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.
Stories from Inside "Taking Our Place in History" Coming Soon!
Stories from Inside "Taking Our Place in History" Coming Soon!
What would you even call what you see outside the window.
Someone once told me they saw me looking out a window and there was a lot going on inside. The floor was made of clouds and I was scared to jump.
Trauma
Trauma honors a woman who lost her life to a moving train at the 42nd Street terminal station in New York. This is my heart, rage, and tears in your hands.
Uncoordinated Silhouettes
Sometimes individuals wish to be blinded by reflection, distraught by the truth that lived in their childhood. This poem explores the duality of recollection and humanizes each perspective.
Secretly Special
Being on my school’s running team has been one of the most formative experiences of my life. This essay tells the story of one of the important lessons I learned about leadership.
Excerpt from “Shattered Glass”
Seventeen-year-old Darla has lived in the small town of Silver Lake her whole life, surrounded by memories of her family's history of abusive relationships.
House of Lies
House of Lies is the beginning of a thriller novel that Janiya plans to complete. It speaks to love, lies, revenge, and the consequences of choices.
My Names
Growing up, I would use any name except my own. It was partly because I didn't feel worthy of my full name, Emanuelle, and partly because I didn't like my nickname, Emmie. Eventually, I grew.
Winnie, Untitled
This is a character study of a woman named Winnie from the perspective of her friends, family and peers.
The Bracelet
This story, is about a teenage girl, who lives vicariously through the bracelet on her nightstand.
Freedom through the pages
Finding a breakthrough in the form of writing. Looking up to other writers that have inspired me to no longer allow myself to drown in my own mindless thoughts.
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.