Girls Write Now Media

Anthologies

Each year, Girls Write Now publishes a print anthology showcasing the work of today’s next-generation voices. These books showcase stories that surprise us and stretch our understanding of the world and ourselves. Our anthologies have received praise from Gloria Steinem, Amanda Gorman, Roxane Gay, Meg Wolitzer, Emily St. John Mandel, Janet Mock, and countless others. Says People magazine, “It’s hard not to be inspired.”


Metamorphosis: Girls Write Now 2026 Anthology

To truly understand Girls Write Now, zoom out and observe a complex, multi-dimensional organism, constantly and consciously in the making. Its contours come into focus, and each word dissolves and evolves: Girls becomes a spectrum across gender, race, age, and poverty; Write spans genres, media, and disciplines; Now stretches across three decades and counting. Resolved into its component parts—G. W. N.—its very being refracts: a nonprofit, but also an incubator of art, a developer of professions, a community that heals. Made for writing and mentoring—and, in turn, for training, curating, and fortifying coalitions of artists, educators, and leaders. Rooted in New York City, branching outward: statewide, national, even global. Dubbed the Collaboratory: intimate, versatile, cutting-edge; designed to move with AI, a volatile marketplace, and our own psyches. For Girls Write Now, Metamorphosis is not only the title and theme of this anthology—it is a state of being.

Work from Inside Our Anthologies

Explore a treasure trove of writing, prompts, and insights from a multigenerational community of authors across decades and around the nation.

Our Partners

For the last five years, our annual anthologies have been published in partnership with Dutton Books and Amazon Literary Partnership. Our ebooks have been published with Dottir and Feminist Press. We are grateful for their support in championing the young voices featured here.

Our Digital Story Collection

Our Digital Story Collection

Lover

This poem depicts a dysfunctional relationship in which the protagonist feels constricted by the person they love, but nevertheless wants to be with them. The color schemes and backgrounds used heighten the emotional complexity as well as the aesthetic of the piece. This poem was inspired by many books I have read in which the characters have an unusual romantic relationship, and I wanted to show the intricacy of the emotions the characters feel.

Angry Black Women

I made this presentation because within American society, black women are at the bottom of the totem pole. Whenever we speak up to defend ourselves, we are seen as aggressive, overbearing, and too much to handle. This common approach to our struggles reinforces the denials of our pain and further pushes preconceived notions from those we've yet to meet. I don't want black women to humble themselves in order to not be seen as a stereotype.

Things About Me

In these few slides, I am being fully vulnerable in telling my audience about myself—with funny remarks, of course. I share the emotions that I have about my life and just how crazy it is. What sparked my inspiration for this project was the desire to share the experiences and thoughts I’ve had in my short life. This project shows how much I improved this year. In the beginning, I was hesitant to share these things about myself. I feel like I came a long way, being as open as I was in this project.

The World Through Me

This project will take you through the places I've grown to call home. From the dazzling lights of New York City to the blue skies of Miaoli, Taiwan, you get to travel through a multitude of locations, in seconds, all while sitting in your chair. It is important for all the works I create to represent a part of me or reflect who I am as a person, and The World Through Me has given me a chance to do just that.

Armed Allegiance

My erasure poem "Armed Allegiance" represents the immigrant experience. I moved from Mexico to America when I was young, and I know how hard it is to adapt to a new place. The Naturalization Oath is important to me because it reflects the sacrifices my parents made to give me more opportunities in life. I know many undocumented immigrants dream of becoming U.S. citizens and see it as the ultimate achievement. I also wanted this poem to convey how important it is for me to make my parents proud and show them that their hard work was worth it.

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We Want To Publish Your Story!

Publication in the Girls Write Now anthologies is open to actively enrolled Girls Write Now mentees. To submit, head to your Portal.

Meet Our Author Community

Meet Our Author Community

Asma Al-Masyabi

Asma Al-Masyabi is a poet, writer, and visual artist based in Colorado. She is a ruth weiss Foundation Emerging Poet Award winner and her writing can be found in The Cincinnati Review, Subnivean, the Santa Clara Review, and more. She is a University of Colorado Denver graduate with a BFA in Creative Writing and reads for Copper Nickel and F(r)iction.

Ayah Al-Masyabi

Ayah Al-Masyabi is a student journalist, artist, and writer with work published in The Colorado Sun, YR Media, The Talon at the Community College of Denver, and more. As an artist and writer, stories – especially about humans – are what get her up in the morning and motivate her to keep writing about the things that matter. Any compelling story interests her, but those surrounding culture, food, and sports are some of her favorites.

Jamilah Araf

Jamilah Araf has been writing forever and has always enjoyed story-telling. Currently, she is branching out at the newspaper club at her Queens high school and enjoys physical and digital art, coding and music. While she might not call herself an athlete, Jamilah rollerblades, ice skates and swims. In addition to being a writer, Jamilah aspires to be a lawyer or a teacher. Today, you can find her jamming out to Ed Sheeran and Onerepublic or obsessing over Hamilton, Disney and the MCU. She eats Thai food, her grandmother’s desserts and ice cream with her family and friends.

Shayla Astudillo

Shayla Astudillo was born in New York City; at a year old they moved to Illinois. In Illinois, they found their love for the arts and multiple life lessons. Coming back to New York City was difficult, but they adapted. They are currently attending high school in Manhattan, NY with their friends. They have dealt with mental illness in their life, which is a strong factor in their writing. They continue their journey with optimism. Their life goal is to spread love to everyone they meet. They hope you can connect to their writing and find your safe place to call home.

Tilda Bartlett

Tilda Bartlett is a ninth grader from Manhattan. She loves art, especially drawing and sketching. She likes realistic fiction and artsy movies. Tilda likes listening to Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift. She hopes to embark on more creative endeavors in the future whether it be film making or art.

Shermaya Paul

Shermaya Paul is a sophomore who lives in Brooklyn. She was the valedictorian of her middle school and the winner of the Congressional App Challenge. She is also an alumni of the UN Junior Ambassador program. She is a talented artist and she likes to write.

Jamilah Araf ShaylaAstudillo Tilda Bartlett Shermaya Paul