Westporter's photo receives recognition in book that benefits
talented youngsters
By Paula Kerr
The Herald News - January 11, 2001
Time after time, Andrew Raymond passed the antique
chest - its top a resting place for an inkwell and quill pen - without really
seeing it.
And then one day, in search of a still-life composition for an
intermediate photography class, the late afternoon light drew his eye to the
artful arrangement.
"I could tell that with black and white film, the
contrast would be good," he allows.
Just how good he had no idea. David
Allen, photography teacher at Westport High School, thought the photo was fine
enough to make Teen Ink Magazine and encouraged Raymond to send it
along.
He did, it did and now, three years later, the photo has gone on to
earn best of the best status, turning up in Teen Ink: Our Voice Our Visions, a
book written entirely by young folks.
It incorporates stories, poems,
essays and artwork culled from over 300,000 submissions over the past 11
years.
"It was the best picture I ever took," admits Raymond, now 21 and a
business management major at University of Massachusetts
Amherst.
However, that's about as far as the son of Ronald and Rosemary
Raymond of Westport will go when discussing his capabilities behind the lens and
in the darkroom.
Raymond says he was surprised when the photo was
published the first time, and even more surprised when it made the book. "I
figured they published everything they got," he says.
That brings a
chuckle from Stephanie Meyer, who, with husband John, are editor and publisher
respectively of Teen Ink Magazine.
She's in the middle of a second volume
of Teen Ink, barely has time to talk but, nevertheless, takes a few minutes to
explain the selection process.
Meyer reviewed everything published in Teen
Ink Magazine since 1989 and got the number down from 300,000 to 6,000, then 3,000
-- keeping track of everything in a database.
Eventually, she winnowed
the number to 300 pieces, which were sent out for evaluation by 3,400 teens in 44
states. One hundred pieces of writing, as well as 25 photos, made the
cut.
According to Julie Chen, assistant editor, the book's 350 pages
contain heartfelt and compelling personal essays, stories, poems art and
photography. Chapters include Friends, Family, Fitting In, Challenges, Heroes,
Loss, Memories, Love and Creativity.
"Teen Ink," she writes, "illustrates
the depth of teenage talent, emotion and imagination. The collection of prose and
poetry represents the honest and compelling moments that define their lives. The
stories are well-crafted and filled with feelings derived from real-life events -
emotions not of the surface but of the soul. These pieces will stick with
you..."
Raymond says having his photo published was a nice experience. "It
made me feel pretty good to see something I enjoyed doing get
recognition."
While he no longer does much in the way of photography - he
says it was an easier endeavor when he had the high school darkroom at his
disposal - he believes Teen Ink Magazine especially provides a good outlet for
younger folks. "It makes them feel good about themselves, and if they get
published they'll stick with it."
Teen Ink: Our Voices, Our Visions
sells for $12,95 and royalties benefit The Young Authors Foundation, a non-profit
organization established by the Meyers to publish Teen Ink Magazine and support
reading, writing and publishing opportunities for young adults.
The
non-profit monthly magazine is read by 3.5 million teens in 4,500 middle and high
schools nationwide. Meyer says about half of the schools subscribe, with the
foundation picking up the cost for the remainder.
Meanwhile, TeenInk.com,
the magazine's on-line companion, includes an archive of 12,000 teen works and
showcases a daily poem, photo, story, essay and more.
Those 12 to 19 are
eligible to submit works, and information about how to do that is contained on
the Web site.
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.
