Title: Teen Ink
Consulting Editor-In-Chief Katrin Ades
Teen Ink is now only published online, though it has existed in print since 1989.
August, 2021 is the most recent issue is
Interest Level: Teen Ink advertises itself for all teens but it has content that is designed to appeal specifically to older teens, such as the College Guide.
Genre/Format: Primarily a nonfiction magazine, but fiction and poetry can be found in its pages. Teen Ink now exists as an online magazine which you can download as a .pdf or read online, or schools and libraries can subscribe to the print edition.
Summary: The content of Teen Ink is completely created by teens. Each issue is filled with personal memoirs and essays, opinion pieces, fiction, poetry, artwork along with book, movie, TV, and game reviews. Although the editors are adults, everything they publish is work that teens have submitted to them. Their philosophy is, "that one of the greatest needs of young people is to preserve their sense of self-worth. Teen Ink's role is to listen to its contributors and provide a forum in which teens can express themselves through poetry, essays, stories, reviews, art and photography" (2021).
Critical Evaluation: The work Teen Ink publishes shows how thoughtful and sophisticated teens are. The goal of the magazine is to showcase teens' work, therefore it does not have a narrow focus on a particular subject. In the August issue, subjects ranged from molestation to travel to politics to back to school info and everything in between. The writing is high quality and it's only clear that a teen is the author when they mention their age or grade.
Creative Use for a Library Program: This magazine is a great inspiration for kids to create their own content and I would make sure our library has a print copy of Teen Ink on display. I would hold a monthly writing workshop for teens and encourage them to keep working on a piece (or pieces) for submission. This would be an ongoing program.
Potential Challenge Issues: I cannot foresee any challenges to Teen Ink because its content comes entirely from teens. I suppose a parent might not like it if a teen wrote about a sensitive topic, but life is not all rainbows and unicorns for kids and they need to be able to both express themselves and read about others in order to be productive, empathetic adults.
Speed-Round Table Talk: Teen Ink is a magazine created by teens for other teens to read. Check out what your peers are doing and then submit your own work. How great would it be to see your name in print?
Reason For Inclusion: Teen Ink belongs in the library because it offers a vital platform to young adults. It is a magazine that has content important to teens and it is also a place where teens can express themselves.
Artwork from page 57 of the August 2021 issue.
References
Pei, S., Eldridge, S., & Moon, S. (2021, August 1,). Artwork. Teen Ink, p. 57.
Teen Ink. (2021). Teen Ink FAQs. Teen Ink.
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