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.
Our Digital Story Collection
Our Digital Story Collection
Sheltered
The day I was born is the day the twin towers fell.
Sometimes the Way to Win Is to Quit
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one,” is the best compliment for an overachieving young adult trying to find their way around the world. At least it was for me.
‘You Don’t Owe Anyone Anything’
The reality of missing school for a whole two weeks and dealing with the stares of society.
a lesson in pressure & prestige
Written after submitting my Early Decision application, this essay shares the epiphany I was already having—one expedited by a choice that held so much weight over my future.
The First Step Towards Making A Friend
I had no clue where I was going—let alone what academic path I truly wanted to take—so you could say I was a bit overwhelmed on my first day of college.
Rolling Through Fear: Realizations at the Rink
The time spent at the rink was too short for me to spend it wallowing in my mistakes.
Take Space, Make Space
While I used to feel fractured when it came to my heritage, poetry has helped me realize that these fractures are, in fact, who I am.
Adolescent Forms
A depiction of my journey in asking for help, this essay is my reminder that I deserve peace and welfare in a battle against the uncertainties and anxieties of my mind.
Stories from the Shag
My time-out rug was white, with blue squares and tassels at opposite ends.
Each Tremolo Reminds Me
Chelsea Lin, Girls Write Now Mentee and My Simple Realization contest winner, writes about her grandfather.