At Under the Madness Magazine, our #1 mission is to promote teen writing, but we understand how challenging it can be to push that SUBMIT button and risk rejection.
We are fortunate to not be alone in our drive to support teens as writers. We asked editors at a few of the country's most read teen literary magazines to share their advice. Here's what the editors at Blue Marble Review, Cast of Wonders, Flare Journal, The Jupiter Review, and Parallax had to say to the first of our three questions. (Find links to these magazines at the end of the round robin.) Stay tuned for future segments of this Round Robin.
Question 1: Why is teen publication important?
"Teen publication is important in essentially every context with which you look at it. From a literary perspective, basically any kind of diversity -- be that in background, style, etc. -- is positive and necessary in my opinion. From a social perspective, publishing teens gives us the opportunity to legitimize young voices which are often deemed as too "immature" or "undeveloped" to say anything "profound" or "meaningful." I'm currently at university studying to be a teacher, and one of the best things I've learned and internalized is that teens are SMART. Like, so many of them are actually like really really smart if you actually treat them like people and listen to them like you would adults. They deserve to be heard. Oh, and I would also acknowledge that from a personal perspective, getting published as a teen just feels good. And being a teenager sucks. So let's give all the good we can, lol."
--Ari Lohr, Editor-in-Chief, The Jupiter Review
"As a teen myself, the encouragement that publication brought me was so valuable in giving me the confidence to continue pursuing the arts. Teen publication, like you mentioned, is important to all of the groups it reaches–encouraging to teens, exposing readers to youth voices, and fostering the next generation of artists."
--Michelle Qiao, Flare Journal
"Before Rosa Parks made her brave stand against racism, there was Claudette Colvin--a15 year old girl who refused to yield her bus seat to a white person. Yet the average American will most likely recognize Parks and not know about Colvin.Teenagers are indeed important, but history tends to remember adults more. This is true even in literature and fiction. There are many excellent adult authors of young adult fiction, but they can't get to the young adult perspective as immediately as an actual teenager can. Not only that, but times are constantly changing. An adult author who remembers their teenage years in the 1990s doesn't know what it's like to be a teenager in the 21st century. Teenage authors can speak to the teens of their time."
--Andrew K Hoe, Assistant Editor, Cast of Wonders
"No one knows better what resonates with a teen audience than another teen. The voice that teen authors bring to their work is wholly authentic, centering the causes and ideas and emotions that matter most. Your truths are important, and should be heard alongside those of voices of all ages. They showcase the diversity of this generation, the potential, the heart, the ambition, and the generosity of the future you will make. We all have so much to learn from what is seen, felt,and known by young minds. You challenge all of us as you challenge yourselves."
--Katherine Inskip, Cast of Wonders
" There are so many lit journals!— having a publication for young writers holds a space for those new to writing, and welcomes more seasoned writers who want to continue to develop their skills. The online writing community is thriving, and it's inspiring to see young writers encouraging each other, and celebrating successes when publication happens.It's our hope that a young writers journal makes the whole writing/submitting process feel a little more 'local' and less intimidating. As a young writers publication we hope to be a place where writers can grow, experiment with technique and style, feel welcomed at whatever stage of writing they're at, as well as feel encouraged to continue on as literary citizens. Our mission is to support both teen readers and writers, and we're hopeful that a poem,essay, story, or piece of art will be a form of connection to a new way of thinking. We think teen publications accompany teens as they mature emotionally and intellectually, by promoting an expansiveness that enables readers/writers to make discoveries about themselves, as well as to see the world through the work of other writers. This need for connection through creativity is even more important in light of our many many months of COVID isolation."
--Molly Hill, Blue Marble Review
"Animated Robin Valentine" by Robin Hutton is marked with CC BY 2.0.
