Teen Voices

Last updated
Teen Voices
Teen Voices (magazine cover).jpg
EditorKathryn A. Wheeler [1]
Categories Feminism
Youth
FrequencyBiannual
Founded1988
Final issue2013 (print)
CompanyWomen Express
Country United States
Based inBoston
Language English
Website teenvoices.com
ISSN 1074-7494

Teen Voices was an intensive journalism, mentoring, and leadership program for teen girls in Boston, and published the first magazine in the United States with alternative content created by and for teenage girls. Its mission was to support and educate teen girls to amplify their voices and create social change through media. [2]

Contents

History

Teen Voices was founded in 1988 as Women's Express, Inc., by Alison Amoroso and Christine Diamond, two young women who believed in the power of writing to heal and create positive social change. [3] They conceived of a quarterly magazine as a platform for teen girls to explore their concerns, express their views, and develop confidence as feminist leaders. The founding members solicited writing from teen girls and educators across the country and provided curriculum and workshops to schools, YWCAs, girls’ detention facilities, and other community programs. The first issue was published in 1990 and included girls’ poetry and articles on date rape, violence prevention, and teen motherhood. [4] A supplementary online magazine launched at www.teenvoices.com in 1999.

A sister chapter called Bay Area Teen Voices (BATV) operated in San Francisco, California, from 1996 until 2003. BATV published features in Teen Voices magazine, in addition to creating zines and hosting events for local teens to present their work and engage in conversation. A signature effort was a two-year collaboration with the Solutions Group, based in San Francisco's Juvenile Hall, which created a month-long “Girls in the Hall” exhibit at the Boys and Girls Club in the Mission District, using girls’ poetry, essays, photos, and audio recordings to raise public awareness about the plight of the predominantly Black and Latinx girls in the city's juvenile justice pipeline. [5]

In 2003, the original Boston-based Teen Voices moved to a new downtown headquarters, where over the next decade, it expanded its international readership and programming for Boston-based girls. At its peak, Teen Voices had 45,000 print readers from more than 200 countries and received more than 6 million page views annually. [6]

In 2012, Teen Voices ceased operations due to financial challenges. [7] Women's eNews carried the Teen Voice legacy brand online, continuing to publish content by and about teen girls for several more years. [8]

In 2021, a group of former staff launched the Teen Voices Legacy Project to collect and preserve stories from Teen Voices 24-year history. A complete collection of the magazines, along with organizational files and the oral histories of dozens of participants will be available at the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. [9] [10]

Content

Teen Voices magazine, which published 63 issues from 1990 to 2021, focused on social justice issues and encouraged girls to become critical media consumers. It also encouraged teen girls around the world to speak out on issues, create positive and powerful media, and lead change in their communities. The magazine's tagline, “You’re more than a pretty face,” encapsulated its commitment to presenting the ideas and experiences of teen girls on their own terms. In contrast to advertisement-heavy mainstream publications that sexualized young women and promoted narrow standards of beauty, Teen Voices celebrated girls’ resilience and achievement, challenged mainstream cultural norms and media/advertising practices, and promoted girls’ activism on a range of social and economic justice issues.

Women's E-News reports that the teens who write for Teen Voices "gain journalism skills, while Teen Voices' readers receive a magazine that deals with serious societal issues--minus the celebrity profiles, fashion advice and dating tips common to most teen publications." [11] According to the non-profit's website, Teen Voices "challenges the status quo and changes the status of girls and young women by presenting a view of girls that is more positive, more in depth, more diverse, and more supportive than mainstream images." [12]

Teen Voices accepted submissions from teen girls around the world. Girls aged 13–19 could submit art, poetry, reviews, fiction and nonfiction content for possible publication. [13] The Spring/Summer 2010 issue of ‘’Teen Voices’’ contains cover stories on sex trafficking, writing college essays, bullying, and instructions on staying safe and professional online. [14] It includes interviews with photojournalist Scout Tufankjian, Twitter's Del Harvey, and actress Anna Deavere Smith. The Fall/Winter 2011 issue of ‘’Teen Voices’’ commemorated Teen Voices’ 20th year of print publishing. This issue contains articles on the dangers of sexting, teenage runaways, child marriage, and the art of henna design. [12] Popular recurring features included Say What?!, which offered critiques of mainstream media through a feminist and social justice lens, Girl in Action, which presented stories of unsung teen leaders globally, and Dear D, an advice column in which Boston teens (in consultation with relevant professionals) replied to letters submitted by peers on topics ranging from sexual health to relationships to bullying.

