Word! is an arts-oriented online magazine written by and for young people. Smart, fun and rather quirky, we aim to entertain people, provide a niche for young writers and  hopefully, provoke a little thought in this world of sheeple.

August 12th, 2008

Letter from the Editor

Hello, and welcome to the very first issue of Word! Looking over these pages, I feel  so excited and truly grateful to all the people who helped me and this zine get to this point. My parents for their unquestioning support, my close friends for their support, constructive criticism and for bringing me down to earth when I needed it. And of course, my talented contributors–I didn’t exactly write this zine myself. I can’t thank you guys enough.

A sarcastic voice in my head is reminding me that this isn’t my Oscar speech. A few more word!s, if you’ll pardon the pun. Word! is an arts-oriented  online magazine written by and for young people. We’re generally smart, fun and rather quirky. Our aim is to both entertain people and provoke a little thought among a generation accused by many to be the dumbest thus far (although the same has been said of previous generations for millennia.) Most of all, we try to provide a niche for young writers and like-minded young people to share their ideas and showcase their writing.

A couple of people did ask me why I bothered to start this at all. I was an unlikely candidate. I’d never even written for a school newspaper; I’m more of a dreamer than a doer and am pretty technologically challenged into the bargain. But I love to write,  had free time this summer, and most of all,  wanted to be able to point to something with pride and say, “I did that.” A month or so ago, I got a bunch of books on web design at the library and got cracking.

At the risk of sounding like a corny motivational speaker, I’d tell any reader to follow their dream and be  the change they seek, however hard or unattainable that goal may seem. There are too many young people with big ideas who give up on them and just go and play Guitar Hero  because they’re afraid of failure, or worse, indifference. That fear is daunting, I don’t deny it. But as I write this, it definitely seems like something worth overcoming.

I’ll stick a cork in it and let you read now. Enjoy, and tell us what you think!

Sarah Mathews

Editor and webmaster

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