Generation F

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Generation F Page 2

by Molly MacDermot


  POETRYCHU, NICOLE Metamorphosis

  MEMOIRCLARK, RAKIA What I Wish My Younger Self Knew

  POETRYCLARKE-ARIAS, BRIANNA Musings from a Lost New York Native

  FICTIONCOLN, ELENA Frustration

  MEMOIRCONAN, VIVIAN American Dreamers

  FICTIONCONGRESS, SARAH Love Bite

  POETRYCOOPER, LILA In Memory of Ma

  FICTIONCORMAN, LINDA A Gen F’er Meets Her Great-Great-Grandparents

  MEMOIRCUEVAS, MEDELIN A Letter to My Unborn Daughter

  FICTIONCUSTEN, SARAH Poor Virginia

  POETRYCUTTLER, ANDREA 2018

  FICTIONDA’COSTA, BERNA acknowledgments . . .

  FICTIONDE LA PAZ, NOELLE A Ravenous Upturning

  MEMOIRDEETON, GIA 85 White Street

  MEMOIRDEMARTINO, SOPHIA silenced

  JOURNALISMDIHYEM, MANAR The Hijab—A Shield or a Threat?

  POETRYDOLA, LAILA The Clouds That Smile

  POETRYDOMINGUEZ, KIMBERLY Dianthus

  POETRYDOOB, GABRIELLA Born

  POETRYDUBOSE-MORRIS, JOLI-AMOUR Lonely, Womanly

  POETRYEKE, JACQUELYN The Letter

  POETRYELMORE, MEGAN The Place We’ve Made

  POETRYESTÉVEZ, ANNETTE Moonflowers

  MEMOIREVANS, STACIE My Un-Quiet Self

  FICTIONFALEYIMU, MORAYO Bechdel Tests

  POETRYFISHER, ABBY Song of Myself

  FICTIONFISHER, ZOE REBIRTH

  POETRYFIXSEN, ANNA A Hero Is a Heroine

  FICTIONFLETCHER, STEPHANIE Time Travel

  MEMOIRFLYNTZ, AMY Fire

  MEMOIRFONTANELLI, REGINA Swing Sets

  POETRYFOYE, MEGHANN One Two Z

  MEMOIRFRANK, LUCY SPEAK

  JOURNALISMFULLER, JAIME The History of Hating on Books Like The Hate U Give

  POETRYFURTADO, MARIA RITA The Colors of You

  FICTIONGALINDO, MARIAH Dejar Pasmado

  FICTIONGARCIA, KIMBERLEY Goodbye, Father

  POETRYGARCIA NUEVA, BERENIZE The Undocumented Wonder Woman

  POETRYGAYEN, SENJUTI (Im)Perfect Rose

  MEMOIRGERINGER BASS, LAURA Only Me

  POETRYGOLDEN, STEPHANIE #MeToo, Circa 1978

  POETRYGUERRERO, ANALISE Identical

  FICTIONGUZMAN, GIANNY Darkness and Dolls

  POETRYHARRIS, NYLAH Hear My Voice

  FICTIONHASKELL, STEPHANIE Abnorminials

  MEMOIRHE, LILY What Happened to a Little Chinese Girl One Morning

  POETRYHEILIGMAN, DEBORAH Ashes of Hope: A Prayer

  POETRYHERMAN-DURICA, AIMEE Dear Universe (A Manifesto)

  POETRYHERNANDEZ, RUBIT Silent Chaos

  MEMOIRHESSE, LAUREN On Funerals

  FICTIONHOBY, HERMIONE Excerpt from book in progress

  JOURNALISMHYMOWITZ, CAROL Betting on Teens in the Trump Era

  MEMOIRJACOBS, KATE I Could Never Love Anyone as I Love My Sisters

  JOURNALISMJAGIRDAR, WAEZA Equality Begins with Changing Education

  POETRYJAMES, SARANE Generation Futureproof

  POETRYJEFFREY, BIANCA We Want You!

  MEMOIRJENKINS, ZARIAH My Female Superheroes

  MEMOIRKHANOM, FAIZA My Nani

  MEMOIRKLEIN, LINDA KAY The Middle of Nowhere

  MEMOIRKLIMOSKI, ALEXANDREA Saturn Returns

  FICTIONKONG, WINNIE Dissolving the Spectrum

  MEMOIRKOSTER, ELIZABETH Photo Montage

  MEMOIRLECLAIR, CATHERINE Blender Night

  JOURNALISMLEWIS, DIAMOND Hating on The Hate U Give

  JOURNALISMLOZADA, JADE On Being America

  POETRYLY, OUMOU A Stranger

  JOURNALISMMcARDLE, MOLLY Joy Girls in Salzburg

  POETRYMcKAY, CIARA Sisters

  POETRYMISHKIN, JAIME Blessings

  FICTIONMOJICA, NATALIE Self-Conscience

  MEMOIRMORALES, BETSY Generation F: The FIGHT IS ON

  MEMOIRMOREL, ANGELY An Everlasting Bond

  JOURNALISMMORGAN, AMINA It All Started with . . .

