Teen Voices

Teen Voices was a Boston-based journalism, mentoring, and leadership program for teenage girls, best known for publishing a youth-created magazine that addressed social justice, media representation, health, violence, education, and community activism. The organization operated at the intersection of youth development, feminist education, nonprofit media, and journalism training. Its central premise was that teenage girls should be treated not merely as consumers of commercial youth culture but as authors, editors, critical media readers, and participants in public life. The project began in 1988 as Women's Express, Inc., founded by Alison Amoroso and Christine Diamond. The founders believed that writing could help young women process their experiences, build confidence, and contribute to positive social change. They developed the idea of a quarterly publication through which teenage girls could investigate issues affecting their lives and express their views in their own words. The first issue of Teen Voices appeared in 1990 and included poetry and reporting on subjects such as date rape, violence prevention, and teen motherhood. In addition to publishing, the organization developed curricula and conducted workshops for schools, YWCAs, girls' detention facilities, and other community settings. Teen Voices differentiated itself from mainstream teen magazines that relied heavily on celebrity, fashion, beauty, and dating content. Its editorial approach emphasized girls' own experiences, resilience, creativity, and civic engagement. The magazine's tagline, "You're more than a pretty face," summarized its opposition to narrow and sexualized portrayals of young women. Regular features included media criticism, profiles of young activists, and peer-oriented advice. Contributors aged 13 to 19 could submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction, artwork, reviews, and other work, and the publication accepted material from girls internationally. The organization expanded its reach through local programming. Bay Area Teen Voices operated in San Francisco from 1996 to 2003, producing zines, hosting events, and contributing features to the main magazine. Its work with the Solutions Group at San Francisco Juvenile Hall led to the "Girls in the Hall" exhibition, which presented poetry, essays, photography, and audio recordings by girls involved in the juvenile justice system. The project sought to draw attention to the experiences of predominantly Black and Latinx girls in the city's justice pipeline. In 1999, Teen Voices added an online magazine, extending its work beyond print. After moving to a new downtown Boston headquarters in 2003, the organization continued to develop programming for Boston-area girls while building an international audience. At its peak, the publication reported approximately 45,000 print readers in more than 200 countries and more than six million annual page views. Its events included Poetically Speaking, an annual spoken-word program for teenage girls in Greater Boston, held at Emerson College from 2009 through 2012. Teen Voices ceased organizational operations in 2012 because of financial difficulties. The Teen Voice legacy nevertheless continued online through Women's eNews, which published material by and about teenage girls for several additional years. In 2021, former staff members launched the Teen Voices Legacy Project to preserve the organization's history, including its magazines, organizational records, and oral histories from participants. The collection was intended for deposit at the Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. Teen Voices therefore survives primarily as an archival, educational, and cultural legacy rather than as an operating publication or youth program.

Teen Voices originated in Boston in 1988 under the name Women's Express, Inc. Alison Amoroso and Christine Diamond established the organization around the belief that writing could help young women understand their experiences, develop confidence, and participate in social change. Their proposed quarterly magazine was designed as an alternative to mainstream teen publications, giving girls space to explore personal and political concerns and to practice leadership through media production. The first issue of Teen Voices was published in 1990. It combined creative work and reporting by teenage girls, with early subjects including poetry, date rape, violence prevention, and teen motherhood. The organization did more than solicit manuscripts: it created workshops and educational materials for schools, YWCAs, girls' detention facilities, and other youth-serving programs. These activities made Teen Voices both a publication and a developmental program in which participants learned reporting, writing, editing, critical media analysis, and public communication. The magazine's editorial identity was explicitly feminist and oriented toward social justice. Its tagline, "You're more than a pretty face," rejected the beauty-centered and heavily commercial model common in youth publishing. Teen Voices encouraged girls to examine how advertising and popular culture shaped ideas about gender, race, sexuality, and identity. Its pages emphasized achievement, resilience, activism, and lived experience, while seeking a more diverse and substantive representation of teenage girls. A San Francisco sister chapter, Bay Area Teen Voices, operated from 1996 to 2003. It produced local zines, organized events, and supplied material to the main magazine. One notable project was a two-year collaboration with the Solutions Group at San Francisco Juvenile Hall. The resulting "Girls in the Hall" exhibition used poetry, essays, photographs, and audio recordings by detained girls to increase public awareness of the circumstances facing predominantly Black and Latinx girls in San Francisco's juvenile justice system. Teen Voices added an online magazine in 1999. The digital presence broadened access to its work and supported the organization's goal of connecting girls across geographic boundaries. In 2003, the original Boston program moved to a downtown headquarters. During the following decade it expanded its Boston programming and developed a large international audience. At its height, the magazine had approximately 45,000 print readers in more than 200 countries and received over six million page views annually. The publication accepted submissions from girls aged 13 to 19 around the world. Eligible work included art, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, reviews, and journalism. Recurring features included "Say What?!," which analyzed mainstream media from feminist and social-justice perspectives; "Girl in Action," which profiled young leaders; and "Dear D," an advice feature in which Boston teenagers responded to peer letters with professional consultation on subjects such as sexual health, relationships, and bullying. Issues also addressed sex trafficking, college applications, online safety, bullying, sexting, teenage runaway experiences, child marriage, and other difficult topics. Interviews and profiles extended the magazine's scope beyond local youth affairs. The organization also developed a public performance tradition. Poetically Speaking, held annually and staged at Emerson College from 2009 through 2012, gave teenage girls a dedicated Greater Boston venue for spoken-word and poetry performances. Related anniversary and amplification events featured prominent speakers and performers, including Donna Brazile, Anna Deavere Smith, and Jean Kilbourne. Teen Voices ended its organizational operations in 2012, citing financial challenges. Women's eNews subsequently carried the legacy brand online for several years, continuing to publish work by and about teenage girls. In 2021, former staff members created the Teen Voices Legacy Project to preserve the organization's records and participant stories. The planned archival materials included the complete magazine collection, organizational files, and oral histories, with the Schlesinger Library at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute identified as the destination. The magazine is reported to have published 63 issues from 1990 through 2021 when its print and subsequent legacy activity are considered together. Teen Voices is now best understood as a defunct youth-media organization whose principal continuing significance is educational, feminist, archival, and cultural.

