We informed Julian Morris, a SASA student, that the Michigan Banner aimed for an update on his teen magazine, S.W.A.G, that earned local headlines in January when he launched his eye-catching product online.
“I wanted to be the next Steph Curry,” he began our May 25 interview, “but my mother said that in case that doesn’t work out, I needed a Plan B, so I started my own magazine.”
We interrupted and asked Julian why he was repeating almost the exact same basketball-star quote that he had offered last winter to the Saginaw News and to TV-5, but the first-year editor and publisher denied that he was deploying a memorized sound bite.
He responded, “I still have my Plan A, and that’s still to be the next Steph Curry.”
B-ball team tryouts will be scheduled near October 20th, Julian’s 14th birthday, after he begins his freshman year this fall at the Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy.
His mother, Denita Dorsey, and his father, Nathaniel Morris, have seen proof that their son has not been sidetracked by the sports dreams that occupy so many young minds.
Julian has honored his promises to more than 400 paid subscribers ($4.99 per issue; $49 per year) by promptly publishing on deadline each month under the S.W.A.G. moniker, which stands for “Students With A Gift.” The covers appear as polished as People Magazine, for example, or Ebony, or Newsweek. He started with his own exclusive reporting, but as a true team player he has recruited a staff of three student peers and a pair of adult mentors.
“I’m glad that it’s still going,” he says, “and that I’ve been able to get more people involved” in the production.
Make no mistake, Julian may have launched his magazine on sort of an impulse, isolated by covid with time to kill, but prior study habits ensured that he was prepared when the time came. His parents offer thanks to educators at SASA and previously at Handley School’s Program for the Creative and Academically Talented, which have enrolled the youngster in a curriculum that emphasizes global studies and language arts.
“He’s always been a voracious reader,” his mother says, pointing to the example of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series that features fantasy adventures with a teen-age super hero.
As for basketball, Denita and Julian are regular TV viewers, often picking different sides for rooting. She’s a Lebron James fan, for instance, while her son still hasn’t forgiven King James for knocking off Steph and his Warriors (including Saginaw’s Draymond Green) in the 2016 Finals, when the future journalist was a mere 8 year old.
S.W.A.G topics have ranged from basic, how students can cope with covid-19, to creative, such as how Mothers Day was established in the first place. His interviews with local leaders have included his pastor at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, the Rev. Marvin Smith. On a larger scale, his big scoop so far has been Jemele Hill, a Detroit-born sports journalist of outspoken note. And his June 13 edition will feature Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist.
The Lansing connection took root last February, when his initial publicity caught the eye of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her aides, and she invited him to speak during an online Black History Month youth event.
He shows a streak of capitalism, vowing to one day “build a media empire.” At the same time, his social heart shows with formation of a nonprofit, “For Julian’s Sake,” dedicated to boosting underprivileged children and teens.
Classmates may somewhat think of him as a nerd, Julian concedes, “but they like the magazine a lot, and I’m trying to show them that there is something else they can do, instead of wifi and video games.”
Learn more about SWAG Magazine at theswagmagazine.com, or email therealswagmag@gmail.com for more information.
