Teen People

My favourite book about the internet is by the Canadian author Douglas Coupland. In his 2014 book, Kitten Clone: Inside Alcatel-Lucent, Coupland asks, “Where did the sense of invention go—the sense of futurity—the sense that by working in tech, you were somehow building a better tomorrow, a smarter tomorrow, a more democratic tomorrow?" Colette Shade begins her book, Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything (Essays on the Future That Never Was), in a period in which it was generally felt that by working in tech, you were somehow building a better tomorrow, a smarter tomorrow, and a more democratic tomorrow. (Plus ça change!) In Y2K, Colette asks, “What was the Y2K Era and why are we still living in its shadow?” Y2K's essays—on subjects as varied as blobby furniture and see-through consumer electronics; VOGUE magazine and disordered eating; and McMansions, Hummers and Starbucks—explore this question. We talk: 3:33 : "I want to write a book. What should I write about?" - Colette 4:04: Why 1998 was the best year of Colette's life 5:18: On being a kid in the '90s (Pokémon, riding your bike, watching TV) 6:00: The Dot-com Bubble in the 1990s 6:35: Netscape mentioned 6:55: "There was no understanding that [the internet] was a place where you could make a lot of money." - Colette 8:00: Colette's uncle got rich when his company was bought by Nokia 10:29: This meant that Colette went to college debt-free, without student loans 10:58: It's hard to write nonfiction about current events because you have to stop when it's time to publish, and current events keep happening. But Y2K feels timely, nonetheless. 13:27: The 90s/2000s purity culture is now repackaged as trad culture/retvrn culture 14:40: Colette wrote about taking a sex-positive sex ed class that contrasts from the typical way Americans learn sex ed; and, as Colette argues, played into the culture war now happening online and in real life 17:38: Colette says that the culture war is a proxy war 19:38: "The Christian right has a great enemy. It's gays! It's all those slutty women!" - Colette 20:25: This contrasts with her parents' worldview as secular liberals 22:12 "The people who want to ban books... that feels accessible to them, whereas gaining control of their economic conditions does not." - Colette 22:48: "Your body. My choice." 24:44: Donald Trump wants to make Canada the 51st state (wtf??) 25:41: 25% tariff 26:35 McMansions and Hummers as symbols of the post-9/11, pre-2008 bubble 27:40 "Americans don't always have the stomach" to think critically about their history - Colette 28:23: Colette on Greg Grandin's Pulitzer Prize-winning book The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America (2019) 29:35: Colette paraphrases Grandin's argument on the cause of the American Revolution, which gave Americans "a mandate for endless expansion" (sound familiar?) 33:15: Colette compares American expansion to the PlayStation game Katamari Damacy 35:04: America First 36:12: Cyberspace as a frontier 36:34: Early internet users saw themselves as Cyber Cowboys and settlers in "a place where they could be free," says Colette 37:55: Property ownership and the American Dream 39:00: The 2008 subprime mortgage crisis marked "a real break in American history," says Colette 40:45: The information superhighway 40:55: Olivia Rodrigo asks first dates whether they like Elon Musk 41:21: "The years start coming and they don't stop coming." - Smash Mouth 42:17: What advice would Colette give her teenage self? Buy Y2K: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/y2k-colette-shade Colette's website: http://www.coletteshade.com/ My website: https://www.annasoper.ca/ Music: The Sound of dial-up Internet by wtermini on Pixabay Spirit Blossom by RomanBelov on Pixabay Fighter [No Vocals] - punk rock by 22941069 on Pixabay ...... Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

Party like it's 1999... in 2025! How did TEEN PEOPLE magazine usher in the new millennium? Join me as I leaf through the December 1999/January 2000 issue of TEEN PEOPLE. ................ Find me on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod And online at www.annasoper.ca Music: Scottish Folk Song -Auld Lang Syne by Trygve Larsen on Pixabay ................ Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

Teen People is inspired by my collection of TEEN PEOPLE magazines. Published between 1998 and 2006, TEEN PEOPLE featured real teens in every magazine. Two decades on, I track down TEEN PEOPLE's real teens, and speak with authors delving into the late '90s and early 2000s. Join us! Last year, I interviewed Sarah Ditum, whose book, 'Toxic: Women, Fame and the Tabloid 2000s' explores noughties pop culture through a scathing reexamination of the lives of nine female celebrities; including Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Amy Winehouse. This summer, I interviewed Lisa Whittington-Hill. Her 2023 book, 'Girls, Interrupted: How Pop Culture is Failing Women' (Véhicule Press) is a frank and personal essay collection that challenges longstanding media portrayals of famous women. A fierce defender of Courtney Love, Lisa also celebrates Winona Ryder and Demi Moore; writing about gender bias in celebrity memoir coverage, problematic portrayals of middle-aged women and the sexist pressure on female pop stars to constantly reinvent themselves. Podcast notes: Buy 'Girls, Interrupted' in ebook or paperback formats: vehiculepress.com/shop/girls-inter…hittington-hill/ Find it at your local library: https://search.worldcat.org/title/1385447726 Check out my interview with Sarah Ditum: Part I https://soundcloud.com/teenpeoplepod/sarah-ditum-toxic Part II https://soundcloud.com/teenpeoplepod/sarah-ditum-toxic-teen-people Find me on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod And online at www.annasoper.ca Music and sounds: The Sound of dial-up Internet by wtermini on Pixabay Spirit Blossom by RomanBelov on Pixabay Lost Love Letters by @foglake ................ Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

Alonso Duralde joins me to talk about his new book, 'Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and Perseverance in Film'. Published in May 2024, 'Hollywood Pride' presents a history of film from the dawn of cinema to the "pansy craze" of the 1930s and the New Queer Cinema of the 1990s, all the way up to today. Illustrated with more than 175 colour and black-and-white images, 'Hollywood Pride' points to the bright future of LGBTQ+ representation in cinema, by revealing the story of the community's inclusion and erasure, its visibility and invisibility, and its triumphs and tragedies. ................ Time stamps: 4:00 I ask Alonso about the formative media that inspired his career in journalism 8:42 "Tell me about how your career has developed..." 9:00 Alonso has worked as a film festival programmer 11:00 Alonso tells me about his other books, including books on Christmas movies 11:19 I ask Alonso about his work with Turner Classic Movies (TCM) 14:52 Queer representation in film, especially in the 1990s (as in 'Mrs. Doubtfire'; 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', etc.) 17:41 "What's valuable about a book like this is that it's a reminder that [inclusion] didn't all just happen... they could take it all away real quick..." 18:47 Rock Hudson, Anthony Perkins and Tab Hunter's happy ending 20:38 Alonso on closeted famous Hollywood stars 21:27 Claudette Colbert and Marlene Dietrich ride an amusement park slide at a birthday party for Carole Lombard, as you do 22:00 The end of Pre-Code American cinema 24:08 Home media as a "Godsend" for access to LBGTQ+ films 27:14 'Brokeback Mountain' and the mid-2000s 32:42 Same-sex marriage in the US and Canada 37:00 Metrosexual culture in the 2000s: "guyliner", guys kissing, etc. 39:20 Reality TV and LGBTQ+ representation 41:06 Alonso tells me about interviewing Heath Ledger for The Advocate on a junket at the Toronto International Film Festival 45:14 "'Brokeback Mountain' is hardly Jane Austen, but it is [about] people living in a society that's being rather proscriptive about who you are allowed to love and not allowed..." 46:30 I put Alonso on the spot and ask him about his favourite film in 'Hollywood Pride' 48:50 "What advice would you give your teenage self today?" ................ Podcast notes: Thanks to Running Press for sending me a copy of Alonso's book! Buy it here: https://www.runningpress.com/titles/alonso-duralde/hollywood-pride/9780762485895/ Check out my interview with TCM host Dave Karger: https://soundcloud.com/teenpeoplepod/davekarger Find me on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod And online at www.annasoper.ca Music and sounds: The Sound of dial-up Internet by wtermini on Pixabay Spirit Blossom by RomanBelov on Pixabay ................ Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

