Sadly, I Was a Teen Beat Girl

From 1988 to 1994, Sassy Magazine offered a generation of teenage girls entertainment news, love and life advice, and a feminist perspective. Though its publication ended well over ten years ago, many of its readers remain devout fans - to the extent that two of them, Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer, have released the book How Sassy Changed My Life.

The book is tells the story of Sassy's history through interviews with writers and staff members. It examines difficulties the publication encountered with advertisers and the religious right, in light of its frank discussion of topics like teen sex, and how, in the face of such opposition, it persisted to create a new voice for women in the media.

Jesella and Meltzer are New York-based writers, who have worked previously for publications like The New York Times, Elle and Jane. This Saturday, Mew Gallery will host a reading and signing for How Sassy Changed My Life. Whether you're a diehard fan to this day, or wish the teen magazine of your generation had paid a little more attention to Sassy's legacy, this is an event worth attending.

Sugar Town and Mew Gallery Present
How Sassy Changed My Life, a Reading by Authors Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer
Mew Gallery
906 Christian Street
Saturday, May 5, 6PM
Admission is Free
All Ages

Image via Panopticist.