A young writer has launched a magazine from her Blackbird Leys bedroom, thanks to backing from the Prince's Trust.
Ex-Cherwell school pupil, Kohinoor Sahota, has started The Book, an entertainment and lifestyle ‘bible’ for students. The 25-year-old won backing from the trust after pitching her plans for a bi-monthly magazine that makes arts and culture accessible to people from all types of backgrounds.
The Prince’s Trust gives practical and financial support to projects which can help individuals or the community.
She said: “Eighteen to 25-year-olds often get a negative representation in popular media. But The Book is written by young people, for young people.
“It engages with the good and bad and is unafraid to feature an ethnic minority on the cover and address provocative issues.
“It also embraces the new digitally minded generation with reviews on music videos and downloads rather than albums, blogs as well as books, and street art more than exhibitions.
“It’s like a mission that we are on to make arts and culture accessible to a young and diverse audience.”
In addition to 20 pages of reviews on music, film, stage, art, gadgets, and blogs, the first edition features former Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland and articles questioning whether university is still worth the money, and “Hoodies, the history behind the hysteria: how they went from medieval monks to grime star Chipmunk”.
Ms Sahota said it has always been a dream to edit her own magazine, and since graduating from University College London, has interned at and had articles in a number publications including the Times and Vogue, Time Out London, the Guardian and City AM.
The initial editions will be available free through universities in London, but Ms Sahota said she and her team of nine eventually plan to circulate it around her home city of Oxford.
She said: “I can’t wait to bring the message to Oxford.
“When I was a child I would make magazines for my family, friends and at school.
“It’s difficult to believe that I have produced this. I feel really pleased with myself.”
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