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!
A Love Letter to My Apartment on 69th Avenue
This piece is a reflection of childhood nostalgia; I dive into living in my old apartment and attempt to savor its beauty. Though I struggle with growing pains, I eventually lean towards acceptance.
Vogels/Girls
An ode to southern Germany and my cousin, Marlene.
Everlasting Color
This piece was written to shed light on creatives. Artists often perceive the world in a unique way that many people don't understand, so I wanted to do my best to describe that.
Mr. Cupid Taught Me There is More to Life
In 2023, I had an apprenticeship program at Second Chance Outreach in Capetown, Mr. Cupido’s drug rehabilitation NGO. Every day, I learned about the lives of others and the true meaning of a second chance.
Train Ride to Danger Station
An uncomfortable experience among girls and women is sexual harassment, something that I encountered on the train that left me furious.
Self-Defining a Strong Black Woman
In this essay, I discuss my personal journey with the Strong Black Woman schema and how basing my self-worth on
My Tears Have Traveled
A reflection of my tears throughout my life.
the shame of sons
An excerpt of a short story surrounding a boy with his father's hand-me-down anger.
The Sea Beneath Caroline Street and True Love Comes From
My home will one day be underwater and it will be as if it never existed to anyone else. Where does true love really come from?
The Dying Friend
This piece is simple, yet I hope it can still be striking to whoever reads it. I have been thinking about writing this poem for a very long time.
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.