The Columbine massacre of April 20, 1999, was the deadliest mass shooting at a K-12 school in US history, until it was surpassed by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012, and, later, the Uvalde school shooting in May 2022. It was the deadliest mass shooting at a high school in US history, until the Parkland high school shooting in February 2018. Ten of the twelve students killed at Columbine were in the school library, where the two perpetrators also ended their own lives. Twenty-one additional people were injured by gunshots, and gunfire was also exchanged with the police. Another three people were injured trying to escape. In their coverage of Columbine, TEEN PEOPLE magazine described earlier examples of mass shootings in the US. (Columbine was the fifth deadly school shooting in the previous two years.) They wrote, “This kind of thing seems to be happening more and more—and in the quiet little places where you'd least expect it: Pearl, Mississippi; Springfield, Oregon; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Paducah, Kentucky; and Conyers, Georgia." TEEN PEOPLE quoted a psychologist who had worked with mass shooting survivors. He said this incident would “put to rest the notion of being immune to this... Maybe that's a good thing,” he said, “because now we can get down to answers.” In this episode of Teen People, I read excerpts of survivors' stories from the August 1999 issue of TEEN PEOPLE. Podcast notes: Find my interview with TEEN PEOPLE Trendspotter Padraic Maroney, who spoke with me about Columbine's after-effects: https://soundcloud.com/teenpeoplepod/padraic Credits: "A school under siege" by Tod Olson and John DiConsiglio, TEEN PEOPLE, August 1999. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre. President Clinton's Remarks Regarding Columbine HS Shooting (1999) courtesy; William J. Clinton Presidential Library. Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

TCM host Dave Karger joins me to speak about his new book, 50 OSCAR NIGHTS! Featuring Dave's original interviews with Hollywood legends like Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, and Martin Scorsese, 50 OSCAR NIGHTS is the perfect gift for cinephiles. Dave started his career as an entertainment journalist, writing for ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, and freelancing for TEEN PEOPLE. He spoke with me about interviewing Britney Spears and LFO, as well as his favourite Academy Awards moments! ................ Podcast notes: Thanks to Running Press for sending me a copy of Dave's book! Buy it here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dave-karger/50-oscar-nights/9780762486328/?lens=running-press Find me on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod And online at www.annasoper.ca Music and sounds: The Sound of dial-up Internet by wtermini on Pixabay Spirit Blossom by RomanBelov on Pixabay Poor, But Happy by HoliznaCC0 CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ ................ Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

In part two of a two-part interview, I speak with Sarah Ditum about her new book, TOXIC. It's a scathing reexamination of the lives of nine female celebrities: Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Kim Kardashian, Chyna, and Jennifer Aniston. Each experienced some form of global fame, as well as the consequences that come with too much attention. In this episode, Sarah and I leaf through my collection of TEEN PEOPLE magazines! You'll hear her hot takes on how TEEN PEOPLE covered Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Aaliyah, Jennifer Aniston, and Lindsay Lohan. Plus: Sarah's thoughts on a topic she's been thinking about (and writing about) for some time. Notes: Find me online at www.annasoper.ca and on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod. Find Sarah online on Twitter and Instagram at sarahditum. ................ Buy Sarah's book! Here's how: UK: www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/sarah-d…9780349727134/ North America: www.abramsbooks.com/product/toxic_9781419763113/ ................ Author photo: Paul Clarke ................ Additional thanks: Stephanie Palumbo at Canadian Manda Group, Toronto ................ Music: Drop It by Coma-Media on Pixabay Fighter [No Vocals] - punk rock by 22941069 on Pixabay ................ Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

In part one of a two-part interview, I speak with Sarah Ditum about her new book, TOXIC. It's a scathing reexamination of the lives of nine female celebrities: Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Kim Kardashian, Chyna, and Jennifer Aniston. Each experienced some form of global fame, as well as the consequences that come with too much attention. In TOXIC, Sarah writes, "…tearing these women to pieces was both a social activity and a form of divination. In the entrails of their reputations, we hunted for clues about what a woman ought to be…" We talk: teen magazines, blogs, promise rings, sex tapes, and Britney Spears' "cult of virginity", celebrity memoirs, Justin Timberlake's homemade shotgun, why Taylor Swift reminds me of Avril Lavigne, and what Donald Trump owes to WWE. Notes: Find me online at www.annasoper.ca and on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod. Find Sarah online on Twitter and Instagram at sarahditum. ................ Buy Sarah's book! Here's how: UK: https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/sarah-ditum/toxic/9780349727134/ North America: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/toxic_9781419763113/ ................ Author photo: Paul Clarke ................ Additional thanks: Stephanie Palumbo at Canadian Manda Group, Toronto ................ Sounds and music: The Sound of dial-up Internet by wtermini on Pixabay Drop It by Coma-Media on Pixabay Fighter [No Vocals] - punk rock by 22941069 on Pixabay ................ Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

Resi Ibañez is a poet, public historian, and community organizer in Lowell, Massachusetts. We connected on Instagram, when they sent me a DM asking if I could track down a TEEN PEOPLE article they remembered reading in the mid-2000s. With a few keywords and a rough idea of the timing, I searched a periodicals database I use to find guests for this podcast. I found three possible articles for Resi, and it turns out that one of these three is probably the article they remembered reading as a teenager! The article is an "it-happened-to-me" kind of story; a staple of the teen magazine genre. It featured a teenager who had come out to her friends and family. For a few reasons (which we explore in this interview), the article resonated with Resi. Resi is now working on a book-length project about LGBTQ icons of their young adult years. We spoke about this project and how the TEEN PEOPLE article influenced them, and also about their mother's powerful legacy. Podcast notes: Find me online at www.annasoper.ca and on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod. ................ Sounds and music: The Sound of dial-up Internet by wtermini on Pixabay Spirit Blossom by RomanBelov on Pixabay ................ Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

