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!
Flowers for Georgia
My dad and I love art history, and we wanted to bring to light stories of women who have carved and sculpted their place in history! There are so many inspiring women today, but also many women who may be in the shadows of history— and who should be kept alive. This work was a challenge given that I had never worked on a piece through a media platform before. The piece is a product of my learning process and the new mode of storytelling I tried, and the writing I always do!
Popped
Pop culture is all around us—in the movie trailers we watch, the celebrities we follow, in the books we read, and more. But pop culture often intersects with the larger structures of our lives, like politics or ethics, and these intersections bring up interesting questions about how we consume media. This podcast is a look at these intersections and how to answer these questions in an age in which the personal is the political. In each episode, I'll explore a recent pop culture trend and then analyze it through a larger framework with background research.
Bloom
In June of my sophomore year, I participated in my school’s talent show, doing modern dance and flow arts. Both were challenging: Modern required flexibility and movements my awkward limbs were unaccustomed to, and flow required dexterity of my wrists to simultaneously twirl strings, staffs, glowsticks, and fans in contrasting patterns.
The Perfect American
The Perfect American tells the stories of immigrants detained by ICE. Every episode is centered around a different detainee. Each with a different story, a different perspective, and a different relationship with America. In this country, where not everyone qualifies as American, these people deserve a chance to be heard. A chance to prove themselves, to show who they are outside of what the media spews about them. These are the Perfect Americans, the people who strive to be a part of a nation that doesn't want them.
Tawhito Scene
This is a scene from my novel, where the prophet Tawhito is giving advice to Anna and Ela. I think it's a really important scene in my book because it's a big turning point where Anna and Ela decide to kill the Queen, which sets off an important chain of events.
The Ones Who Taught Me to Dream
My mom and dad are my best support system. They have made a lot of sacrifices so that my sisters and I can have a better future. I love them so much, and I am forever grateful to them. To give them a tribute, I made this piece.
Code for Blueberry Toaster Waffles
Code for Blueberry Toaster Waffles is a short illustrated spoken-word poem that speaks to themes of creativity, friendship, and isolation. It is accompanied by drawings based on the themes presented within the text.
Fragments: The Need for Attention
My stop-motion poem is inviting, and it gives good advice on how to live your life: try to be more open and express how you feel to others, so that you are not bottling up your problems and keeping them to yourself. The found poem was inspired by words that stood out to me in a few used books, and as I highlighted many words, it became easier to pinpoint the topic of the poem.
All Of My Maybes
The sun rising, the birds chirping, the light morning breeze and the sweet smell of spring in the air—the narrator of my short story looks out at the melancholic scene playing out before her. All she can think about as she watches the sky is how her life could be if she wasn't afraid of adventure. All of us have struggled with venturing out into the unknown. Like the narrator, most of us find ourselves sitting down and contemplating what life could be like. It's fictional, but she's still me. That's why this represents my best work.
My Week in School
This podcast goes into the life of one of many high school students. Each high school student has their own activities, and this just focuses on one student. This represents my best work since it's relatable to most of the other Girls Write Now mentees. We're all high school students and deal with so much during the school year, and sometimes we just need to hear someone else going through a similar thing to feel better about a bad or good day.
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.