Annual event

Teen Voices hosted an annual event, Poetically Speaking, where teen girls performed their poetry. [15] From 2009 until 2012, the event was held at Emerson College and was the only spoken word and poetry event for teen girls in the Greater Boston Area. [16]

In 2011, the magazine celebrated “20 years of girls speaking truth to power.” Political powerhouse Donna Brazile gave the keynote speech and helped the organization celebrate its 20th year of print publication. [16] Actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith performed at the Amplify event held at Simmons College on April 14, 2010. [17] Author and filmmaker Jean Kilbourne gave the keynote speech at the 2009 event.

Teen Voices was published by Teen Voices, Inc.

See also

Related Research Articles

Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts.

<i>Seventeen</i> (American magazine) American magazine for teenagers

Seventeen is an American bimonthly teen magazine headquartered in New York City. The publication targets a demographic of 13-to-19-year-old females and is owned by Hearst Magazines. Established in 1944, the magazine originally aimed to inspire teen girls to become model workers and citizens. However, it soon shifted its focus to a more fashion- and romance-oriented approach while still emphasizing the importance of self-confidence in young women. Alongside its primary themes, Seventeen also reports the latest news about celebrities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urvashi Vaid</span> Indian-American LGBT rights activist, lawyer and writer (1958–2022)

Urvashi Vaid was an Indian-born American LGBT rights activist, lawyer, and writer. An expert in gender and sexuality law, she was a consultant in attaining specific goals of social justice. She held a series of roles at the National LGBTQ Task Force, serving as executive director from 1989-1992 — the first woman of color to lead a national gay-and-lesbian organization. She is the author of Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation (1995) and Irresistible Revolution: Confronting Race, Class and the Assumptions of LGBT Politics (2012).

Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities (1992) is a one-person play by Anna Deavere Smith, an African-American playwright, author, actress, and professor. It explores the Crown Heights riot and its aftermath through the viewpoints of African-American and Jewish people, mostly based in New York City, who were connected directly and indirectly to the riot.

Shameless is a Canadian magazine with a feminist and anti-oppressive practice perspective for girls and trans youth. It is published three times a year and also maintains a website featuring a blog, web stories and audio content. Shameless is a registered not-for-profit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anastasia Goodstein</span>

Anastasia Goodstein is the author of Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online, which was published March 20, 2007.

The sexuality of US adolescents includes their feelings, behaviors and development, and the place adolescent sexuality has in American society, including the response of the government, educators, parents, and other interested groups.

<i>Teen Ink</i> American magazine

Teen Ink is a monthly tabloid-format magazine which is marketed to, and written by, teenagers. It is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and published by StudentBridge. The magazine's name was originally The 21st Century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jabari Asim</span> American professor and writer (born 1962)

Jabari Asim is an American author, poet, playwright, and professor of writing, literature and publishing at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the former editor-in-chief of The Crisis magazine, a journal of politics, ideas and culture published by the NAACP and founded by historian and social activist W. E. B. Du Bois in 1910. In February 2019 he was named Emerson College's inaugural Elma Lewis '43 Distinguished Fellow in the Social Justice Center. In September 2022 he was named Emerson College Distinguished Professor of Multidisciplinary Letters.

Content creation is the act of producing and sharing information or media content for specific audiences, particularly in digital contexts. According to Dictionary.com, content refers to "something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing or any of various arts" for self-expression, distribution, marketing and/or publication. Content creation encompasses various activities including maintaining and updating web sites, blogging, article writing, photography, videography, online commentary, social media accounts, and editing and distribution of digital media. In a survey conducted by Pew, content creation was defined as "the material people contribute to the online world."

<i>Teen</i> (magazine) Defunct American teen and lifestyle magazine

Teen was an American teen and lifestyle magazine for teenage girls. The content of Teen included advice, entertainment news, quizzes, fashion, beauty, celebrity role models, and "real-girl stories". The magazine was published between 1954 and 2009.

Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. Riot grrrl is a subcultural movement that combines feminism, punk music, and politics. It is often associated with third-wave feminism, which is sometimes seen as having grown out of the riot grrrl movement and has recently been seen in fourth-wave feminist punk music that rose in the 2010s. The genre has also been described as coming out of indie rock, with the punk scene serving as an inspiration for a movement in which women could express anger, rage, and frustration, emotions considered socially acceptable for male songwriters but less common for women.