As a teen, James Frankie Thomas modelled a prom dress and smooch-proof makeup in a 2004 issue of TEEN PEOPLE magazine. Now, he's the author of a compelling novel, IDLEWILD, published by The Overlook Press. James spoke with me about crafting this novel at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and how he navigated the highs and lows of getting a book into the world. Plus: find out why James jokes that he and Elliot Page are like "two ships in the night", and why it's hard to read (and write) about big events like 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Podcast notes: James' book list: The Family Chao, by Lan Samantha Chang Eighty-sixed, by David B. Feinberg (not to be confused with 86'd, by Dan Fante) A Dream of a Woman, by Casey Plett Detransition, Baby, by Torrey Peters Darryl, by Jackie Ess Nevada, by Imogen Binnie I'm Supposed to Protect You from All This: A Memoir, by Nadja Spiegelman All This Could Be Different, by Sarah Thankam Mathews This Other Eden, by Paul Harding Pageboy: A Memoir, by Elliot Page Music: Franz Joseph Haydn, 'The Heavens Are Telling' (The Creation), St. Matthew's Choir, 2010. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Frédéric Chopin, ‘Berceuse Op. 57', Christine Hartley-Troskie. CC BY 2.5 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5), via Wikimedia Commons. Thanks to Stephanie Palumbo, Christian Westermann, and Andrew Gibeley at Abrams Books for sending me a review copy of IDLEWILD and securing permissions to excerpt IDLEWILD in this episode! Buy IDLEWILD here: www.abramsbooks.com/product/idlewil…_9781419769146/. Like this episode? Please leave a rating or review! Find James on Twitter at james_f_thomas and online at www.jamesfrankiethomas.com. Find me on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod and online at www.annasoper.ca. Advocacy resources related to banned and challenged books from the American Library Association and Ontario Library Association: www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks www.freedomtoread.ca Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

When Teen People magazine sent Nadia Ahmad on a shopping spree in 1998, she didn't feel cool enough to model makeup! Plus, she had just started wearing a hijab, and the 18-year-old wasn't sure how to reconcile her femininity within the norms of a teen magazine. Today, Nadia is an Associate Professor of Law at Barry University in Florida. She completed her law degree at the University of Florida; where she served as executive editor of the Florida Journal of International Law, and wrote about women's property rights in post-partition South Asia. You'll hear about her shopping trip in this episode and, of course, what she's up to now, 25 years later. Time stamps: 00:01 Random fighter jet flyby 05:45 "I remember growing up and hearing the sound of the newspaper hit the driveway, and being really excited..." 07:56 "I felt I wasn't cool enough to write about makeup!" 10:04 Nadia describes her shopping spree for Teen People, where she bought products from Lancôme, Kiehl's and The Body Shop. 12:30 "You'll find more Muslim women in the malls than you will in the mosque." 16:31 Nadia began to wear a hijab to honour her grandmother 17:50 - 23:18 Hijab as a political symbol; a "contra-modern" form of feminism 27:20 Working as a freelance journalist 28:34 Nadia shifts from journalism to law 30:33 Nadia's Berkeley landlord was Lakireddy Bali Reddy, who was later convicted of human trafficking and sex offences 35:02 Nadia was interviewed for a news program but YouTubers called her out for *checks notes* wearing lipstick during her interview 36:08 Meghan and Harry's NYC car chase and whether Meghan was *checks notes* smiling in the paparazzi photos 38:06 The idea of going to school and teaching is so simple: but it's both contested and sad, and Nadia feels like she has to build armour to get through 38:29 "It would be very hard for me to even exist in certain places of the world" 39:00 Straight to the Comments podcast trailer 40:16 Kudos to podcast maven Arielle Nissenblatt 40:22 We talk about Nadia's PhD research on climate change and environmental racism, especially in relation to the recent Canadian wildfires and US Southwest heatwaves 43:47 Nadia wrote about 21 Savage and his immigration detention 45:46 Nadia is critical of the American Bar Association and their stance on mass incarceration 48:50 Nadia speaks about prison abolition 50:10 "My kids don't even know about 9/11" 51:13 Zayn from One Direction normalized "Muslimness" for Gen Z 52:33 Nadia reflects on the role her grandmother played in her life 54:33 What advice would Nadia give her teenage self today? Podcast notes: Nadia is friends with a previous guest, Amar Shah, who also appeared in the same Teen People feature. Make sure you listen to his episode, too! And have a listen to my interview with Alisha Fernandez Miranda, who met Amar on the Teen People News Team. Find me on Twitter and Instagram [at]TeenPeoplePod! Music: Relaxed Vlog by Ashot-Danielyan-Composer on Pixabay Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

Alisha Fernandez Miranda is a Cuban-American writer based in Scotland. Her memoir, 'My What If Year' was published in February 2023, and the book describes her year-long experiment doing internships in the dream jobs of her childhood. She is also the host of the award-winning podcast, 'Quit Your Day Job', which explores some of these dream careers, with people who are actually doing those jobs. Alisha is a graduate of Harvard University, and the London School of Economics, and is the former CEO and current Chair of I.G. Advisors, an award-winning social impact intelligence agency that coaches the world's biggest non-profits, companies and foundations on their philanthropy and social impact. She began her career in the pages of TEEN PEOPLE magazine, and is good friends with my previous guest, Amar Shah, who is also from Florida and who was also on TEEN PEOPLE's News Team. The TEEN PEOPLE News Team was a corps of young journalists from across the United States who created original content for the magazine, and contributed to TEEN PEOPLE's human interest reporting. As you'll hear in this episode, Alisha treasures her time with TEEN PEOPLE, and like many of my guests, speaks so fondly of that magazine and that time in her life! Time stamps: 03:00 Why Alisha has kept a box of TEEN PEOPLE magazines, and why she was in TEEN PEOPLE magazine 08:35 TEEN PEOPLE News Team members were early content creators 09:50 TEEN PEOPLE was Alisha's first professional network, and the first time she was communicating online with people she didn't know in real life 16:23 Alisha talks about her move from Miami to Scotland (via Harvard and LSE) 21:21 mini Brexit rant 21:31 Alisha moved to the UK in 2008, a few months before the 2008 financial crisis 23:46 UK is a "dumpster fire", says Alisha (we get political) 25:44 I ask Alisha about her memoir 29:26 Alisha wants to intern at Disneyworld 30:48 Alisha wants to write more books 34:07 Alisha talks about her podcast, Quit Your Day Job 41:56 Is Alisha related to Lin-Manuel Miranda?? 43:10 What's up with youth journalism in Florida? 44:45 What advice would Alisha give her teenage self? Podcast notes: Check out [at]TeenPeoplePod on Twitter and Instagram for pictures from this episode! Buy Alisha's book through her website: www.alishafmiranda.com Connect with me on: www.annasoper.ca Intro music: Jazzy Abstract Beat by Coma-Media on Pixabay Outro music: Spirit Blossom by RomanBelov on Pixabay Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

If you spent hours on AOL Instant Messenger, this episode is for you! Amar Shah is a multiple Emmy award-winning writer and producer who got his start on TEEN PEOPLE magazine's News Team! He speaks with me about online friendships, making an impact, and his viral Washington Post essay; on growing up in a real-life Kwik-E-Mart. Digressions: Kobe Shaq The Great Gatsby You've Got Mail The Simpsons Jennifer Love Hewitt The Internet Archive Notes: Find Amar's work here: https://www.amarshahwrites.com Preorder his book here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/play-the-game-amar-shah/1142782601 And preorder Jennifer Senior's book here: https://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic-editions/#on-grief Find me online at www.annasoper.ca and on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod. ................ Sounds and music: The Sound of dial-up Internet by wtermini on Pixabay Poor, But Happy by HoliznaCC0 CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ Snippet of 1999 Neutrogena commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N2YaU1Pfy8 Spirit Blossom by RomanBelov on Pixabay ................ Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

