JP's Susan Manning Gives a Positive Voice to Teens
Five years ago, Susan Manning of Jamaica Plain started Positive Teens magazine as a dream. That dream, now on its 26th issue, not only gives voice to teen writers around the world, but also helps teens to understand themselves, others and the world around them. Positive Teens magazine is a first class, full-color bi-monthly magazine that is written by and about teens and young adults, ages 12 to 21. What a wonderful labor of love!
Each issue is filled with wonderful stories, poems, illustrations, photographs and columns. With mostly volunteers and a very small staff, Manning reads all submissions and publishes a well-rounded publication. I read the May/June issue from cover to cover. It has great articles, such as an exclusive interview with two survivors of Columbine, an article about Miss Teen USA, an article about celebrity role models, a page of poems and more.
The work is labor intensive, as any one in publishing knows. Beside reading each submission and deciding if and how it will fit into the publication, Manning must check the work for originality and get signed contracts. Then there is the supervision of the layout and graphics and printing. And always in the background is the work of maintaining subscriptions. Positive Teens is mailed worldwide and used by libraries, educators and youth groups.
Manning has also managed a yearly event for the past three years called Positive Teens Poetry Slam. The poetry slam, held at the Copley Branch of the Boston Public Library gives teens a chance to compete. This past April, the event also included a workshop with well-known poet Valerie Lawson, who also was the MC.
"The magazine is literary and educational," Manning says of her work. "I like to help young people who take the initiative to write about their lives and feelings. It is about creating role models and influencing peer groups in a positive way. Young people are our hope for the future of this world." It is inspiring to listen to Manning, as she truly gets excited about the wonderful work that is submitted and skillfully channels that excitement into helping teens get published.
Manning is a true youth advocate. She was a Big Sister for 10 years and a mentor for Promising Pay Program at the James P. Timilty Middle School for five years. She was also program coordinator for ScholarshipBuilder-Boston, a program of the Urban League & Merrill Lynch Foundation.
Janice Williams
The JP Bulletin
August 7, 2003
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