The Teen People podcast hosted by Anna Soper launches its second series of ten episodes in January.
The podcast talks to people who were involved with the magazine, which was published between 1998 and 2006. It mimicked its parent publication (People) in many ways, but set itself apart, with what it described as “real teen content”.
Host, Anna Soper is a British-Canadian in Canada. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from OCAD University (formerly Ontario College of Art and Design).
In 2008, she spent a term at the Glasgow School of Art, on a study abroad programme. Then in 2016, she graduated from Western University with a Master of Library and Information Science degree and is now working as a librarian.
Two years after completing her master’s degree, Anna bought her first house. After the move, unpacking a box of old books and magazines from her teenage years, she found a dozen issues of Teen People magazine. This discovery is what eventually sparked the idea of a podcast about the title.
Anna says: “Teen People mentored young journalists through its News Team; an early remote-working opportunity that gave Team members some of their first by-lines.
“Teen People’s Trendspotters were a global network of readers; some of whom were featured in on-location ‘street style’ photoshoots published in the magazine. Instead of booking professional models for fashion and beauty shoots, Teen People scouted teens at schools and shopping malls; casting ordinary teens “with a good look”, in the words of one assistant who spoke with me.
“It shared resources (books, websites, freephone numbers) to support readers—whether they were experiencing addiction, chronic illness, or other challenges. On that point, Teen People’s former Entertainment Director, Zena Burns, told me they were mindful that, at the time, “not everyone had unfettered access to the internet.” The magazine’s editors knew Teen People could be a reader’s “lifeline”—probably not hyperbole when you recall life before social media and smartphones.”
Anna’s collection of the magazine also includes survivors’ stories of the Columbine attack which, she says, would sadly resonate with many young people in the USA today.
Although she found it fascinating to look at the celebrities featured in the magazine and to see how they’ve grown into adulthood (even middle age, in the case of some of the older celebs!), as she sorted through them, began to wonder what all the ordinary teens were up to.
“Since Teen People published their full names, ages, and locations, I figured it would be easy to find some of them online, and it wasn’t long before I located many on Google, Instagram and Twitter,” says Anna, “I initially thought I’d like to make a documentary film to connect with these people and find out how life was going (somewhat like the Up! Series, but with Millennials and Gen Xers), but I am not a filmmaker, so I didn’t see a way forward for the idea at the time.
“During some time off from work at Christmas in 2019, I decided I wanted to take steps towards making this project a reality in the coming year. However, when the Canada/US border closed in March 2020, I knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
“I’ve been an occasional podcast listener over the years, so once we went into our first lockdown, I decided to turn this project into a podcast. (A bit ambitious, considering I’ve never created and hosted a podcast before, and have no experience in broadcast journalism!)
“I reached out to my first guest, and she responded within an hour! Then I sent more emails, built up a list of people who wanted to speak with me, and booked time over Zoom to chat with them, one-by-one.”
In season one, Anna spoke to former interns Diana Maciel, who was working as Forever 21’s Creative Director when she was interviewed and Caron Levis, now an author who teaches at the New School in New York.
She also spoke to Kelly McWilliams, who published her first novel as a teenager; former Teen People News Team member Lisa Wong Macabasco, who now works for Vogue and writes for The Guardian; Dr. Joe Normandin, a neuroscientist and university lecturer who was featured in a 1999 article about LGBTQ2+ youth and Preston Drum, a Minneapolis-based artist and arts educator from Charlotte, North Carolina.
In the second series, Anna speaks to her first Canadian guest, Dr. Ben Barry, who was honoured on Teen People’s list of 20 Teens Who Will Change the World.
As a teenage boy in Ottawa, Ben founded a successful modelling agency for models with diverse body types; before shifting into academia as an adult. He previously held a faculty position at Ryerson University, in Toronto, and is now Dean of Fashion at the Parsons School of Design in New York City.
She also interviews Jaya Saxena, who is a Senior Writer at Eater.com. Jaya was quoted in a Teen People article about New York City’s best record stores (remember those?). Anna connected with Jaya just before her 35th birthday, and she reflected on this milestone as she shared her teenage memories.
Kerisha Harris works in corporate communications and was a Teen People News Team member in the late 1990s. She told Anna about the role her high school teacher played in kick-starting her career in journalism and communications, after he encouraged her to apply for the News Team.
Although not a journalist, Anna says: “I am particularly intrigued by the notion that one premise (in this case, my guests’ involvement with this now-defunct teen magazine) can become a platform for discussions of diversity and racism, coming-of-age, gender identity and gender norms, and our shifting media landscape.
“All of my guests have shared nuanced insights on these topics. One guest called my podcast “serious cultural anthropology”!
“I’m motivated by that core question, where are they now? It’s enormously gratifying that my guests are willing to share their stories with me—a stranger—and to fill me in on those details of how life has unfolded since they were in Teen People magazine.
“It’s been a delight to meet my guests (who seem very happy to natter with me about their teenage years, and their memories of Teen People), and I hope to keep this project going.”
Season two of Teen People launches on 9 January 2022, with new releases every Sunday, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, and other podcast apps.