I don't think of my podcast as being about TEEN PEOPLE magazine: it's about my guests, and why they were in TEEN PEOPLE, and what they're up to now in their 30s and 40s. But January 2023 is the 25th anniversary of TEEN PEOPLE, so I thought I'd celebrate with an episode featuring a few of the guests I've interviewed since I started this podcast in the spring of 2020! TEEN PEOPLE was founded in 1998, and was published until 2006. While their bread and butter was celebrities, their heart and soul was “real teen content". Where are these "real teens" now? That's the premise of this podcast. (If you love this idea as much as I do, leave a rating or review!) In the 2000s, content by and for "real people" took off. From Tavi Gevinson's Style Rookie, to reality TV, and Humans of New York, people were hungry for media in which they could see themselves. TEEN PEOPLE helped popularize that trend with their own focus on real teens. (Remember: this was before social media made it possible to reach a global audience with the tap of a button!) This episode features clips from my first two seasons, including interviews with Caron Levis, Gennie Gorback, Robin Knudsen, Zena Burns, Dr. Ben Barry, and James Frankie Thomas. You can find their episodes in seasons one and two of Teen People! Notes: Intro music: RomanBelov on Pixabay Outro music (edited for length): Fog Lake, 'Roswell'. Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0): www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Tag me: I'm on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod. Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

Jenny Mushkin Goldman was 17 years old when a group of anti-abortion protestors ambushed her high school, in the summer of 1999. TEEN PEOPLE magazine was there to capture the scene, and quoted Jenny in their story, which was published in the December 1999/January 2000 issue. More than two decades later, Jenny shares her thoughts on America's post-Roe future; in a timely examination of protest, radicalization, and the undoing of Roe v. Wade. Key themes: - paid family leave - Election 2016 - feminism and sexism - art history and contemporary art practice - young adulthood - motherhood - family identity and intergenerational trauma - reproductive rights - protest Notes: Learn more about Jenny's curatorial practice on her website: www.kingold.art. Find me on www.annasoper.ca, and on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod. Music, audio and effects: Pixabay (intro music, sound effects) "Why we're here" Northampton Community Television, CC BY 3.0 < www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 >, via Wikimedia Commons "Boston Women's March January 21, 2017" Victor Grigas, CC BY 4.0 < www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 >, via Wikimedia Commons Fog Lake (outro music)

In the year 2000, TEEN PEOPLE's publisher, Anne Zehren said, presciently, "We make celebrities real, and real teens celebrities." TEEN PEOPLE featured their readers throughout each issue, printing their full names, ages, and locations; making many of them pretty easy to find online today. Where are they now? Join me, Anna Soper, as I find out!

"We made it, we're in the Ottawa Citizen!" Dr. Ben Barry is Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design in New York. When he was fourteen, Ben founded a modelling agency in his hometown of Ottawa, Canada. Realizing there was an untapped market for models of all sizes, Ben made a name for himself as an agent for models of all sizes. Ben's agency initially supplied models for the local newspaper, which quickly became his biggest champion. Then TEEN PEOPLE gave him a call. In March 2001, they celebrated Ben on their annual list of "20 Teens Who Will Change the World". This caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who featured the 18-year-old on her talk show. As an adult, Ben shifted into a career in fashion education. He has a BA from the University of Toronto, and degrees from Cambridge University, where his PhD research demonstrated a business case for size diversity in fashion and beauty advertising. Over the past few years, Ben has worked at Ryerson University in Toronto, where he was Chair of Fashion, and Founding Director of the Centre for Fashion Diversity and Social Change. He remains an Associate Professor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, in the School of Fashion at Ryerson. Ben spoke with me in the spring of 2021, from his country home west of Kingston, Ontario. Podcast notes: Ben is the co-founder and co-editor of Fashion Studies, an open access, academic journal, which you can find here: www.fashionstudies.ca. Find me online: www.annasoper.ca. This is the last episode of season two, and if you haven't heard my other interviews, please do! I would love to hear your thoughts on this project, so please get in touch, or leave a review or rating on your favourite podcast app. Intro music (edited for length): Fog Lake, 'Roswell'. Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0): www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ @foglake on SoundCloud Outro music: RomanBelov on Pixabay

When Sudanë Del Valle was in her first year of college, she went back to her old high school to attend a graduation ceremony. There, she was scouted for a Teen People fashion shoot by the magazine's Editor-in-Chief, Amy Barnett; whose sister was graduating that year. Sudanë subsequently appeared in the Winter 2005 issue of Teen People—a Special Beauty Issue. Sudanë was photographed for a makeup tutorial featuring looks inspired by different decades, from the 1920s onwards. She represented the 1980s, and was styled as Madonna—wearing a lace headband, pink plastic hoop earrings and lots of mascara! You can see the photo on my Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod. Sudanë spoke with me about her career path, the next chapter in her life, and how she stays upbeat in tough times. Intro music: by Coma-Media on Pixabay Outro music: by RomanBelov on Pixabay

“Other Music is like a fun, messy library for music. You almost never find what you were looking for, but you always find something you never knew you wanted.” Jaya Saxena was 17 when she was asked to describe her favourite record store in Teen People magazine's Summer Music Special of 2004. Now in her 30s, Jaya is a published author of non-fiction, and a Senior Writer at Eater.com. When I found Jaya, she had forgotten she was in Teen People, so I had to jog her memory with the details. “I was around a lot of adults who worked for these magazines,” she told me, “so I probably did talk to someone.” Jaya spoke with me in October, 2021. She told me about Other Music, her career, and how she's building solidarity with peers in her industry. Podcast notes: Find Jaya's work on her site: www.jayasaxena.com Get her books: www.goodreads.com/book/show/33589940-basic-witches (with Jess Zimmerman) www.goodreads.com/book/show/52593434-crystal-clear www.goodreads.com/book/show/26114400-the-book-of-lost-recipes www.goodreads.com/book/show/30009779-dad-magazine (with Matt Lubchansky) Find me on my site: www.annasoper.ca And on Twitter and Instagram: [at] TeenPeoplePod And on Tumblr: www.teenpeoplepod.tumblr.com Music: Intro: Mild Wild, ‘Line Spacing'. CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons. Outro (2000s Indie Sleaze Disco-Rock riff) © Anna Soper

Like a Millennial Pygmalion, 16-year-old Frankie Thomas was plucked from the streets of New York, into the glossy studios of Teen People magazine. Their photo appeared in the March 2004 issue of Teen People (the prom issue!), under the headline "Smooch-proof Lips". Among other things, Teen People's makeup artists suggested using lip liner as lipstick—it'll last longer—or layering gloss over a lip stain. As you'll hear in this episode, this was uncharted territory for Frankie. Frankie grew up in Chelsea, and went to the Friends Seminary, also known as the Quaker School. Founded in 1786, the school's former students include Kyra Sedgewick, Vera Wang, Amanda Peet, and Lena Dunham. Frankie has an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and has written for The Paris Review; focusing on '90s pop culture, Young Adult literature, and queer aesthetics. Their writing career began with a teenage blog—you'll hear excerpts from this throughout this episode. Want to see Frankie's Teen People photo? Find it on Twitter and Instagram, at TeenPeoplePod, and on Tumblr: www.teenpeoplepod.tumblr.com. And check out my personal website, www.annasoper.ca. Read Frankie's work here: about.me/frankiethomas Frankie's book list: 'I'm Supposed to Protect You from All This', Nadja Spiegelman, 2016 (Riverhead Books) 'Detransition, Baby', Torrey Peters, 2021 (One World) 'Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls', T Kira Madden, 2019 (Bloomsbury) 'The Secret History', Donna Tartt, 2004 (Vintage)(Frankie's literary North Star!) Did you figure out that this whole episode is a tribute to Wes Anderson's soundtracks? Here's the music that made it happen: Frédéric Chopin, ‘Berceuse Op. 57', Christine Hartley-Troskie. CC BY 2.5 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5), via Wikimedia Commons. Maurice Ravel, ‘String Quartet in F Major (Second Movement)', United States Army Band. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Lesfm, ‘Amazing Grace of Christmas'. Public domain, via Pixabay. Erik Satie, ‘Gymnopédie no. 1', Robin Alciatore. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Johann Sebastian Bach, 'Sheep May Safely Graze', BWV 208, Kevin MacLeod. CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), via Wikimedia Commons. embracetheart, ‘City Traffic (Outdoor)'. Public domain, via Pixabay. Franz Schubert, ‘An die Musik', Adrien Poupin and Armelle Mathis. CC BY 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons. Mild Wild, ‘See Through'. CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons. Amy Sayer, ‘wild tape'. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/), via Free Music Archive. Johann Pachelbel, ‘Canon', Arr. Frank Hudson, United States Air Force Band. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Mild Wild, ‘Line Spacing'. CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons. Update, April 2022: Read James Frankie Thomas' first essay as James Frankie Thomas; a startling take on The Killers' 2003 hit, Mr. Brightside: www.astra-mag.com/articles/i-wish-i-could-stop-thinking-about-mr-brightside/