In 2011, the average number of televisions per household in the United States was 2.5 with 31% of Americans owning four or more televisions. Research shows that the average American watches over 4 hours of television each day. Leading television networks reach approximately 60% of television viewers in the United States per week on average. A study conducted in 2005 by the Kaiser Family Foundation determined that eight- to eighteen-year-olds spend on average six and a half hours a day with media in general. American teenagers alone spend 11.2 hours watching television a week according to another market research study conducted by Teen Research Unlimited. They also found that these teens listen to FM radio 10.1 hours per week, spend 3.1 hours playing video games per week, and surf online for a total of 16.7 hours per week. MTV is the favored television channel to watch among both boys and girls in America, averaging over six hours a week viewing it. Research also shows that on any day a teenager is exposed to over 200 cable television networks, 5,500 magazines, 10,500 radio stations, over 30 million websites, and over 122,000 recently published books. Multiple forms of media can be seen throughout society in almost every facet.

Rookie was an American online magazine for teenagers created by fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson. Rookie published art and writing from a wide variety of contributors, including journalists, celebrities, and the magazine's readers. The subject matter ranged from pop culture and fashion to adolescent social issues and feminism. Rookie's content was divided into monthly "issues", each built around a theme. It updated five days a week, three times a day: roughly just after school, at dinnertime, and "when it’s really late and you should be writing a paper but are Facebook stalking instead."

SHE Media is an American digital media company. It operates the website properties BlogHer, SheKnows, STYLECASTER, and HelloFlo. It has been a brand of Penske Media Corporation since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamila Woods</span> Musical artist

Jamila Woods is a Chicago-based American singer, songwriter and poet. Woods is a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and Brown University, where she received a BA in Africana Studies and Theater & Performance Studies. Her work focuses on themes of Black ancestry, Black feminism, and Black identity, with recurring emphases on self-love and the City of Chicago.

Lauren Marie Galley, is a multi-media spokesperson, author and entrepreneur.

Eva Maria Lewis is an American activist. From South Side, Chicago, she has led a number of local protests, including the July 11, 2016 youth march on Millennium Park to protest police brutality. She has also founded two organizations, The I Project and Youth for Black Lives.

Porsha Olayiwola is a Black American poet based in Boston, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurl.com</span> Former social networking website

Gurl.com was an American website for teenage girls that was online from 1996 to 2018. It was created by Rebecca Odes, Esther Drill, and Heather McDonald as a resource centered on teen advice, body image, female sexuality, and other teen-related concerns. First published as an online zine, it later expanded into an online community. At one point, it provided a free e-mail and web hosting service, known as Gurlmail and Gurlpages respectively.

References

  1. "About Teen Voices Staff". Teen Voices. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  2. "About us". Teen Voices. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  3. "Teen Voices". Catalogue For Philanthropy. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  4. "Two Magazines Deliver Teen Voices As They Really Sound". Women's eNews. 2002-04-05. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  5. ":: Girls in the Hall Project ::". www.jessamynlovell.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  6. "Women Express, Inc. – Teen Voices Online | Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies" . Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  7. Emily Sweeney (August 16, 2012). "Financial woes shutter Teen Voices". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  8. Gormley, Brian (December 3, 2009). "VCs Reach Out To Youth Entrepreneurs For Greater Good". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  9. "Tribute for Teen Voices Legacy Project - Help us share the Teen Voices legacy!". Tribute. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  10. 3RKhubAdmin (2021-12-20). "Teen Voices Legacy Project". BrooklineHub.com. Retrieved 2022-05-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. Lemberg, Jeff (April 5, 2002). "Two Magazines Deliver Teen Voices As They Really Sound". Women's eNews. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  12. 1 2 "Girl-Generated Media; Alternative Teen Girl Magazine". Teen Voices. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  13. "Teen Voices - How to Submit Work to Teen Voices". Fiction Writing. April 10, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  14. "Teen Voices: A Magazine For Girls, By Girls". i heart daily. November 1, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  15. Holland, Christian (January 22, 2009). "Obama Inspires Young Poets To Get Political". WBUR. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  16. 1 2 McMillon, Elaine (November 15, 2010). "Teen Voices presents "Poetically Speaking 2010" at Emerson's Bill Bordy Theater". Emerson College. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  17. "Tracked Down: Steve Pagliuca, Anna Deavere Smith, Stacey Lucchino & more..." Boston Herald. April 18, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2012.