  POETRYMORRIS, EMILY Girls’ Trip Sestina

  FICTIONMUKHTAR, AMINA Untitled (Cheating Man)

  POETRYMULLEY, KATE I Lie Here

  MEMOIRNARANJO, MILENA 61 Years Apart

  MEMOIRNAZAIRE, SARADINE Tomorrow

  POETRYNELSON, LIVIA We Can Do Better

  JOURNALISMNESBAT, HANNAH The Personalities Are Political

  POETRYO’BRIEN, CYNTHIA-MARIE Lunchtime by the Bay

  MEMOIROKUNUBI, FAITH Faith

  POETRYOTTAWAY, AMANDA To the Catcaller

  FICTIONPALERMO, GABI 10 Years Later

  MEMOIRPALUMBO, NIKKI Moms: A Study

  POETRYPANTALEON, LESLIE Flight Departure

  MEMOIRPARISEAU, LESLIE Ghost Geography

  POETRYPARKER, RIA Invalid Address

  FICTIONPARTAP, REBECCA Harbinger

  POETRYPASSANANTI, JESSIE We meet again

  MEMOIRPERSAUD, SABRINA Fighting for My Full Self

  MEMOIRPIERCE, AMIRA New Year, New Orleans (an excerpt from “The Other Guy Won”)

  POETRYPITT, ISIS Becoming Cinnamon

  POETRYPRESENT, EMILY Colored Death

  POETRYQUINTERO, STEPHANIE August

  MEMOIRRAGHURAM, NANDITA Foreigner’s Tax

  MEMOIRRAITA, RAIBENA Lockdown

  MEMOIRRAMIREZ, SARAH An Anxious Child of God

  POETRYREESE, LYNDSEY Anxiety

  MEMOIRREYES, PILAR My Grandmother’s First Period

  FICTIONRINALDI, EMILY The Burgundy & Gold Stitched Chair

  POETRYROWE, JENNIFER For that girl

  POETRYROY, ELIZABETH silence

  FICTIONRUBIN, JULIA LYNN Mother

  POETRYSALEH, DALEELAH The New National Anthem

  MEMOIRSANTOS, MARIFER Between Worlds

  FICTIONSCHEINER, KATHLEEN The Quarry

  MEMOIRSCHMIT, CAROLYN TO honour your roots

  JOURNALISMSCHNEIDER, ASHLEY From Kindergarten to Generation F

  MEMOIRSCHWIEGERSHAUSEN, ERICA Be Safe

  MEMOIRSERLIN, JAMIE Ode to an aspiring author . . .

  POETRYSHICKMANTER, MARGO Orbit

  POETRYSHOPE, RACHEL From Ellis Island

  MEMOIRSLON, MAEVE Snow That Grows

  JOURNALISMSPENCER, LAUREN Two Sides to Every Story

  FICTIONSTEIN, JASMINE Red

  MEMOIRSTITES, LENNA Uses for Chewing Gum

  MEMOIRSTRICKLAND, HEATHER Faux Feminist

  FICTIONTARANNUM, TASNIM The Tale of the Wind Chimes and the Disgruntled Demoness

  MEMOIRTAYLOR, JANIAH Anxiety’s Wildest Dreams

  POETRYTHOMAS, ELIZABETH Daylight Saving

  POETRYTIGHE, MARYELLEN A Collection

  MEMOIRULU, NNEKA A Contemplation of Love

  FICTIONWALKER, LILY Fake (an excerpt)

