to attend a loved one’s funeral, I find myself grieving people who are still alive.
The Four Ps
This piece illustrates my journey with animal advocacy, and how it taught me valuable lessons about myself and the world.
Lost in Translation
As a Chinese American, growing up in a predominately white environment was challenging towards my identity—especially at school. As I get older, I am able to appreciate the beauty of my culture.
my january, my silvermist
Odes to the greenery in my house that keep me constantly conflicted.
Negativity & Change-Making in Education
So often we spend the time we set aside in our mind for "activism" on negativity. But lately I've realized the need for the positive and negative — these essay and video excerpts.
Praise for Here & Now
From the Literary Community
Anecdotes from Inside
Mentees & Mentors share their experience working together
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.