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!
my dog spoke hebrew and it felt profound
The relationship between two deaths.
Learning to linger
That moment when you have to go but want to stay—so you decide you really don't have to go at all.
different, not wrong.
Being the older sister of a younger brother with autism has been both challenging and gratifying. Throughout the years, I’ve learned many lessons from my brother on empathy, identity, and understanding.
stolen thunder
We see these grand beasts working so hard trying to survive and provide for their families, but with one bullet, hunters and poachers can kill them and all of their life's efforts.
Cherophobia
"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think." This piece helped me break free and I will forever be thankful to my mentor for encouraging me.
The Sky’s The Limit
This is an excerpt from a story about a girl's process of learning to be independent and self-confident after the unexpected loss of her brother.
Moving On
This is a love letter, but not to a person. It’s about realizing that your childhood is gone and that the place you grew up in is changing forever.
My Saving Grace
‘My Saving Grace’ is about my dream of becoming a doctor as a high schooler during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nervous Scrolling
A woman dining alone at a restaurant realizes memory doesn't serve her justice.
Mental Whittling
Things you never had can be yours. Things you had for a time can be yours again. Carve your way, pay the price.
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.