In 2005, Rabbi Andrew Oberstein was a budding theatre kid in Los Angeles, when Teen People magazine invited him to interview Sandra Bullock. "I loved Miss Congeniality," he told me, "so I thought, 'why not take this opportunity to check out what's going on with Miss Congeniality 2?'". Before Rabbi Andrew became a rabbi, he was destined for a career on the stage, and studied musical theatre at Emerson College, in Boston. This passion inspired his rabbinic thesis, 'Welcome to Falsettoland: The Intersection of Jewish and Queer Identity in Late 20th Century American Theater.' Rabbi Andrew spoke with me in January 2022, and told me about the leap of faith that brought him from the pages of Teen People magazine to the rabbinate. Notes: Rabbi Andrew's website: http://rabbiandrewoberstein.com Find Oliver Sacks' book 'Gratitude' here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27161964-gratitude Find me on Twitter and Instagram (where I've shared Rabbi Andrew's interview with Sandra Bullock) at Teen People Pod, and on Tumblr: www.teenpeoplepod.tumblr.com. Intro music: © Anna Soper Outro music: ZakharValaha on Pixabay

Gennie Gorback is an early childhood educator and President of the California Kindergarten Association. As a teenager, she joined Teen People magazine's Trendspotter club, and was featured not once, but twice, in Teen People! The first time, Gennie and her college friend Dan pranked Teen People—they weren't actually a couple when they wrote a fake love note for publication in the magazine. As Gennie told me, she really just wanted to be in Teen People, the magazine that she read and enjoyed. They figured a cooked-up love story would do the trick. And it kind of did. Not only did they end up in Teen People…they fell in love. Today, Gennie and Dan Gorback are the parents of two little ones. Gennie spoke with me in the summer of 2021, and began by walking me through the cover of the April 2004 issue of Teen People—the first of two appearances Gennie and and her husband made in Teen People magazine. You can find the matching pictures Gennie shared with me on my Twitter and Instagram, [at] TeenPeoplePod. Notes: Gennie is very active on social media! Find her on Twitter [at] GennieGorback. She shares the picture books she and her daughters read each day on Instagram, [at] myfavoritebooksforkids. Her website is www.genniegorback.com. In Canada, February 20-26, 2022, is Freedom to Read Week! Find out more here: www.freedomtoread.ca. Music: 'The Cradle of Your Soul' by lemonmusicstudio on Pixabay 'Cinematic Ambient Emotional (Main)' by ZakharValaha on Pixabay 'Indie Folk Acoustic' by Coma-Media on Pixabay

Kerisha Harris is a corporate communications professional from Paterson, New Jersey. In the early 2000s, Kerisha was a member of Teen People magazine's News Team, a corps of young journalists from across the US. She has since worked as a journalist, and is currently working on a Master's degree in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies. Teen People's News Team gave young journalists some of their very first bylines, and prepared them for careers in media. "I have so much to be grateful for, about that experience," Kerisha told me. Kerisha spoke with me from her home in Connecticut, where she told me about her involvement with her high school newspaper, and how that led her to Teen People's News Team, and beyond. Podcast Notes: Watch Kerisha and her dad on her sister's podcast! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ZCWPsATTM Find me on Twitter and Instagram at teenpeoplepod, and on Tumblr at teenpeoplepod.tumblr.com. Have a listen to my interviews with other Teen People News Team members from season one of Teen People podcast! They are Lucas Peerman, Lisa Wong Macabasco, and Lindsay Soll Kirkman. Credits: Intro music by Coma-Media on Pixabay Outro music by Lesfm on Pixabay

This is Teen People, the podcast where I track down people from Teen People magazine. Where are they now? This week's guest, Tabitha Sukhai, gives us an update. Tabitha is an award-winning digital media professional and social media strategist. She got her start as a Teen People Trendspotter, part of a network of thousands of Teen People readers who contributed original content to the magazine, participated in focus groups, and advised Teen People's staff on local trends in their own communities. As a New York-based Trendspotter, Tabitha had a close involvement with the magazine and its staff. This gave her valuable editorial and marketing experience in a major media corporation. In 2001, she jumped into an internship—or rather, a series of internships—across the TIME Inc. spectrum, but she began by working with Isabel González, Teen People's Special Projects Editor, and head of the magazine's Trendspotter program. Today Tabitha uses her skills to uplift small businesses and mentor up-and-coming digital media professionals. Tabitha spoke with me in the fall of 2021 from her home in New York. Podcast notes: See Tabitha in action: https://about.me/tabitha.sukhai Find me on Twitter and Instagram: [at] TeenPeoplePod And on Tumblr: https://teenpeoplepod.tumblr.com Credits: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay Subway sound effects: Jay Reed from Winslow Township, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lexington_Avenue_Line_vc.ogv

Who had Bush v. Gore in a Teen People debate on their Y2K bingo card? Padraic Maroney is a writer and marketing professional from upstate New York. After moving to Philadelphia as a teenager, he created content for The Bucks County Courier Times' 'Reality' section, written by local teens. This led to an opportunity as a Teen People Trendspotter, as well as an internship in New York. Twenty years later, Padraic has published an unauthorized, behind-the-scenes tale of the making of the Scream franchise, and is now preparing another book on the Saw series from the early-mid 2000s. He began by telling me about Teen People magazine's unsuccessful attempt to get George W. Bush and Al Gore together, on stage, in a Teen People-sponsored debate on youth issues, during Election 2000. Could that debate have changed the course of history?? Probably not, but we'll never know, will we? Here's Padraic's story. Podcast notes: Padraic's book, 'It All Began With a Scream': https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58866004-it-all-began-with-a-scream Padraic's Twitter: [at] padraicjacob Find me on Twitter and Instagram at teenpeoplepod, and have a listen to my interviews with Zena Burns and Kelly McWilliams in season one of Teen People podcast. Credits: President Clinton's Remarks Regarding Columbine HS Shooting (1999) courtesy; William J. Clinton Presidential Library Intro music: © Anna Soper Outro music: Fighter [No Vocals] - punk rock by ohhgeeeznotagain on Pixabay

