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 neighborhood 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.