At the front row of a fashion week show, among the many poised faces, there once sat an ornately dressed preteen whose unabashed self-expression couldve been described as courageous, naive, or both.

Though her wild, keen sense of fashion launched Tavi Gevinson s career -- which the now 19-year-old writer and actress is still defining -- it was clear even then that her ability to express herself boldly and artistically would only continue to grow and change along with her.

Among her many creative endeavors -- Tavi is the editor-in-chief of Rookie.com, a site dedicated to teen-centric interviews and personal essays, and she recently starred in a Broadway play called This Is Our Youth opposite Michael Cera -- perhaps the most personal is her annual collage-like collection of articles and photos, Rookie Yearbook . There are four in total, meant to mimic the progression of actual high school yearbooks. The fourth is out today, and hinges on the positive aspects of growing past your teenage years -- which is fitting, considering Tavis frequent reflections on growing up herself.

Rookie will still be for teenagers even as I continue to get older, she said in an interview with The Huffington Post. As I get older, its less about, What am I going through and how do I write about it? Its more about how to use my power to highlight other peoples voices and make a good space for them.

We talked with Tavi about getting older -- and how to stay optimistic rather than cynical along the way. We talked, too, about conversation writing, gritty photos, and why adults shouldnt worry about reading YA, because everyone should read whatever the hell they want.

Nostalgia is a theme that runs throughout the Rookie yearbooks -- you spend time with each reflecting on your progress. What is it about nostalgia as a theme that you enjoy?

I dont know, I have lots of theories as to why I constantly feel like the world is coming to an end, and why I feel like I need to review everything and memorialize it. In a way, I wonder if its almost generational in that were able to so immediately reflect on things as theyre happening to us. So maybe its just that Ive written about my life every day as its been happening, either on my blog or Rookie or in a diary. So maybe I just snap into a set of rose-tinted glasses very quickly or something. I literally talk about this in therapy, Id love to know why Im so fixated on it.

The fourth book, Im excited about because I really feel like its not so mournful about growing up as the other ones. Its more celebratory. Its a lot more optimistic, and Im really pleased about that. I think when I was younger I felt, as many of us do, like Holden Caulfield. Like, when you grow up, your heart dies. And the adult world mars you. But I dont feel that way anymore. I think it was getting out of high school that allowed me to imbue this last book with that sense of optimism.

For sure. I think its important for women in particular to not value their youth more than other parts of their life.

Yeah. High schools hard and I never wanted to romanticize or glaze over just how innately, physiologically, biologically painful it can be to be between the ages of 13 and 18 or whatever. I never wanted to brush over that. So maybe in trying to acknowledge that, a lot of my writing was a little more cynical. I feel that the fourth book acknowledges that part of being a teenager, but it looks outward a lot more, too. Theres a lot about just the world, and life.

Since you started Rookie, have you noticed the tone of conversations about teenage girls changing at all?

Now I pretty consistently see articles about young women who have something to say. Its like me, Amandla Stenberg, Lorde, and other people. Take that for whatever its worth. I dont know how much weight to give an article like that.

I dont really care about the adult conversation about teenagers, but I hope teenagers and readers of Rookie feel, if not taken more seriously by adults, then at least a little more comfortable with themselves and connected to each other.

The tone of Rookie articles is often more conversational than most essays or interviews. Was this intentional? And why do you think its important?

I knew in the beginning I wanted it to be informal, but that wasnt, like, a stretch. I didnt have to very consciously make that choice, I just had to let myself write the way that I write, which was very much the way that I talk. And that does change. Ive been working on something this year -- I dont know what it will be, but its probably not right for Rookie. The tone is a lot more controlled. I like having a place to try that, too. So its sort of conscious but its also organic.