LittleWren is a teen magazine with a difference – there are no articles on eye make-up or tips on what to wear on a first date.
Instead, the biannual, created by two University of Queensland alumni, focuses on empowering young women to think about the world around them and ways they can create change for the better.
Founders Sonya Gellert and Georgia Lejeune met while studying a Master of Arts in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at UQ.
After bonding over a shared love of magazines, they found themselves discussing the lack of options for a younger audience.
“We both felt that there was a lack of quality reading material for teenage girls, and we wanted to do something about that,” Ms Lejeune said.
“We also wanted to provide an opportunity for young writers, photographers and creatives to have their work published.
“The magazine is for young women with curious minds, who want to find out more about the world than how to get a great beach bod.
“Hopefully there is a pocket of young women out there who are hungry for something more.
“We want to foster these positive attributes and encourage them to go forth and follow their dreams.
“We also want to showcase talented women around Australia and provide young women with a variety of positive role models.”
The first edition launched in November, with another due next year. An associated blog, The Nest, is gaining traction.
Articles include a profile on UQ graduate and Youth Without Borders founder engineer Yassmin Abdel-Magied, an interview with a teenager who will soon be profoundly deaf, a recipe to make your own pickles and a story on an alternative hairdresser.
“The feedback from young women has been really positive,” Ms Gellert said.
“The intelligence and creativity of the teenage girls we hear from almost daily is incredibly impressive.”
The pair credit UQ’s Master of Arts in Writing, Editing, and Publishing program with giving them the skills to create the publication, which also includes articles on and by other UQ staff, students and alumni.
“We gained a lot of knowledge from the course and had the opportunity to interact with other like-minded people and learn from industry professionals,” Ms Gellert said.
“If it weren’t for UQ, littleWren wouldn’t exist. This collaborative project has proven to be a fantastic opportunity to see the skills we gained through this course put to practice.
“UQ has equipped us both with the knowledge to navigate the world of magazine publishing with confidence.”
For more information about studying at UQ, visit the future students website.
Find out more about littleWren here.
Media: Georgia Lejeune, hello@littlewren.com.au, 0431 317 096; UQ communications, Katie Rowney, Katie.Rowney@uq.edu.au, 3365 3439.