Welcome to season two of Teen People, the podcast where I interview people who were in Teen People magazine. The podcast was inspired by my teenage collection of Teen Peoples, which I rediscovered a few years ago. Teen People magazine featured their readers throughout every issue, and published their full names, ages and locations—which makes them really Google-able today. As I flipped through these old magazines, I realized these kids were my age, or older. "Where are they now?", I wondered. In season one, I spoke with authors, teachers, artists, and journalists. Even a former politician. All were in Teen People magazine as young, high achievers; interns; models; and contributing writers. This season begins with a conversation with Alex B. Hill. Alex was 17 when Teen People honoured him for his charitable work, in 2005. By that time, he'd raised $70,000 USD for medical supplies in Uganda, including an ambulance serving 140,000 people across 62 communities. Alex is now based in Detroit, Michigan, where he has worked for the Detroit Health Department as an epidemiologist and data and design coordinator. Alex has a BA in international relations, and an MA in medical anthropology. He is currently working on a PhD at Wayne State University, where he also works as a Geographic Information Systems Director, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and the Department of Public Health. Alex spoke with me in the spring of 2021, and began by telling me about his charity, which landed him on Teen People magazine's list of Teens Who Will Change the World. Podcast notes: Find Alex's work here: https://alexbhill.org And buy his book, Detroit in 50 Maps: https://beltpublishing.com/products/detroit-in-50-maps Find Teen People podcast on Twitter and Instagram: [at] teenpeoplepod And check out my Tumblr page: https://teenpeoplepod.tumblr.com/post/672928165927256064/s2e1alex Intro music: by lesfm on Pixabay Outro music: © Anna Soper

The next season of Teen People podcast is coming soon! I interview real people who were in Teen People magazine as young adults. This season, I speak with: Jaya Saxena, Senior Writer, Eater Alex Hill, GIS Director and Adjunct Professor, Wayne State University Gennie Gorback, Early Childhood Educator and President of the California Kindergarten Association Kerisha Harris, corporate communications professional Frankie Thomas, Columnist, The Paris Review They share their memories of Teen People magazine, the advice they'd give their teenage selves, and how they're changing the world! Where are they now? Find Teen People wherever you get your podcasts!

The premise of this podcast is pretty simple: I interview people who were in Teen People magazine as young adults. Some of these kids (now in their 30s and 40s) were featured in Teen People as young models, interns, and journalists. Others had overcome adversity, and shared moving stories with Teen People’s readers. And some, like my guest in this episode, appeared on Teen People’s annual list called, "20 Teens Who Will Change the World". Kelly McWilliams was a teenager when she published her first novel. These days, Kelly's working on her third novel, while promoting Agnes at the End of the World; a dystopian YA book published in 2020. Agnes at the End of the World received starred reviews in School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Publisher’s Weekly. It was also featured, funnily enough, in People magazine’s “20 Best Books to Read This Summer”, in the summer of 2020. Kelly spoke with me from her home in Colorado, where she told me about an entirely coincidental connection between her and my very first guest on this podcast, Caron Levis. Caron (who once interned at Teen People) teaches in the Creative Writing MFA program at The New School in New York. Guess who took one of her courses? That’s right, it’s my guest, Kelly McWilliams. Podcast Notes: Take a look at Kelly's website: www.kellymcwilliamsauthor.com, and find her on Instagram at kellymmcwilliams. Kelly (an author) and I (a librarian) referenced a whole bunch of books and writers in our chat! They are: Natalie Babbitt: Tuck Everlasting (1975, Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Octavia Butler: Parable of the Sower (1993, Four Walls) Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games (2008, Scholastic) Christopher Paul Curtis: The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 (1995, Delacorte Press) Nalo Hopkinson N. K. Jemisin: How Long 'til Black Future Month? (2018, Orbit Books) Carolyn Jessop and Laura Palmer: Escape (2007, Broadway Books) Leah Johnson: You Should See Me In a Crown (2020, Scholastic) Caron Levis Robin McKinley: The Hero and the Crown (1984, Greenwillow Books) Kelly McWilliams: Doormat (2004, Random House Children's Books) Agnes at the End of the World (2020, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Mirror Girls (Expected publication: 2022, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Bethany C. Morrow: A Song Below Water (2020, Tor Teen) Sarah Moss: Ghost Wall (2018, Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Jewell Parker Rhodes: Ninth Ward (2010, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Black Brother, Black Brother (2020, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Matt Ruff: Lovecraft Country (2016, HarperCollins) Colson Whitehead: The Underground Railroad (2016, Doubleday) The Nickel Boys (2019, Doubleday) Author photo: © Black Forest Photography Music: © Anna Soper Find me on Twitter and Instagram at TeenPeoplePod, and take a look at my website, www.annasoper.ca. For more information on my research, check out Sarah Wilson's award-winning podcast, Roots and All. I spoke with Sarah about Kate Crooks, a long-forgotten Canadian botanist: https://rootsandall.co.uk/portfolio-item/episode-91-the-work-of-kate-crooks-with-anna-soper/.

Welcome to Teen People; the podcast where I dig into my collection of Teen People magazines, and interview some of the real people who were featured in Teen People. I'm Anna Soper. This episode is a chat with Lindsay Soll Kirkman. As a teenager, Lindsay was invited to apply to Teen People’s youth-based News Team by the magazine’s cofounder, Lori Majewski. Lindsay later worked for the magazine in New York. Lindsay went to Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida. In a story for Teen People, she wrote about the school’s athletics and performing arts scenes, as well as its notable alumni—including a few boybanders and pro sports stars. The school’s mascot is the Florida Panther. Its team name is the Panthers. The school newspaper is The Panther Post, and its yearbook is called, simply, Panther. As an aspiring journalist, Lindsay wrote for The Panther Post, including a story on 98 Degrees, who she met (along with Jessica Simpson) at a publishers' conference in Boca Raton. Our conversation touched on the teen magazine market of the early '00s, press intrusion, and unpaid internships as an unfortunate rite of passage. Stick around for Lindsay’s best celebrity encounters, featuring Nick and Jessica, Tom Cruise, and more! Note: find the images referenced in this episode on my Instagram account, TeenPeoplePod.

Welcome to another episode of Teen People; the podcast that catches up with real people from Teen People magazine! This episode is a conversation with Ellie Wen, who appeared on Teen People’s annual list of 20 Teens Who Will Change the World, in 2005. In the early 2000s, Ellie created an award-winning digital library called Repeat After Us. She and her friends recorded and transcribed poems, quotes, speeches, and books; including works by Katharine Hepburn, Frida Kahlo, Shakespeare, and Oprah. At the time, Ellie said that the website would function as a free resource for literature lovers and English language learners. It had 2000 hits a day when Teen People profiled it in 2005. As an adult, Ellie has shifted into a career as a documentary filmmaker. Born in Hong Kong, Ellie’s now based in San Francisco, where she lives with her husband and a “pandemic baby”. She spoke with me about Single Mother Only Daughter—a short film she made about her relationship with her mother—and how she’s changing the world. Podcast notes: Find Ellie: www.elliewen.com Watch Single Mother Only Daughter: https://vimeo.com/206768959 Find me: www.annasoper.ca Twitter/Instagram: TeenPeoplePod Curious about how books are digitized? Read more: https://www.samuelmoore.org/2017/11/28/google-books-and-labour-erasure-in-the-digital-humanities/ Music: © Anna Soper Film clip: courtesy of Ellie Wen

This episode features a conversation with Lucas Peerman, News Director of the Las Cruces Sun-News in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Lucas was 18 when he joined Teen People magazine's News Team; a diverse corps of young journalists who contributed some of their first bylines to Teen People. He spoke with me from his home in Las Cruces, just two days before the U.S. election in November 2020. He told me about his most memorable interview for Teen People, his collection of Teen People News Team memorabilia, and his thoughts on journalism in a social media age.

