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New book has teens telling it like it
is
By Shannon O'Brien
Wellesley Townsman - January 24, 2001
Perhaps you are no longer a teenager. Chances are,
though, you still can remember those thin-skinned years as a teen
- feeling insecure, needing love and support and wanting nothing more
than a listener to understand your troubles.
Since 1989, the
magazine Teen Ink has been that listening ear for millions of teenagers
across the country. Teen Ink, a magazine written by teenagers, for
teenagers, is a forum for teens to share their feelings with
others.
The feelings, stories, poetry and art that have filled
the pages of Teen Ink magazines for eleven years, are now catalogued
into a book called Teen Ink: Our Voices, Our Visions. John and
Stephanie H. Meyer, the editors and publishers of the book, are also the
founders of The Young Authors Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports reading, writing and publishing opportunities for young
adults.
"Teens have so much to share," John Meyer said. "The
book proves this by presenting authentic, courageous and productive
voices. Each story helps to broaden the reader's perspectives by
introducing people's lives in a non-confrontational way."
The
Teen Ink book is compiled into nine sections - friends, fitting in,
love, challenges, family, heroes, loss, memories and creativity.
In the book's foreword, Beverly Beckham, Columnist for
the Boston Herald, says the book "brims with the stuff of everyday teen
life, the thoughts and worries and dreams and insecurities and fantasies
and hopes, not of someone looking back, but of someone looking forward."
The book includes three thoughtful pieces that touch
close to home for Wellesley residents, as three of the book's authors
are women who have a direct connection to Wellesley. Two of them
graduated from Wellesley College and the other graduated from Wellesley
High School.
Though these women submitted their work to
Teen Ink when they were teenagers, they still reflect upon the
experience today.
Jacqueline Savage recently recalled
her sophomore year at Wellesley High, when she first received a copy of
Teen Ink. "I remember it leaving an impression on me," Savage said. "This was the first publication I'd seen that was written entirely by people my own age. I wrote about a very meaningful relationship in my life, but
I remember feeling safe in expressing such personal emotions because it
seemed so many people my age were doing the same thing in this paper."
Savage's story, called "The Trees That Cried," was
the only piece she submitted to Teen Ink Magazine. Savage felt proud
and was pleasantly surprised when her work was accepted for publication.
Savage credits Teen Ink for giving her the confidence to go on to write
for her school's newspaper.
"Teen Ink fueled a lot of
the confidence I was able to gain in offering more intimate things to my
peers throughout high school and beyond," Savage said.
Savage now works with teens both through her work as head counselor at
her family's overnight camp and through her job as a social worker. She
said she is continually impressed with the strength and self-awareness
of so many of the teenagers she meets.
When
Savage received the call that her story was being published in the new
book, she was in her car, driving to deliver one of her final papers
towards her Masters degree. "This struck me as a great juxtaposition.
Being reminded of a much earlier, very important rite of passage while I
was on my way to entering another," she said.
Rosa
Rockmore Baier, a recent Wellesley College graduate, shares Savage's
enthusiasm about being published in the Teen Ink book. She recalled the impact
the magazine had on her when it was distributed around her high school,
Newton South.
"It was so exciting to have a forum to
express ourselves. The magazine was fun to read and very encouraging. It
was also a great way to get published and have our voices heard," she
said.
Rockmore Baier had five works published in Teen Ink. One of her short stories, called "See you Later," is now
published in the book.
For Teen Ink's three Wellesley
authors, life made it past the struggles of teenage years. Jacqueline
Savage received her MSW degree from Boston University in the spring of
2000. Rosa Rockmore Baier graduated from Wellesley College in December of
2000. Caroline Richards, who was unavailable to comment on her piece, "From
the Other Side of a Locked Door," graduated from Wellesley College in
1999.
These three women prove that being a teenager does
not last forever (even if it felt like it would at the
time.)
The book's editors take pride in the development
of Teen Ink from the magazine, to the companion Web site TeenInk.com to
the recent release of the book.
"Teen Ink is truly
ground-breaking," said John Meyer. "The book is especially unique
because it has been almost twelve years in the making."
In the book's introduction, the Meyers acknowledge that since 1989, Teen Ink
has received more than 300,000 submissions from 3,400 teenagers in 44
states and has published 25,000 pieces.
"As
parents, editors, magazine publishers and now book compilers, we have
been fortunate to have this unique insight into the lives of many
extraordinary teenagers. It is with great joy that we share these works
so that everyone can appreciate all that teens have to offer," the
Meyers said.
One hundred percent of the proceeds from
the sale of the book go to The Young Authors Foundation.
The Meyers hope that this will be an added incentive
for people to buy the book. "Our hope is that parents will not only buy
this book for their children, but will read it themselves," said John
Meyer. "The articles within the book are cross-generational because
they discuss the same types of issues that we deal with as adults. The
book's authors are open, honest and thoughtful, which, should urge adults to
value and respect them. If adults listen more, teens will share more."
If you know teens who would like to submit their work
for the on-line site, Teen Ink Magazine, or for future books, please
write to Teen Ink P.O. Box 30, Newton, MA 02461. You can also call
617-964-6800 or e-mail: editor@teenink.com
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About the Teen Ink book
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