• 2021

  Teen Voices Legacy Project launched

  [1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  Former staff began preserving the organization's publications, records, and participant oral histories.

• 2012

  Operations end

  [1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  Teen Voices ceased operations because of financial difficulties.

• 2009

  Poetically Speaking moves to Emerson College

  [1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  The annual poetry and spoken-word event was held at Emerson College from 2009 through 2012.

• 2003

  Boston headquarters relocated downtown

  [1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  The Boston-based organization moved to a downtown headquarters and expanded its programming and readership during the following decade.

• 1999

  Online magazine launched

  [1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  Teen Voices extended its publishing activity to the internet.

• 1996

  Bay Area Teen Voices begins operating

  [1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  A San Francisco chapter began producing local zines, events, and magazine contributions.

• 1990

  First Teen Voices issue published

  [1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  The first magazine issue introduced a platform for teenage girls to publish creative work and reporting on serious social issues.

• 1988

  Organization founded as Women's Express

  [1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  Alison Amoroso and Christine Diamond founded Women's Express, Inc. in Boston as the organizational predecessor to Teen Voices.

A feminist, socially engaged youth-media and leadership platform that trained teenage girls in journalism while challenging commercial media stereotypes and encouraging civic participation.

• Youth magazine · 1990

  Teen Voices magazine

  The organization's principal print publication, created by and for teenage girls. It combined poetry, fiction, essays, reviews, interviews, media criticism, and reported features on social and economic justice. Rather than emphasizing celebrity, fashion, or dating advice, the magazine focused on girls' experiences, activism, safety, education, identity, and critical engagement with media. Contributors generally ranged from 13 to 19 years old, and submissions were accepted internationally.

• Digital youth media · 1999

  Teen Voices online magazine

  Launched in 1999, the online magazine extended Teen Voices' editorial mission beyond its print circulation. It provided a digital venue for material by and about teenage girls and helped the organization reach readers outside the United States. The online presence remained part of the brand's legacy after the original organization stopped operating.

• Youth development · 1988

  Journalism and leadership program

  Teen Voices paired publishing with intensive journalism, mentoring, and leadership development. Workshops and curricula were offered through schools, YWCAs, girls' detention facilities, and community programs. Participants developed writing and reporting skills while learning to interpret media critically and use storytelling to advocate for change.

• Youth arts event · 2009

  Poetically Speaking

  An annual spoken-word and poetry event that gave teenage girls in Greater Boston a dedicated platform to perform their work. From 2009 to 2012 it was held at Emerson College and was described as the area's only spoken-word and poetry event specifically for teen girls.

• 2021Teen Voices Legacy Project

  United States

  Former staff organized an archival initiative to gather the magazine collection, organizational documents, and oral histories from participants.

  Outcome. The materials were intended for preservation at the Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University.

  Source
• 2009Poetically Speaking

  Greater Boston

  Teen Voices hosted a recurring poetry and spoken-word program for teenage girls, with performances at Emerson College from 2009 through 2012.

  Outcome. The event provided a dedicated public performance venue for teen girls until the organization ended operations.

  Source
• 2003Girls in the Hall

  San Francisco

  Bay Area Teen Voices and the Solutions Group collaborated for two years on an exhibition featuring poetry, essays, photographs, and audio recordings by girls connected with San Francisco Juvenile Hall.

  Outcome. The exhibition at the Boys and Girls Club in the Mission District sought to increase public understanding of predominantly Black and Latinx girls' experiences in the juvenile justice pipeline.

  Source
• 1996Bay Area Teen Voices

  San Francisco Bay Area

  The sister chapter produced zines, organized public events, and contributed local reporting and creative work to Teen Voices magazine.

  Outcome. The chapter operated until 2003 and broadened the organization's community-based model beyond Boston.

  Source

• 2012

  Cease organizational operationsStrategy

  Background

  Teen Voices faced financial challenges after more than two decades of publishing and youth programming.

  Action taken

  The organization ended its operations while related online publishing continued for a period through Women's eNews.

  Aftermath

  The brand continued as a legacy in online youth media and was later subject to formal preservation efforts by former staff.

  Source

• 1999

  Expand Teen Voices to the webProduct launch

  Background

  The organization sought to extend a youth-created magazine beyond its print audience and connect girls across geographic boundaries.

  Action taken

  Teen Voices launched a supplementary online magazine at teenvoices.com.

  Aftermath

  The digital publication became part of the organization's broader international reach and later helped sustain its editorial legacy after the original organization closed.

  Source

• 2021

  Former staff establish the Teen Voices Legacy Project[1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Former staff members began an effort to collect and preserve the magazine's 24-year history, including publications, organizational files, and oral histories from participants.

• 2012

  Teen Voices ceases operations[1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy

  The Boston-based organization ended its operations after experiencing financial challenges. Its editorial legacy continued online for a period through Women's eNews.

• 1999

  Teen Voices launches an online magazine[1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The organization expanded its publishing model to the web, making its youth-created journalism available beyond its print readership.

• 1990

  Teen Voices begins publishing its magazine[1]Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The first issue followed the organization's founding as Women's Express and established a publication written by and for teenage girls on subjects including sexual violence, violence prevention, and teen motherhood.

1. 1Teen Voicesen.wikipedia.org