Welcome to Teen People, the podcast that catches up with folks from Teen People magazine. This is the second of a two-part interview featuring Zena Burns. Zena got a job at Teen People in 1999, and stayed there until the magazine came to an end in 2006. She was heartbroken when the magazine folded, as she’d not only landed her dream job before the age of 25, she made lifelong friends there. Our full episode covers her journey to Teen People, her best celebrity encounters, and her thoughts on how Teen People challenged and expanded the teen magazine genre. Find our conversation in episode 10. In this episode, Zena and I browse through some of my collection of Teen People magazines; covering an era from 1998 to 2002. I’ve posted all of the images on my Twitter and Instagram, at TeenPeoplePod. Find them there and follow along! Podcast Notes: Find Zena Burns here: futurimedia.com/leadership-team/zena-burns/ Find me on Twitter and Instagram (TeenPeoplePod) and www.annasoper.ca. Music © Anna Soper

Welcome to episode 10 of Teen People; the podcast that catches up with folks from Teen People magazine. This episode is a first for me, as I’m talking with a Teen People staff member! Zena Burns was Entertainment Director at Teen People magazine and Managing Editor at Teen People dot com. Teen People’s earliest digital outreach relied on an AOL-exclusive website, and a celebrity chats feature that Zena described as something like a tin can and a string. “Digital today has made such a quantum leap,” she told me; changing media, marketing and publishing in so many ways. Think about the media environment back then: the first iPod came out in October 2001. Napster was in its infancy. MySpace was founded in 2003. Many of us still had dial-up internet, which ran over a landline telephone. And think about the celebrity environment: tabloid mainstays like the Olson twins, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears. Before celebrities shared their lives on Instagram and TikTok, we had reality shows like The Simple Life, with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie; The Osbournes, with the Osbourne family; and Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, with Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. (“Is this chicken or is this fish?”) Zena spoke with me about hustling her way into a job at Teen People, and how the magazine changed her life. Stay tuned for exclusive stories about Beyonce, Kanye West, and Lady Gaga! Podcast Notes: "I'll never forget the pit in my stomach that I got the first time that People magazine ran a Lindsay Lohan cover...the whole face of celebrity was changing," said Zena. Click here for a thread of Teen People / People covers, featuring Britney Spears, Reese Witherspoon, Ashton Kutcher, and more: https://twitter.com/TeenPeoplePod/status/1334680857173319680. Read about a Teen People Style Jam casting call: https://nypost.com/2002/11/22/real-world-rules-newly-fashionable/ Find Zena Burns here: https://futurimedia.com/leadership-team/zena-burns/ Find me on Twitter and Instagram (TeenPeoplePod) and www.annasoper.ca. Music © Anna Soper

Welcome to another episode of Teen People! My name is Anna Soper, and I’m a writer, artist and librarian from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Today I’m talking with Lisa Wong Macabasco, who was part of Teen People magazine's News Team. Lisa graduated from UC Berkeley and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Today, she works for www.vogue.com, where she has reported on the Oscars, Fashion Week, food culture, and U.S. politics. She’s also written stories for Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, Slate, and Bon Appétit. Lisa spoke with me from her home in New York, where she lives with her partner and a trio of foster cats! We talked about ‘90s fashion, her brush with N*Sync, and our mutual appreciation for Adam Driver. Podcast notes: Find Lisa online: www.macabasco.com. If you’re an American: www.usa.gov/how-to-vote. Find me on Twitter and Instagram (TeenPeoplePod) and www.annasoper.ca. Music: © Anna Soper

Hi, my name is Anna Soper, and this is Teen People. This podcast features in-depth conversations with people who appeared in Teen People magazine as young adults. So far, they’ve shared stories of building their careers, having kids (or not!) and finding their way through this challenging time. My next guest is Diana Maciel. She worked at Teen People in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, and has since built a career as a creative director. When I spoke with her in August, she was based at Forever 21, but has since moved into a new role at beauty subscription service IPSY. Diana told me about her really awesome job, and if you are a creative director-in-training, this episode runs like a little masterclass. Diana also shared her throwback inspirations, her love for New York, and her best celebrity encounter! I began the episode by showing her a photo from Teen People’s October 1999 issue, featuring her and a few other interns at Teen People’s Manhattan headquarters. Podcast Notes: Find Diana online (http://dianamaciel.com) and on Instagram: at dmaciel at thesadeproject at yellopaletas Find Project Level on Instagram: at projectlevel Find me online (www.annasoper.ca) and on Twitter and Instagram: at TeenPeoplePod Thanks for listening! Please leave your reviews, tell your friends, and hit subscribe for more. Music © Anna Soper Cover photo: brrphoto on Instagram

Robin Knudsen was 16 when she scouted my earlier guest, Preston Drum, for a Teen People photoshoot in Charlotte, North Carolina. She and Preston were friends in school, but by the time she scouted Preston for her story, he had changed schools, and it seemed like he didn’t recognize her. It didn’t help that her mum made her change from her usual, funky clothes into a more “professional” look for the job. This episode tells a coming-of-age story. Playin’ with a couple of neighbour boys and a dog in the woods. Brooding in a high school stairwell with new friends. Sharing mixtapes and headphones, and a kiss in the rain. This is Robin’s story. Podcast notes: Robin's old friend, Preston Drum, spoke with me about his 15 minutes of fame in Teen People magazine. Find his episode here: https://soundcloud.com/teenpeoplepod/teen-people-episode-5-preston-drum. Music: © Anna Soper

Hi, I’m Anna Soper, and this is Teen People, the podcast that shares the stories of folks who appeared in Teen People magazine as young adults. My next guest was in the November 2000 issue of Teen People, in a story featuring young voices in American politics. At the age of 18, Derrick Seaver told Teen People, “I see the job of being a citizen as the most important job in our democratic system.” He was profiled by Teen People during his historic campaign, as he ran for a seat in Ohio’s House of Representatives. In November 2000, he won his seat by less than 250 votes, and became Ohio’s youngest state legislator. This, if you’ll remember, was the year George W. Bush beat Al Gore and Ralph Nader for the presidency. At that time, in an interview with Dayton Daily News, Derrick’s father said his son’s candidacy would mobilize the youth vote. “I think there are a lot of young people who want to be heard,” he said. For his part, Derrick told CBS News, “A lot of things have become so partisan lately. Plus ça change… Derrick is the grandson of a steelworker. Today, he lives and works in the heart of Silicon Valley. He represents that shift from America’s industrial economy to an information and service economy that bears little resemblance to the US heartland of another age. Derrick spoke with me about his faith in the democratic process, and his hopes for the future. Podcast Notes: If you’re an American: https://www.usa.gov/how-to-vote. Find me on Twitter and Instagram (TeenPeoplePod) and www.annasoper.ca. Intro music: © Anna Soper Outro music: © Apple Inc., used on a royalty-free basis.