  POETRYWEISS, JULIA Course

  FICTIONWHELAN, MARIA Refraction

  POETRYWILLIAMS, SHANAI Point A to Z; a map of me

  POETRYWILLIG, ROBIN Poetic Forms and Dance Steps: A Sonnet

  FICTIONWOOD, ALIKAY The Proper Way to Shatter a Girl

  POETRYYANG, KAITLYN Raindrops and Coffee

  MEMOIRZHANG, EN YU The Sky over Our Heads

  FICTIONZHENG, MIN Found You

  MEMOIRZIMMERMAN, AMY memory exercise

  MEMOIRZOLADZ, LINDSAY 85 White Street

  Introduction

  SAMHITA MUKHOPADHYAY

  Photo Credit: Michael Creagh

  In the fall of 2017, I had the privilege of speaking with you—this year’s class of mentees from Girls Write Now, and the authors in this anthology. You were bright and rigorous. As I spoke of my journey to becoming a writer and the obstacles I overcame—familial pressure, going broke, stereotypes, and fear—you nodded, recognizing your own journey in mine. It was an honor to speak to you, and after the event, several of you asked me how I got the courage to do what I do. Like me, many of you experience pressure to conform to certain ways of being, whether from your families or from the people around you. Use the art of writing to figure out who you really are—and use the support of the extraordinary mentors at Girls Write Now to take all the creativ
e risks you can.

  Shyness. Fear. Shame. Humiliation. Sadness. Ridicule. Social pressure. These are all feelings that stop women from writing, especially young women. Generations of women have held back their real feelings and experiences for fear of what could happen should they speak their truths both large and small. Women’s interiority has historically been obscured by society’s expectations about what it means to be a woman.

  Not anymore. You are Generation F—the latest generation of girls using words to speak truth to power, share your experiences, and change the world. After the 2016 election, there was a sea of change across the world: We saw some of the largest public demonstrations in history and they comprised women, mothers and their daughters, daughters and their grandmothers, sisters, wives.

  The marches were multigenerational, but it is the young women, the girls, who are carrying the torch. Generation F—perhaps F for “fuck” or “feminism” or “future”—you are asking the difficult questions that are leading movements to fight against gun violence, sexual assault, and police brutality.

  What a time to be alive. You are navigating what it means to have the most freedom of any generation before you while also recognizing that sexism, racism, and other -isms still hold hostage your sense of self and your futures.

  These confusing times call for self-reflection, and for sharing, and there is no better way to do that than through the written word. Girls Write Now is revolutionary in confronting the reality that women’s voices are often overlooked, forgotten—or, worse, silenced. While the writing industry can continue to feel like an ivory tower, Girls Write Now creates space for diverse girls to workshop ideas, and by being a part of this organization, you are able to tell your stories.

  So what happens when you find the space to express your inner lives? Fabulous transformation. It is through the telling of our stories that change happens, that our existence is written and our lives begin to matter to forces bigger than ourselves.

  I’m beyond excited and privileged to introduce this ground-breaking collection of voices in Generation F: The Girls Write Now 2018 Anthology.

  SAMHITA MUKHOPADHYAY is currently the executive editor at Teen Vogue. She is the coeditor of Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance and Revolution in Trump’s America and the author of Outdated: Why Dating Is Ruining Your Love Life.

  RACHEL ABEBE

  YEARS AS MENTEE: 1

  GRADE: Junior

  HIGH SCHOOL: High School of American Studies

  BORN: Bronx, NY

  LIVES: Bronx, NY

  MENTEE’S ANECDOTE: Working with my mentor has been such a great experience not only because we get a lot of work done, but because our meetings truly inspire me to write more. We have explored new genres and forms, and it makes me feel very lucky to be in a community where creativity is celebrated.

  MARYELLEN TIGHE

  YEARS AS MENTOR: 3

  OCCUPATION: Assistant Editor, Debtwire Municipals

  BORN: Council Bluffs, IA

  LIVES: New York, NY

  MENTOR’S ANECDOTE: So much of Rachel’s work is inspired by, or written for, people she knows and loves, which is inspiring in its vulnerability. Writing with her reminds me how important my friends and family are and how much they have shaped me. I am glad she feels so connected to her community, and I cannot wait to watch her build on that foundation and continue to excel.

  Tribe

  RACHEL ABEBE

  This piece is about friendship—specifically, the power of female friendship.

  Singing through the halls and dancing in the rain

  Navigating through uneven terrain

  Having them makes you feel a little more sane

  Painting eyes and tying laces

  Giggling loud and pulling faces

  All the things that friendship encases

  When you are with them

  You will always feel the sun

  Because a girl in the arms of friends

  Is a girl who has won

  A Collection

  MARYELLEN TIGHE

  Rachel and I were discussing how much we appreciate our female friends, and we had a goal of writing more poetry this year, so this is how these two ideas came together for me.

  From skinned knees to class

  from soccer to grad school and

  weddings, growing up.

  Promise to never

  play “Jai Ho!” again. Though, I

  miss the dinosaurs.

