Kiki magazine Collaboration

We have followed Kiki magazine for years (likely for four years, since its inception) – and have loved every issue! It’s a fabulous publication for girls 9-16. The articles are fantastic; the projects are loads of fun; the girls are real girls; and the design and layout is spot-on. It’s smart, stylish, fun and ad-free. The editors hold true to their tag line: for girls with style and substance.

Their mission and ours are very closely aligned… and now we’re collaborating! This summer, girls from both our Curious Jane and Blue Tree programs will have a chance to contribute writing and design work to their early 2012 issue!

As a girl, perusing the magazine aisle at the grocery store or book store, my first choice was always Sassy magazine. I don’t remember thinking ‘why’ – I simply gravitated to it; it appealed to me much more than the other glossy magazine for teen and tween girls. The subscription I looked forward to most was the annual reader-produced issue. Girls from all over the country – girls like me – spent a month producing a full issue in their own words, ideas and images.  And then, one day, Sassy was not on the shelves any more. It was gone.

Much later, reading the book Manifesta as an adult, as a mom, I learned that Sassy lost to advertiser pressure. Companies pulled their ads because the magazine used real girls, not models, and the publication folded.

A few weeks ago, I received an email in our camp inbox, from Amy Mauch, the marketing director at Kiki. I immediately replied letting her know that I adored the magazine and would love to share it with our girls. This sparked a phone chat with Jamie Bryant (editor) and Amy, and we’ve put our minds together toward further collaboration.

I also learned the magazine grew in a way similar to our camp programs. Jamie, involved in academic text publishing, flipped through the magazines her teen daughters were bringing home and thought “I wouldn’t allow a guest in my home to speak that way or share that type of conversation… why should this magazine?” And thus Kiki – a smart, stylish, gracious guest, one that any family would welcome into their home – was born!

I highly encourage you to visit their site or pick up a copy of their magazine. If you decide you would like to try it out, Kiki has extended a 50% discount to our families. To download the subscription form from our site, click here. And do keep your eyes peeled for next year’s issue (with our girls’ work) and other future collaborations. Cheers!