Welcome to another episode of Teen People, the podcast that shares the stories of the real people who appeared in Teen People magazine! My next guest is Preston Drum, an artist, musician and arts educator in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Preston is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. When he was 15, Preston appeared in Teen People, in a fashion spread featuring street style from Charlotte. Alongside other young folks—who were dressed in '90s staples like black nail polish, toe rings, camisoles and baggy jeans—young Preston was photographed wearing cat-eye frames, a second-hand t-shirt and a collection of beaded necklaces. Now a dad, and husband, Preston spoke with me about the twenty years since he appeared in Teen People. He told me about his involvement with Carry On Homes, an artist collective that creates spaces for immigrants and marginalized communities to feel a sense of belonging and empowerment. https://carryonhomes.com/about We also chatted about the joys of home ownership, aging parents, and life in the suburbs. We're not old, I promise. These are just some of the things we talked about. We're not old. Podcast Notes: Preston and I had a spontaneous conversation about gardening. Preston spoke with me about his appreciation for Extension Services at American universities. These are services that provide accessible information for U.S. gardeners. Here's a page from the University of Minnesota: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden. If you're in the U.S. you can easily find your nearest Extension Service with a quick online search. Unfortunately, this isn't really a thing in Canada. Nonetheless, I regularly use the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder to help me choose plants for my garden (Zone 6a): http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/plantfindersearch.aspx. Preston referred to Masanobu Fukuoka's "do-nothing" philosophy, which you can read more about in his book 'The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming'. Some of Fukuoka's principles (including seed bombing) are referred to in Mary Reynolds' book 'The Garden Awakening'. Her book discusses the role of ritual and folklore in landscape design, as well as practical design considerations, like understory and canopy planting, swales, and no-dig garden beds. http://marymary.ie/book-the-garden-awakening For more information on re-wilding, check out this website from Kingston, Ontario gardener Joyce Hostyn: https://www.rewildmycity.com. For more #GardenInspo from Canada, have a look at Tony Spencer's blog: https://www.thenewperennialist.com. Find out why Buckthorn is worse than Crabgrass and Garlic Mustard combined (yes, I said it): https://www.ontario.ca/page/common-buckthorn. Since Preston lives in Minneapolis, we talked about the aftermath of George Floyd's killing, and how he felt about Confederate monuments as a youngster in the U.S. South. "The Civil War was not that long ago," he said. I told Preston about Canada's Indian Residential Schools, where Indigenous kids were forcibly removed from their homes, and moved to boarding schools. Abuse was rampant. The last of these schools closed in 1996. Read more: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools, and check out the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action: http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf. At the end of our chat, Preston referred to two former guests, Caron Levis and Atiya Jones! Find them here: https://www.caronlevis.com http://www.atiyajones.com Find Preston here: www.prestondrumstudios.com and on Instagram (prestondrumstudios). Preston (and bébé Elvis) were photographed by Shun Jie Yong. https://www.shunjyong.com I composed the intro music, while the outtro music is from Apple Inc., used on a royalty-free basis. Thank you for listening! Please review and rate this episode, and have a listen to all of the others in this series.

Today, I talk with Dr. Joe Normandin, who was in Teen People's October 1999 issue. Joe and his then-partner were featured in an article called 'Happy Together', which profiled young lesbian and gay couples in the United States. This was just twelve months after the beating and murder of Matthew Shepard, a young, openly-gay man in Wyoming. Teen People not only noted this sad anniversary in their October 1999 issue, but provided practical advice on coming out, as a post-script to the article in which Joe appeared. Joe struggled with his sexuality as a teen, but found peace with himself by "nerding it out", and learning about the science of sexuality. Today, Joe’s the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University. I spoke with him over two interviews, during the early weeks of the Coronavirus pandemic, and in the wake of intense protest against police violence in America.

Welcome to episode three of Teen People. My name is Anna Soper, and I am a British-Canadian artist, writer, and librarian in Canada. Today I give you Atiya Jones: funny, outgoing, fashionista. Girl-about-town—until Covid hit—in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Atiya was but a girl in Brooklyn when she worked for Teen People as a Trendspotter—part of a focus group made up of Teen People’s own readers. She appeared in three issues of Teen People, including the one I have, where she was set up on a blind date. (Awkward!) When I contacted her about my podcast she replied, "An interview about one of the greatest periods in my life? Absolutely!" Atiya is a force of nature with a belly-deep laugh and unshakable self-confidence. Find her online at www.atiyajones.com. Currently, she is producing and selling non-medical masks through her website. Ditch that suspiciously-fibreglassy pleated thing you've been wearing and support an independent artisan from Pittsburgh instead! Podcast notes: Find me on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/TeenPeoplePod) and www.annasoper.ca. Music: © Anna Soper Black Lives Matter! Donate, educate, celebrate: www.blacklivesmatter.ca www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/black-organizations-anti-racist-groups-canada_ca_5ed57ea1c5b6867b30853e20 www.canadians.org/statement/black-lives-matter www.blacklivesmatter.com

Ashley Canino was thirteen when she appeared in Teen People. Modelling a pair of very low-rise corduroys, Ashley was part of a fashion editorial called 'Fashion for Every Body'. From "busty" to "boyish", each model was dressed solely according to their measurements. It's an editorial decision that troubles Ashley, who says, "It's part of the reason why magazines like this don't exist anymore." We talk about bras, boys, and body image — all the good stuff. Have a listen! Podcast notes: Ashley Canino is a freelance writer and media research professional who contributes to digital and print publications such as Bedsider and The Riveter Magazine. See her work here: https://ashleycanino.contently.com. Find me on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/TeenPeoplePod) and www.annasoper.ca. Intro music: © Anna Soper Outro music: © Apple Inc., used on a royalty-free basis.

Welcome to Teen People! This unofficial podcast reveals the stories of those who appeared in Teen People magazine as young adults. My first guest is Caron Levis, who interned at Teen People in the late 1990s. Today, Caron teaches at NYU and the New School's Creative Writing MFA program. She is the author of several books, including the award-winning picture book Ida, Always. In this episode, Caron shares her memories of Teen People's earliest days, as well as her thoughts on life in lockdown. Stay tuned 'til the end for a guided meditation inspired by her latest book, This Way, Charlie! Podcast notes: Caron Levis is the author of several books, including the award-winning picture book, Ida, Always. Her latest, This Way, Charlie, received a starred review in School Library Journal: www.slj.com/?reviewDetail=this-way-charlie. Both of these books are illustrated by Charles Santoso: www.charlessantoso.com/wp/. Find Caron online at www.caronlevis.com and on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/caronlevis. Her Facebook page is here: www.facebook.com/CaronAuthorLevis/. Caron’s Honeysuckle Breath meditation is posted here: www.caronlevis.com/post/2020/03/19/this-way-to-bravery-peace-this-way-charlie-activity. If you’re currently looking after any stir-crazy children, check out her website for activities and printables to keep them occupied! Pick up her books through your favourite bookseller, or find them in your nearest library: www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3ALevis%2C+Caron&qt=advanced&dblist=638. Find me on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/TeenPeoplePod) and www.annasoper.ca. Intro music: © Anna Soper Outro music: © Apple Inc., used on a royalty-free basis.