  Have you considered

  watching The Golden Compass

  while in Baltimore?

  Hurricane-zone life:

  sun, beaches, cruise, everglades,

  evacuations.

  Science fiction and

  writing. The formation of

  the first planets, stars.

  Starting with bikes to

  origami, hikes. Sharing

  stories, patterns, time.

  JISELLE ABRAHAM

  YEARS AS MENTEE: 4

  GRADE: Senior

  HIGH SCHOOL: Edward R. Murrow High School

  BORN: Queens, NY

  LIVES: Brooklyn, NY

  MENTEE’S ANECDOTE: For the past four years, Girls Write Now provided me with a community of girls like me to share our feelings. Even if I didn’t share at workshops, it was good to hear what goes on in other people’s heads when they write. Thanks to Girls Write Now, I have a different perspective, and I have learned that every writing genre is a different outlet that can help express other sides of me. I want to thank the Girls Write Now community and my mentor for helping me move forward with writing. It will always be a part of me everywhere I go.

  HEATHER STRICKLAND

  YEARS AS MENTOR: 4

  OCCUPATION: Senior Manager Internal Communications, American Express

  BORN: Philadelphia, PA

  LIVES: Brooklyn, NY

  MENTOR’S ANECDOTE: Over the last four years, I have watched Jiselle grow tremendously, from a quiet, shy girl to a strong, opinionated woman. In turn, Jiselle has challenged me to explore new genres and always asks me how my writing is going, reminding me to put words on the page. We have become especially close this last year, opening up to each other and sharing personal stories to strengthen our bond. The Park Slope Starbucks (our regular meeting spot) will always have a special place in my heart, as will Jiselle. I am so excited to see what the future holds for her!

  White and Blue / Outta Luck

  JISELLE ABRAHAM

  I wanted my final anthology pieces to illustrate the feelings that people of color might feel. Everybody’s experience is different, but we all have a universal understanding of what it can be like.

  White and Blue

  Simple in blue

  Plain in white

  Living in my world

  Is a brownish delight

  I can see your eyes

  Judge my fate

  Based on my skin

  And based on your hate.

  Heavy in power

  Low in fear

  You think my world

  Is too much to bear

  That’s where you’re wrong

  And that’s ok

  How can you feel a statue

  When it says “Do Not Touch”

  In the display?

  I cope with my problems

  I live on strong

  I live my life with passion

  And in faith too

  Your life may be pearls and diamonds

  But mine is ruled by White

  And scared of Blue.

  Outta Luck

  I had so much patience for you

  I let you back in

  And that’s the stupidest

  I’ve ever been

  I should’ve just stopped

  I should’ve just listened

  To the blocked-out voices that told me

  You were no good

  I never thought that you could do this to me

  How stupid could I be?

 
I was too busy

  Blocking out the voices

  When it should’ve been you

  I asked you

  What I was to you, and you said

  you didn’t know.

  Six months for an

  i don’t know.

  I waited six months to hear that none of it existed

  That I just pictured

  All the kissing

  All the missing

  You’ve got to be fucking kidding

  You dragged me

  All this way

  To tell me I didn’t matter

  And in that moment

  My whole body shattered

  But you didn’t give a fuck

  And if I had a buck for every fuck you gave

  I’d be outta luck

  Faux Feminist

  HEATHER STRICKLAND

  Generation F means the power to be fierce. The power to be strong enough to publish something that makes me feel vulnerable and points to an example of the faux feminism we deal with daily.

  My rapist is a feminist.

  He went to the Women’s March on Washington one year after we broke up—a year after he raped me. There were pictures of him, smiling, happy pictures. Pictures with captions calling for equal rights.

  A sign behind him read “My body, my choice.”

  I wonder if he remembers how, the night we met, he walked me home, even though it was right around the corner. I thought it was sweet that he wanted to spend that extra forty-seven seconds with me. At the door to my apartment, he asked to use the bathroom.

  Even though it took me longer to unlock my door than it would have taken for him to walk back to the bar in the first place, I let him inside.

  He asked if he could stay the night. I told him I wouldn’t sleep with him.

  “That’s okay,” he’d said. “I just want to lie down next to you. I just want to cuddle.”

  I wonder if everyone’s definition of cuddling includes repeated attempts to remove my pants.

  I wonder if I should have paid more attention to that. I wonder if paying more attention would have kept all of this from happening in the first place.

  My rapist is a feminist. He posts links calling out television shows with all-male creative teams, telling them to “do better,” calling for a boycott of the Hollywood professionals who aren’t treating women with the respect they deserve.

 

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