Atlantic Canada teen magazine launching

A new quarterly magazine is being launched in Nova Scotia that is "teen-tested, teen-written and teen-approved". Teens have contributed short stories, poems and articles and have helped with its design. Judging by one test version, readers can expect a bit more than the beauty and dating tips that make up the bulk of teen magazines.

Teens Now Talk (TNT, get it?) is to come out in print form in December, although the the magazine’s website, www.teensnowtalk.com, has already been online for seven months, featuring poems, music and stories from more than 1,000 Atlantic Canadian teenagers, according to a story in the Chronicle Herald newspaper.

"(The teens) jumped in and they are learning a lot about what it means to put a magazine (together)," said Jessica Bowden, the magazine’s owner and publisher. The important thing is that the publication is written with the East Coast teenager in mind. "There are teen magazines from Toronto, but there’s nothing from here in Atlantic Canada," she said.

The magazine contains articles ranging from poetry and fiction to articles on environment, health care and buying your first car. There is also a fashion mall and events listings, fronted by an animated hipster named Tyrique (see above).

Ms. Bowden estimated that with the help of teachers at more than 50 Atlantic Canadian schools, about 3,000 teenagers have contributed to the magazine in some form.