DEAR TEEN ME Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves

Julia Whelan and MacLeod Andrews narrate a collection of letters from authors to their teen selves, with Whelan reading those of female authorship, Andrews those of males. Most letters are about 4 minutes, but a few are over 12 minutes. The material illustrates that while the experience of being a teenager is universal, there are infinite incarnations of the specific pains and longings, losses and victories. In particular, hearing Whelan recount such a wide variety of girls having issues with body image and eating disorders brings the commonalities alive while leaving the listener feeling not so alone. The magic of the production, however, lies in keeping each story and character fresh and distinct, a feat in the face of so many stories told in such compact form. A.M.P. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2013]