Where Are the Boy Writers? | Teen Ink
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Where Are the Boy Writers? MAG

August 31, 2011
By Kevin Cronly BRONZE, Spring Valley, New York
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Kevin Cronly BRONZE, Spring Valley, New York
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Since 1989 Teen Ink has been a place for teens to share their experiences, voice their triumphs, and convey their failures. But it may not be all it seems to be, because almost 90 percent of Teen Ink is written by girls.

I first noticed this when reading last February's issue. I noticed the first author was female, and as I continued reading that section I found that almost all of the authors were female. This alarmed me. I thought this trend rather strange because according to the U.S. government, the proportion of male to female teenagers in the world is almost even, yet Teen Ink is mostly female.

How can a magazine possibly supply teens worldwide with a literary outlet while almost excluding an entire gender? In short, it can't. And if Teen Ink continues this trend, I would suggest you change your name to Girls Ink.

P.S. By not publishing this letter you would be proving my argument.

© Kimberly K., Macomb, MI

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This article has 11 comments.

Canadotas PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 10 2014 at 8:50 pm
Canadotas PLATINUM, Harrisonburg, Virginia
24 articles 0 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.” --Albert Einstein

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Don't fret! You aren't alone! I'm a guy and I love writing, and I'm definitely not embarassed by that as other guys may be.
BloglessBlogger GOLD said...
on May. 29 2012 at 4:38 pm
BloglessBlogger GOLD, Somerset, California
10 articles 1 photo 67 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Don't let the fear of striking out keep keep you from playing the game."

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Us girls may just have been shunned for all time and found a way to show our power. Boys have gotten lazy because they have always been in charge and our allowing girls to sneak in through the front door and take their shine. Maybe you boys should try and do something that could help the world.

 

Is that the response that you were hoping  girl would give you?

CollinS. SILVER said...
on Feb. 20 2012 at 8:24 pm
CollinS. SILVER, Pinckneyville, Illinois
5 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
You've got to stand for somethin' or you'll fall for anything.
- Aaron Tippin

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I don't think it is as much about being in favor of girls, but instead the fact that girls seem to have more interest in writing and put more effort into producing solid works.
camohunter19 GOLD said...
on Dec. 15 2011 at 8:28 pm
camohunter19 GOLD, Sedro-Woolley, Washington
14 articles 13 photos 128 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Girls are so queer you never know what they mean. They say No when they mean Yes, and drive a man out of his wits for the fun of it." "Violence is never the answer! It is a question, and the answer is yes."

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HaHa yes! Noticing a lot of the pronoun "he" in the Love/Reletionships section. A lot less "she".
sunshine04 BRONZE said...
on Oct. 2 2011 at 2:41 am
sunshine04 BRONZE, Vindhyanagar, Other
1 article 3 photos 253 comments
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well guys write but i dont think that they dont submit  as there preferences are different but i have noticed that in chicken soup for teenage soul the book there i found a lot of stories by guys
Alice_in_Wonderland GOLD said...
on Oct. 1 2011 at 12:48 pm
Alice_in_Wonderland GOLD, San Clemente, California
16 articles 0 photos 620 comments

Favorite Quote:
“I could give up, I could stay stuck, or I could move on, So I put one foot front of the other, No no no nothing’s gonna break my stride, “ –David Archuleta (The Other Side of Down)

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This is an interesting argument and now that you mention it, I have noticed that too. I agree with you that more guys should write but I also agree with all the people who have posted comments about guys not being likely to write about their "feelings" and being more active and doing things like sports. More guys should be writers and it is good that you are standing up for this issue. I also think you should read articles by dxrider27. He is a guy and has really good articles on here. Great job! (P.S. have you noticed that a lot of the published writers in Teen Ink also live in New York?) :D
BreakMyEmotions said...
on Sep. 19 2011 at 2:50 pm

Well, if guys like to write, they can still go on TeenInk; there's always the anonymous option. :)

Maybe more girls just happen to join TeenInk; therefore, more of girls' articles and art pieces will end up in the magazine. I don't think that the editors and staff members really notice or care what gender the artist or author is purely because it doesn't matter as long as the writing/art has a high quality.

*shrugs* I don't really know. Just an opinion. :)

JoPepper PLATINUM said...
on Sep. 18 2011 at 1:37 pm
JoPepper PLATINUM, Annandale, Virginia
35 articles 0 photos 782 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Freedom is the ability to not care what the other person thinks."

"Not all those who wander are lost" --JRR Tolkien

"When you are listening to music it is better to cover your eyes than your ears." --Jose' Bergamin

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I don't wan't this to seem sterotypic but some guys don't want to be caught putting all their emotions on paper for others to see, they might think people will give them cr.ap for it. But I think that there being more girls on this website is a coincidence most  likely.
julian GOLD said...
on Sep. 11 2011 at 3:12 pm
julian GOLD, Eugene, Oregon
17 articles 17 photos 223 comments

Favorite Quote:
The goal is not about living forever, the goal is about creating something that can.

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I'm a guy, and I love to write! I submit to TeenInk all the time, but I have noticed that there are WAY more girls than boys on the site. What's up with that? anyway, congratulations on getting your letter published! I have a letter that I'm going to submit as well, so we'll see what happens. Maybe a girl will get published instead! haha, lol
little-miss-mistakes GOLD said...
on Sep. 8 2011 at 8:34 pm
little-miss-mistakes GOLD, Plano, Texas
18 articles 2 photos 70 comments

Favorite Quote:
even after all these years the sun has never said to the earth, you owe me... look at what a love like that can do, it can light up the sky

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they aren excluding guy writers for a reasomn, has it ever occured to you that most guys dont spend their time writing and reading on a lit. website. I thouroughly believe that more guys shold write because I think it is a great and constructive hobby, but it really isnt hard to believe that most dont? You said it yourself, there are mostly girl writers, that means more of the published writing will be by girls.... its a persons choice to post on here, instead of complaining about it to us, try getting more guys to write and publish!! this would even it out on here and add more new and great authors and artists, which is a win win
IAmWhoIWantToBe PLATINUM said...
on Sep. 2 2011 at 5:01 am
IAmWhoIWantToBe PLATINUM, Manila, Other
41 articles 0 photos 650 comments

Favorite Quote:
‎"I’m learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world: I run my world." - Beyoncé

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Well, there are male writers. Only, more ggirls write than boys. Boys prefer to do something actiave and it's not like them to... you know, write bout their 'feelings'. Anyway, there are published male authors and there are male in TI.