The Ave. Magazine
Tree House publishes a local magazine, The Ave., written and designed by Tree House kids. The product of weeks of challenging and imaginative work, The Ave. is not only a magazine, but a unique piece of art. Often humorous and always earnest, The Ave. reflects the perspectives of Tree House kids and makes their voices heard. The publication is created through a collaborative process of weekly magazine workshops, which host guest artists and provide an opportunity for children, teens, and adults to create writing and art projects together. Magazine Workshop is held every Wednesday night from 5:30 to 7:00pm.
Since 2008, Tree House Books has distributed over 1500 copies of The Ave. With the publication of this magazine, the neighborhood speaks!
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
—Maya Angelou
Previous Publications
The Ave.: Volume 4, Issue 1
Our 4th edition of The Ave. contains work from our Magazine Workshop that was compiled from February 2009 – October 2009. The theme for this edition was studying various African-American art forms and creating work in those styles. Students wrote their own blues, jazz, and rap lyrics, designed African masks and countries, and created art collages in the tradition of Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden.
“That saxophone is so pretty and gold it makes me want to fold.
I love that soothing sound and that ancient story it told.
Dang! Why did it have to be so gold?
It’s as shiny as a star
and as pretty as a million dollar Ferrari car.”
- Shaqujan, JSM, age 13
The Ave.: Volume 2, Issue 2 was created during the Tree Shade Summer Program where Tree House kids were asked to envision the future of their neighborhood. The ideas and artwork that sprang from what they imagined became part of our mural in the Tree House backyard, and it’s also the cover art for this issue!
The goal of Summer 2009 was to explore North Central Philadelphia and figure out what it means to live here in this particular place and, then, to imagine its future. The program was divided into three journeys, each with its own individual focus:
Voice of Philadelphia: the kids set out to capture the voices that make up their surrounding community. We focused on the sounds we heard in the community, everything from the birds chirping to the cars speeding past. Tree House campers used digital recording equipment to physically capture these sounds. They traveled to Center City for an interview with Sharif Street, a former Diamond Street resident and the son of former Mayor Street. The campers recorded Mr. Street’s voice and his feelings about the community. From the interview footage, campers created their very own podcast to share their understanding of the neighborhood.
Voice of Creativity: this unit was dedicated to finding artistic inspiration in our own neighborhood. We traveled to beautiful sites such as the Magic Garden, the Wagner Free Institute of Science, and the Uptown Theatre to uncover ways in which our imaginations could be stirred.
Voice of Me: the final unit took everything we learned throughout the program and applied it to our own lives as well as to the future of our community. Campers wrote and performed monologues, mailed postcards from their future selves, and created a mural of what they envision the future neighborhood to look like.
Each day, the campers, along with our dedicated volunteer staff, gained knowledge and personal power, strengthening their voices. This issue is the culmination of nine weeks of laughter, hard work, and discovery. We believe you’ll enjoy bringing this unique magazine into your home as much as the Tree House kids enjoyed imagining it!
“I see a sign, and a blue background, a red brick wall. It also reminds me of my mom because she always gets her hair done at 15th and Susquehanna. There is also a sign and a traffic light. They look like they’re from 1985 and made in a factory.”
—Christian, JSM
The Ave.: Volume 2, Issue 2
The Spring 2009 issue begins with Tree House kids and staff sharing stories about their lives by writing as though they’re sitting down and talking to another person. Subjects range from burned dinner, a local block, and feelings about Monday to imagining Barack Obama as the action hero Hancock. The collection also includes art stories, experiments, a bookmaking project, and the creation of the Tree House Story Quilt.
“My block is noisy, but at times it’s quiet. Kids run up and down the street, but at times there’s no one out. I see someone on the step and then the next thing I know, the block is full of children and people. And then as soon as I go outside, there’s no one around to play with.”
—Darren, JSM
The Ave.: Volume 1, Issue 1
The Spring 2008 issue opens with individual poems by Tree House kids and leads into “The Poetry Tree,” a 3-dimensional poem made up of contributions by everyone. Full of short stories, art, photography, and mixed media pieces, the very first issue is a glance into the formation of the spirit of the magazine. Through a collage of Tree House voices and poetry mixed with prose, the very first issue of The Ave. sets the foundation for a unique publication based upon collaboration and imagination.
“It was an ordinary Wednesday afternoon when ALL OF A SUDDEN two people came into town and saw a guinea pig in Tree House Books! The people started petting the guinea pig and he begin to GROW! He got bigger and bigger and turned into a mutant! The guinea pig’s name was Galileo.”
—Galileo Goes Looking for His Mom, a collaborative effort
