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!
It Had Always Been Like This
It had always been like this, I’d always had this outlook within me – but I’d kept it underground. I’d buried my own ability to appreciate life.
Our Bodies. Our Choices.
Given the current debate over a woman’s right to choose in America, we asked 7 women between the ages of 21-26 these two questions: (1) What would a world where women across America lose their right to choose look like? (2) What gives you hope about this issue?
Glasshouse Fever Dream
A euphoric fever dream about the buzzing energy of party politics, people, and dancing.
Rooted and Unchanging
A personal essay about change.
A Cup of Tea
This piece is dedicated to my grandma.
Story Finds
By buying the church, he bought the graveyard and used his children and grandchildren to become the librarians of the dead.
A Perfume Named Nostalgia
Memories branch the past and present. Through four vignettes, this piece documents the continuities of life and the importance of revisiting and appreciating past experiences through olfaction.
Pt. 2: Am I Really Indian?
This short essay describes my ongoing journey in navigating my identity.
NYC Mayor’s Office Cover Letter
Here’s the first cover letter I ever wrote! It provides insight to my past experiences but also how I hope
who
"Who" is a coded piece of poetry meant to document Lee's struggles as she reconciles with different parts of her identity as a female Asian American and serves as an outlet for girls like her.
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.