JANUARY
In Japanese, the way to wish someone “Happy New Year” is to congratulate them. Some years, it really can be a victory to see the dawning of a new year; when I look back on 2009, I can honestly see that those kinds of (seemingly hollow) victories have set me up for present and future victories. Brace yourselves: this month’s Letter from the Editor is going to be a bit personal.
Every year is filled with challenges, hardships and, more often than any of us would like, tragedies. In 2009 I dealt with a bad breakup, unemployment, frequent sickness in the winter months and a pretty major health scare during the summer. I was a writer struggling to get some kind of recognition from editors and having zero luck with job ads in any field. And it was a good year.
No, really! While I’ve definitely had ridiculously hard years in the past, I don’t mean that this year was good by some low standard I’ve crafted due to precedent. It’s because I can now see that those difficult years have really changed my life and have brought me to where I am now, not because of some cliché someone told me but because I really do see for myself that things have worked out that way. When the aftermath of those challenges, hardships and tragedies faded, I was left with a turning point, though I couldn’t see it at the time. A lot of those things I faced were out of my control, but through perseverance (and support from friends and family) I won the opportunity to fill in the blanks of my own life from there.
To illustrate this point, let me share with you a brief summary of my most terrible years: read more…
The Talking Twenties has issued a revised mission statement in light of our second anniversary. You can read all about our views and what we hope to achieve here in the ABOUT section. We hope it’ll inspire you to stick with us for year two and enrich our Blogzine with some thoughts of your own!
DECEMBER
Collage by Beenie, Text Formatting by The Editor
Happy First Birthday, TT!
December 1st marks the first anniversary of The Talking Twenties Blogzine. You’ll notice we have a new look to commemorate the start of our second year, and have undergone a lot of changes since our debut in 2008. For that reason, I’d like to share some of our goals with our readers for our little blogzine’s second year.
In one year we’ve seen two face lifts, a few category changes, a handful of guest articles and the establishment of two regular “staff” writers (well, plus me). We have just a few Twitter followers, and 26 fans in our Facebook group. We’ve also gotten a Contributing Editor (Julienne) out of one of our writers, and I’m perpetually thankful for the guidance and general use as a sounding board which she has graciously provided.
Any new publication has some kinks to work out (like our Cover Design contest for this issue that didn’t quite work out), but when I look at how many articles we have I feel proud of what we’ve accomplished so far. But we are sooooo, SOOOOO not done!
To date, we have almost 3,000 hits. By the second anniversary I’d like to see that number reach at least 7,500, with weekly publication to encourage regular viewership and bring more great articles to our readers. I also hope to see the addition of 2-3 regular writers, more user participation through comments and one-time or occasional article submissions, the purchase of a domain name/blog upgrade, and further incorporation of other types of media, including more photography, artwork and video. I’d like to generate more interest and bring in the thoughts of more individuals who may not feel as comfortable writing as our regular staff, but who can still express themselves through media like guitar, video or short film, poetry, and by weighing in on what will be our monthly polls.
As previously mentioned, we’ll be adding photography and artwork, plus some very short fiction and poetry entries, to our blogzine in our second year, with submissions opening up this month. We’re especially looking for image entries (photography or artwork) in .jpg, .gif, or .png format (max width of 700px and height of 550px to keep image size down; we may ask you for a larger file later if your submission is accepted) that we can publish with our articles, in addition to stand-alone pieces.
And about those monthly polls…
My plan for year number two is to create a series of polls titled “The State of the Twenty-Something: 2010″ which will ask site visitors between the ages of 20 and 29 how they are living and what most concerns them in the coming year. I hope everybody will take a moment to weigh in when a new poll question comes out each month.
We’ll see you then!
With thanks,
–keito, The Editor
December 1, 2009
On December 1st, 2009, The Talking Twenties will be celebrating its first birthday! We’ll be putting on our best threads for the event, with a new look to the blogzine and a specially designed blogzine “cover” for the event (sadly, not a product of the contest).
We hope to see you back here Tuesday!
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Something every 20-something should know about
This Friday, November 13 is To Write Love On Her Arms Day, a day to show support for those struggling with depression and/or addiction.
According to To Write Love on Her Arms, a non-profit that helps those fighting these problems that devastate both individuals and those who care for them, 2/3 of those with depression never seek treatment, and that depression often results in substance abuse or anxiety. There are 121 million people around the world who are currently fighting depression, and millions more searching for ways to help their loved one or show support.
More about TWLOHA:
“In February 2006, [Jamie] Tworkowski wrote a story, a glimpse into a friend’s life and her first steps to recovery from drug addiction, self-injury, and depression. The story, titled To Write Love On Her Arms, along with the t-shirts Tworkowski printed to help pay for his friend’s recovery, started a movement, not only within his local Orlando, FL community, but one that was swiftly embraced by people everywhere. Many bands (Paramore, Thrice, Anberlin, Switchfoot, Bayside, The Almost) quickly picked up the message, informed their fans, and started finding new ways to donate to the cause and help out.
“Since 2006, the TWLOHA team has responded to 100,000 messages and emails from people in need. These messages have come in from more than 100 countries and TWLOHA has also been able to donate $600,000 directly to treatment and recovery. The TWLOHA website and Jamie’s blogs have become a source of hope and encouragement for young people all over the world.”
To show support for those struggling with these serious problems that affect entire families, friends and all of society, please visit the Facebook Event for To Write Love On Her Arms Day and the TWLOHA website.
– The Editor
The contest to design the cover of the December anniversary issue of The Talking Twenties will go until November 25, 2009. All entries should be sent to thetalkingtwenties.submissions(at)gmail.com. Some stipulations:
- The image size should be 375 x 500
- Acceptable file types: jpg, gif, png
- Please do not send images of more than 600 kb
- Include your name or pseudonym with each entry, and the e-mail address by which you wish to be contacted
- Image files should be titled “December09cover_(your last name or pseudonym)”
- OK to submit up to two entries; add a number 1 or 2 on the end of your file names if submitting multiple designs to differentiate
- All entries should contain the text “The Talking Twenties” and “December 2009.” Other text is optional
- The ideal entry expresses twenty-something culture, life, or the problems facing the twenty-something age bracket
- No sexually explicit content, please
- Please obtain the permission of any recognizable human art subjects used in the work before submitting, as The Talking Twenties will not be responsible for any complaints, lawsuits or Facebook de-friendings that you may be afflicted with, should you fail to do so
- By submitting, entrants agree to allow the indefinite use of their image in whole or in part for the website header, sidebar, and anywhere cover art for The Talking Twenties may be posted, including on any cover art or art pages of the Blogzine, the December Letter from the Editor, and on The Talking Twenties Facebook, Twitter and deviantART accounts; however, the image will not be posted outside of these venues without acknowledgment of the artist who created it
- Rights revert to the artist after publication
- Payment is in the form of high praise, bragging rights and a publication credential only
- The name (or pseudonym) of the winning artist will be announced on Facebook, Twitter, deviantART and, of course, The Talking Twenties Blogzine on December 1, 2009. The winning artwork will be posted on December 1, 2009, along with a matching website header derived from the winning work
Good luck to all entrants! The winner will be decided by multiple judges and contacted via e-mail prior to publication of their work.
