Tell us about Aspen & Steel. What is the publication about and what does it aim to achieve?
Aspen & Steel was launched in October 2021 as an online youth magazine / platform. It's a platform for all young people in Oceania to express their thoughts and opinions on issues that are important to them. We cover everything from education, sustainability, wellbeing, COVID-19, sexual health and community, just to name a few! The platform was created to be a safe space for young people to say what they think, as young people’s opinions are often suppressed and underrepresented in mainstream media.

What sort of content do you publish, and how often?
We publish all sorts of content which includes, but is not limited to, articles, opinion pieces, poems and short stories. We publish them as they come in and have found this is the best way to do it. Most of our contributors are students and everyone has other commitments in their lives, so we aim to be fairly easy-going with the publishing of articles. Also, we focus on quality over quantity, so we work closely alongside our writers to create content that is important, relevant, and entertaining for our readers.
 
Who’s reading Aspen & Steel?
Our main demographic is young people, both men and women, between the ages of 16 to 25 in the Oceania continent.
 
What are the issues or trends you're excited about covering in 2022?
We have recently started a new series where we dissect larger issues happening overseas (e.g. the Russia / Ukraine conflict) and explain them in an easy-to-understand way. We have found a lot of our readers struggle to keep up with bigger news corporations as they cover the frontlines of these issues. We're excited to simplify it, so that way everyone can be informed of current affairs across the world. We're also hoping to create a podcast this year which is super exciting!
 
How can PRs work with Aspen & Steel? What makes a pitch stand out?
We are always open for pitches, just flick us an email and we'll reply as quickly as possible! We really admire pitches that come through from a unique perspective, and perspectives that differ from mainstream media. We also enjoy interviews with people who are doing awesome things, and opinion pieces relating to issues affecting the Oceania region. We are always open to new ideas!
 
Any editorial deadlines to be aware of?
Nope! We work through articles as they come in, and as many of our writers are students, we are very lenient with editorial deadlines.

Answers submitted by Sophie Steel, Founder / Editor-in-Chief at Aspen & Steel.