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Girls Write Now

This anthology is a catalog of seeds—the work of a network of young writers and mentors, each cultivating a shimmering, emergent voice. For the past two years, New York City high school students have weathered an adolescence shaped by an ongoing global pandemic. Throughout it all, they have found new ways to build community and take root. Roots allow for living beings to journey into our past and forward into the future, toward and away from home, and enable us to withstand the storms that invariably pass through. In short stories, personal essays, poetry, and more, the students reflect on endurance, change, and growth.

For twenty-five years, Girls Write Now has been amplifying transformative stories that break down the barriers of gender, race, age and poverty. In addition to being the first writing and mentoring organization of its kind, Girls Write Now continually ranks among the top programs nationwide for driving social-emotional growth for youth. The nationally award-winning nonprofit mentors the next generation of female and gender expansive writers and leaders who are shaping culture, impacting businesses and creating change.

The Feminist Press at CUNY

Taking Root: The Girls Write Now 2022 Anthology

Censored. Repressed. Subdued. Bound. Muted. No more. 

In a world pushed to the precipice of change, in a society that values the tried and true over the dynamic and new, what does it mean to be unmuted? In this anthology, a chorus of young women and gender-expansive teens give voice to fear and silence, hold nothing back, and demand justice. To be unmuted right now requires a new brand of bravery and these writers show us how it’s done. 

Using stories, poems, essays, fiction, drama, interviews, and more, they report on a global pandemic, a climate crisis, and the movement for racial equity. They also invite us on their personal journeys through the labyrinth of young adulthood: feeling the rich soil of a neighbourhood garden between their fingers; traveling through time in search of their parents; inhaling the charged air where young love is brewing.

For twenty-three years, the nationally award-winning nonprofit Girls Write Now has broken down the barriers of gender, race, age, and poverty, elevating the voices of writers who are too often not heard—or worse, silenced. Girls Write Now is the first writing and mentoring organization for girls and gender expansive youth of color, ranking today as one of the top programs nationwide for driving social-emotional growth for youth.

Girls Write Now Unmuted: The Girls Write Now 2021 Anthology

“To lead the world to justice and hope, we must empower a generation of young women to speak with authority and write their truth. Girls Write Now is making that happen—one girl at a time.”—Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Shout

“When I name myself, I become myself. In these pages, girls name themselves, their worlds, their wishes, their pain and their heart’s finest joys. Right here, girls become their true selves.” —Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko

Ctrl + B: The Girls Write Now 2019 Anthology showcases the next generation of young women writers. These energetic pieces are transforming the narrative and opening up readers to a fresh outlook and hope for the future. Inside these pages, Girls Write Now mentees explore what it means to be feminist, why we need to fight for freedoms, and the triumph when you speak up and share your unique story.

For over 20 years, Girls Write Now has been a leader in arts education as New York's first and only writing and mentoring organization for girls. Girls Write Now mentees—more than 95 percent girls of color and high-need—are published, perform, and win awards. One hundred percent of the program's seniors are accepted to college.

The Girls Write Now anthology series has been recognized as the Outstanding Book of the Year in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and has earned additional honors from the International Book Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the New York Book Festival, the San Francisco Book Festival, and the Paris Book Festival.

Ctrl + B: The Girls Write Now 2019 Anthology

"Writing is a powerful act that lets the writer articulate her thoughts and feelings directly, fluently, openly, and originally; and in doing so, the writer forges a connection with that other important half of the equation: the reader. These young writers are working hard every day to describe their inner lives and take them outward; to forge that essential, beautiful connection."-MEG WOLITZER, author of The Female Persuasion

"These young girls are the real visionaries of tomorrow and we are beyond lucky to read their stories today." 
-JENNY ZHANG, author of Sour Heart

Fabulous. Ferocious. Fragile. Fresh. Female. This is Generation F: The Girls Write Now 2018 Anthology, featuring a foreword by Ashley C. Ford and an introduction by Teen Vogue's Executive Editor Samhita Mukhopadhyay and set for release on May 22nd, 2018.

We are fighters and feminists, freethinkers and forces to be reckoned with. We are fitting in (or not), fed up, fighting back, and figuring it out in classrooms, cafes, and all across New York City. Coinciding with Girls Write Now's landmark 20th Anniversary, Generation F explores what it means to be part of a generation yet to be defined, facing unprecedented challenges, freedoms, technologies, and choices. The mentors and mentees in this unique volume are redefining feminist identities, finding their voices, fighting for essential rights, and facing our community with fresh eyes.

The Girls Write Now anthology series has been recognized as the Outstanding Book of the Year in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and has earned additional honors from the International Book Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the New York Book Festival, the San Francisco Book Festival, and the Paris Book Festival.