These next stories are not what you'd expect
CAN YOU GUESS?
This is an exciting time for us. Our goal has always been to provide a platform for writers to share the most vulnerable parts of their story, and in the past three years, we’ve built three storytelling platforms, starting with CRY Magazine.
CRY Mag has hundreds of writers, thousands of followers and tens of thousands of monthly readers. From there, we created this platform—Love & Literature—and invited eleven writers from across the world to share their stories. You’ve read stories that touched on everything from alcoholism to open relationships, from arranged marriages in the Middle East to being Black in Italy.
Now we’re creating something new and exciting. It’s called Teens Love Lit and we’re about to tell you all about it.
About Teens Love Lit
The idea for Teens Love Lit actually came from Love & Literature. As diverse as our writers were, the one voice we were missing was young people. Really young people. Teenagers, specifically. But instead of mixing these teen perspectives with the Love & Literature stories, we decided to give them their own space.
Teens Love Lit amplifies teenage voices and provides them with an audience. We make it clear that their experiences matter, their stories matter, and their opinions matter. It’s a space for teens by teens with the same global mindset we brought to both CRY and Love & Literature.
We weren’t the only ones who thought this was a great idea. When we went searching for partners, the first organization we connected with loved the idea, as well. They saw the potential in what we were planning to do and were immediately enthusiastic about the possibilities.
So let us introduce you to the Wealthsimple Foundation. Wealthsimple Foundation is a registered Canadian charity on a mission to make post-secondary education accessible to everyone in Canada. They share the same values as we do and have a passion for the advancement and empowerment of young people. They are our official partners so get used to them. We’ll be collaborating in a lot of different ways on Teens Love Lit.
How Teens Love Lit Will Work
OK, let’s get to it. How exactly will Teens Love Lit work and what can you expect?
It’s pretty simple; just keep checking your email every Sunday like you’ve always been doing. Each story will be from a different teenager sharing a part of their life that had the biggest impact on who they are today.
Our first round of stories will feature stories from teens living in Toronto Community Housing. Their lives are the most vulnerable in our city and their voices the most marginalized, so we thought we’d shine a light on kids from neighbourhoods that don’t get much positive attention. These stories are meant to offer different perspectives and open up the narrative about the type of people who reside in these communities.
That’s it! Simple right? We’re really excited to bring you a new round of storytellers. We hope you continue to enjoy reading as much as we enjoy sharing these stories.