Holbrook says of Dickman’s piece. “It’s
really remarkable. I was proud to
include it.”
Contributors
Writer and parent advocate Hannah
Grieco’s essay “A Path Between Us
Paved in Stories” appeared in the July/
August 2019 issue. It’s about how
Grieco bonded with her autistic son by
writing short stories that feature pro-
tagonists like him. She writes:
“Despite my growth as a lis-
tener and mother, I yearn for a
connection with him through
fiction. I want to share what I
love, too. I don’t need a high-
way. Just a path – a small, one-
lane country road that allows
for thoughtful, quiet travel in
both directions. So I write a
tiny story. One page, which
stretches to two as I fall in love
with the characters.”“It’s a beautiful expression of that
connection that parents search for with
their children – a connection which
becomes more challenging when there
are major differences between parent
and child,” Holbrook says.
Your Teen ran Auden Schendler’s
essay “My Daughter Has No Friends at
School. What to Do When a Teen Just
Doesn’t Fit In,” about feeling hurt
because his eighth-grade daughter had
a difficult time finding friendship and
connecting with her peers. “The piece
resonated with our readers,” Holbrook
says. “They read it and shared it with
comments like ‘I understand what that
dad is going through.’ We do like a per-
sonal touch in our essays,” she adds.
In the December issue, she’ll publish
Jacqueline Miller’s “It’s Just a Hot Choc-
olate,” about how the writer’s teenage
son taught her a lesson when he
reached out to a man who was home-
less. “It’s about how as adults we get into
ruts and sometimes forget simple things
like human kindness. Our kids, who get
a bad rap sometimes, can teach us so
much. The essay is perfect for the holi-
days – warm-hearted and sweet.”Advice for potential contributors
Holbrook asks potential contributors
to study the articles and essays in Yo u r
Te e n online and in print. “Any pro-
spective writer can always email me
and request a couple of recent PDFs of
the magazine,” she says. Readers will
note that many pieces begin with an
anecdote, and many writers use humor
even as they craft poignant essays and
articles on difficult topics.
Once you get a sense of the maga-
zine’s style, pitch your most polished
essays rooted in personal experience.
“Instead of sending us a pitch for
reported work or personal essays, we
often get hybrid or opinion pieces,”
Holbrook says. “We don’t want opinion
pieces. We want stories about what
happened to you and how you worked
through it.”Contributing editor Melissa Hart is the
author of Better with Books: 500 Diverse Books
to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Accep-
tance in Tweens and Teens (Sasquatch, 2019).
Twit ter/Instagram @WildMelissaHar t.“Our readers love personal
stories about the ups,
downs, and in-betweens
of raising teenagers.”
PRINT AND ONLINE.
Genres: Personal and reported
essays, articles.
Reading period: Year-round.
Length: Open.
Submission format: Online sub-
missions, via website.
Contact: Managing editor Sharon
Holbrook via website at
yourteenmag.com.@thewritermag
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