Joseph DiPasquale and Allison Poole never
expected the writing pieces they submitted to Teen Ink Magazine would be
published. Now they are included in the new book, Teen Ink: Our Voices,
Our Visions.
The book is a compilation of pieces
previously published over the past 11 years in Teen Ink Magazine , a
nonprofit monthly publication read by 3.5 million teens in schools
nationwide.
Both the book and the magazine are published
by the Young Authors Foundation, founded by Stephanie and John Meyer,
which is dedicated to expanding reading, writing and publishing
opportunities for young authors.
DiPasquale, a 1996
graduate of Staples High School in Westport, saw Teen Ink Magazine in his
high school library and decided to submit his essay, "Skating Paradise
Lost," during his senior year.
"I didn't ever assume
it would be put in their paper," he said.
The
essay discusses the loss of his father during his first week away from
home, while training for figure skating in Cape Cod with Eve Scotvold,
coach of Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie. He had to decide whether to
continue living in Cape Cod with his host family or return home to stay
with his mother and brother.
"It was something important
for me to write," he said. "I'm proud of it in a certain
way."
DiPasquale, who is now working as an Internet
consultant in New York City, said Teen Ink Magazine makes itself
accessible to teenagers by having a website, distributing copies
to schools and acting as a forum for teens to write about what's on
their minds.
"The fact that it's all written by teens
made me feel comfortable with submitting my own personal work," he
said.
Poole, a 1997 graduate of Bethel High School, wrote
an emotional poem, "Rain," about her grandmother's death while a freshman
in high school.
She first learned of Teen Ink Magazine in
English class where they would read and discuss pieces in the
magazine.
"We were encouraged to write our own stuff and
submit it," she said. "I sent it out and it
got published."
To choose which pieces to publish in the
book, Meyer reread and reevaluated over 10,000 pieces, then sent sample
chapters to almost 4000 high schools across the country to make the
ultimate decision.
"Basically we're looking for pieces
that will speak to teenagers, that capture something about the teen
experience," said Stephanie Meyer, editor of the magazine and
book.
The book contains stories, essays, poems and
photographs all by teenagers on such topics as friends, fitting in, love,
challenges, family, heroes, loss and memories.
"It's good
for teenagers to have an outlet," said Poole, "to know other teens out
there are writing and thinking the same stuff."
Meyer
agreed and said the book helps teenagers realize they're not
alone.
"I think it's wonderfully important for
teens because they often think they are the only ones going through a
certain experience," said Meyer.
Parents can also learn a
lot by reading the book.
"So many parts of the book speak
to parents, adults, and teachers," said Meyer. "They'll really see teens
in a different light as caring, thoughtful and honest. It will really blow
away the stereotypes we all deal with as adults."
Parents
can use the book as a springboard to discuss issues relevant to teenagers'
lives and to know what their child is learning and
feeling.
"It's good for parents in a lot of ways," says
Poole. "In my family it brought up a lot of discussion about
my grandmother."
Adults often perceive teens as being
rude, ambivalent and lazy, but Meyer wants to change that.
"Ever since I've had kids, I really have felt kids need more of a voice,
that they're not given a fair shake," she said. "These teens are just like
everyone else - decent, caring people."
Poole, who is now
teaching pre-school in Wilton, said people often hear more about the
negative things teenagers do, but Teen Ink Magazine is changing
that.
"It's nice to see this really positive product
coming out," she said. "The book is phenomenal. I love the book. After a
long day, I love to sit down and read it; it has great emotionally charged
stuff in it."
Teen Ink PO Box 30 Newton, MA 02461 (617) 964-6800 editor@teenink.com
Copyright 2008 by Teen Ink, The 21st Century and The Young Authors Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written
permission of the publisher: The Young Authors Foundation, Inc.
Teen Ink is a national teen magazine, book and website featuring
teen writing, information, art, photos, poetry, teen issues and more. All
articles are written by teen authors who are students at schools. The monthly
print magazine is appropriate for any teenager -- teenagers age 13 to 19
attending secondary school: junior high school, middle school and high school.
This publication is used by professional people including English teachers,
writing teachers, language arts instructors, journalism teachers, school
newspaper advisors, librarians, guidance counselors, K-12 principals in addition
to the PTA or PTO. Each issue of Teen Ink magazine contains a wide variety of
student work: we publish nonfiction, fiction, poems, community service, sports,
heroes, interviews, college essays, college reviews, book reviews, concert
reviews, movie reviews, music reviews, video reviews, video game reviews, the
environment, opinion, sports, pets, cars, automobiles, travel and culture, jobs
and money, health issues, artwork, photographs, cartoons, short stories, essays,
writing contests, a college directory and the website also has a bulletin board
and resources for teens and educators. Subjects include racism,
eating disorders, depression, death, suicide, family, relationships, jobs,
grandparents, violence, the college process, college information, colleges,
driving, self esteem, the arts, movies and more. Teen Ink is also a book series
published by HCI Teens. Subjects covered in the book include Friends, Fitting In,
Love, Challenges, Family, Heroes, Loss and Memories. Teen Ink was established in
1989 as The 21st Century magazine by The Young Authors Foundation, a nonprofit
organization. More than 25,000 teens have been published in the magazine and its
companion Poetry Journal. Teen Ink runs a London Summer Program for teenage writers.
