If you're feeling a little confused about another Homeschool Crew review on my blog, you're right. I'm not on the Crew this year. But they needed a few more families with high school students to review the Aletheia Writing Magazine, and we were asked to join in on this one review.
Aletheia Writing Magazine is published by Nick and Stephanie Muzekari, who are Christian homeschooling parents. This husband/wife team created Aletheia in order to "offer Christian teens a healthy platform in which to express themselves." The quarterly magazine is designed specifically for Christian teens, ages 13-19, allowing them a place to publish their writing (fiction, poetry, non-fiction and book reviews), artwork, and photography.
Click green cover to view a sample issue!
Aletheia publishes 4 issues per year. Each issue of the magazine is printed in full color, with 40 pages containing the following special features:
- Writer's Challenge
- Featured Contributor
- Stories and poems contributed by teens
- Book review
- Interview or helpful article
- Ancient Ink (quotes)
- Glory to God for the Beauty of Nature (photography submissions)
I enjoyed the colorful, quality print magazine when it arrived. It was interesting to see the different contributions from Christian teens. I admit that I was a bit disappointed that it didn't offer more articles for teens about how to develop their writing. However, I realize that isn't the purpose of the magazine, since the Muzekaris developed it to provide a publication opportunity.
Though I admire Aletheia's goal of encouraging Christian teens' creativity, my 16 year old daughter wasn't as impressed with the magazine. Primarily, she wasn't interested in reading the writing of other teens. I think that younger teens may be more interested in subscribing than older teens, though I hope that older teens continue to submit their work to offer good examples for the younger writers. My 12 year old daughter, who dreams of being a writer, enjoyed Aletheia. I think my 16 year old would have enjoyed it two years ago, as well.
The Muzekaris have posted some helpful writing tips for teens on their website, as well as submission guidelines for the magazine. There are also downloadable badges that can be shared on blogs and websites to help promote Aletheia. I especially like the badges that teens can post showing they've been published in Aletheia.
You can subscribe to Aletheia for $26 per year in the United States and $29 in Canada. There is an email address on their subscription page to contact them for pricing in Europe. Don't forget to take a look at their free sample issue.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this magazine free, for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review, and this is my honest opinion. To see what other Crew members have to say about this magazine, please check out the Linky Tools list at the Crew's Aletheia post.
