ANTHOLOGIES
Taking Our Place in History: The Girls Write Now 2020 Anthology
Girls Write Now is thrilled to be in partnership with Dutton, who produced this year’s anthology. A special thanks to the team at Dutton—Christine Ball,Maya Ziv,Marya Pasciuto and Hannah Feeney, and to Feminist Press and Jamia Wilson, who produced the e-book. Thank you as well to Amazon Literary Partnership for their continued support and for recognizing Girls Write Now as a 2020 grant recipient, which directly funds the production of our anthologies.
The Girls Write Now 2020 class of mentees are using their voices for change in one of the most uncertain periods of modern history. This book invites you into their homes and families, their schools and neighborhoods, their hearts, hopes, and fears. Enter a world where clay creatures take on aluminum oppressors. Get thrown against an elevator wall in the midst of a horror story. Go backstage with a rock band, say goodbye to relatives as you start a new life, stand with an engineer solving a coding problem. Stare out from a coffin—or up at whales in the sky—and fall in love with the color of your skin. Experience tragedy in a mosque, feel the wounds of slavery, know the terror of glass shattering in a World War II village, and see how this next generation of leaders look to the past and write their present to create a better future.
Introduction by
With a Poem 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.
Taking Our Place in History: The Girls Write Now 2020 Anthology
Stories from Inside "Taking Our Place in History" Coming Soon!
Stories from Inside "Taking Our Place in History" Coming Soon!
the brighter sun
This piece unintentionally secured itself a special place in my heart. It reflects my feelings, my aspirations, and my hope that this new country will allow me to embrace my new place in history.
sororicide
For class, I had the task of writing a monologue. But as an avid horror fan, I went off the rails. That’s how sororicide happened. Writing horror serves as an outlet for me, to create a world where this fictional horror is the only scary thing in the world.
relating to, derived from, or consisting of matter: having real importance or great consequences
In honor of Black History Month, I have written a piece that reflects on everyday reminders of slavery. I draw an unconventional parallel between my life and the experience of an enslaved woman.
More than 71 inches
Yes, we are all either short, average, or tall, but there is more to us than height. It’s about who we are on the inside. Look into the interior and less at the exterior. We are all perfect the way we are. We are never too this or that.
Valentine’s Day
Each year I become a victim to the elaborate scheme that is Valentine's Day propaganda, getting unreasonably self-conscious when the day never goes as planned. But my friends have made me realize that I can be loved without romance involved.
Beauty
This poem emphasizes the beauty of tomorrow’s uncertainty. Anything could happen tomorrow so we might as well just do whatever our hearts desire and enjoy the ride until it lasts!
Every Shade of Blue
Don’t be afraid to get in touch with the deepest of your emotions, even the heartbreaking ones. There are oceans in you if you learn how to swim.
Berlin, eternally
Despite dating back to the thirteenth century, Berlin is such a mysteriously modern place. It was destroyed by bombs. And so, in the city, you feel the weight of these ghosts. Their blood suspended in the air: an anti-war cry. An anthem. A glimmer of hope.
childhood archeology / Teenage Fever Dream
These are two poems that reflect back on our younger selves.
As a Woman
This piece is about the double standards that plague society and force women to be small.
Taking Our Places in History
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.