Q&A: Lithium Magazine
COVERING ALL THINGS CULTURE - Lithium has created a space for youth to talk about, well, just about anything they’re experiencing. Creating content by the younger generation, for the young generation, allows Lithium to create an authentic and strong bond with their audience. With a team from all over the world, Lithium highlights both the unique and shared experiences of growing up and exploring. With plans to work on their next print issue, Lithium always keeps a flow of content going and continues to expand. Read below to learn more about their inspirations, upcoming plans and more.
LUNA: For those unfamiliar, can you please introduce Lithium?
LITHIUM: Totally. Lithium is an online and print publication designed to offer a space where young people can talk about everything they’re experiencing and encountering—sex, politics, mental illness, identity, money—without being censored.
LUNA: What ultimately led to you creating Lithium?
LITHIUM: In my freshman year of high school, I was reading a ton of teen magazines and was incredibly dissatisfied with what was available to me. It felt like a bunch of twenty-somethings trying to sound like they were my age—to use young people’s vernacular and mimic what they thought we were wearing and saying and doing. At the same time, I saw some of my friends starting smaller zines on Instagram and I wanted in.
LUNA: Who is the team behind the magazine?
LITHIUM: We have just over 100 staff members from 17 countries and 25 states! I work with 13 other editors and then dozens of writers, photographers, artists, and graphic designers.
LUNA: What have you been inspired by lately?
LITHIUM: I love the work Crybaby, Pure Nowhere, and Uniquely Aligned are doing. I also generally get inspiration for pieces I want covered from the publications I read—Playboy, The New Yorker, Vice, Teen Vogue, and The NYT.
LUNA: Lithium is a partner of Adolescent Content, which does amazing things for young creatives. What are some of the benefits of working with Adolescent?
LITHIUM: We get to pay our staff members for their pieces through our partnership with Adolescent, which is so amazing. I also just love pushing the envelope with the essays and photo series we’re cross-publishing.
LUNA: How do you stay motivated in your creative endeavors?
LITHIUM: Knowing that people care about what we’re doing and are invested in it helps. On our staff applications there’s a question about what Lithium means to you, and I have a whole folder of screenshots of people’s responses on my laptop.
LUNA: What do you love about your audience?
LITHIUM: They’re incredibly smart, vocal, creative people. I feel like most of our readers submit to us at some point, too, which makes it feel really interactive and genuinely collaborative.
LUNA: Do you have any dream collaborations / features?
LITHIUM: I really just want to work with more zines and brands in general.
LUNA: Why is it important to have a community for young creatives?
LITHIUM: I think these communities—particularly those of zines—are like really massive group chats. When a writer or photographer shares what they’re experiencing and enduring through their work, they pretty much always find that people relate to them more than they’d expected. Zines help young people start conversations they might’ve been uncomfortable or skeptical to start in other formats.
LUNA: If you could share any piece of advice for those wanting to start a zine or creative project, what would you like to pass along?
LITHIUM: Send cold emails. Wordpress is better than Blogger! Do something that isn’t being done yet. Work with friends. Publish pieces you would’ve wanted to read when you were 16, and be picky about what you publish. Let the zine grow with you.
LUNA: In what ways would you like to see Lithium expand?
LITHIUM: More print issues and events in new cities!
LUNA: How are you taking care of yourself during quarantine?
LITHIUM: I’ve watched 47 movies so far and have been reading more.
LUNA: Do you have any upcoming plans / goals you’d like to share?
LITHIUM: We’re starting to work on a new print issue (!) and I’m looking to plan events in NYC and LA once quarantine lets up.
