Support HYPHEN!

'Tis the season to give! And to share some holiday cheer and direct good karma your way, Hyphen's Food & Agriculture Editor Nina Fallenbaum Ichikawa writes to you, dear Hyphen readers, about how you can help keep Asian America's only print and online mag going strong. Thank you for your continued support -- there's no way we could do it without you!

December 2013

Dear Hyphen Reader,

When most people pick up Hyphen, they’re impressed. In this age of 140-word blurbs and the “list-ticle,” Hyphen insists on journalism that is intelligent, subversive and fresh. We expose the ridiculous and dig deeper into the mundane. We refuse to accept one-dimensional portrayals of Asian America in the mainstream media. We’re immensely proud of the risks we take – visually, creatively and politically.

This is Hyphen’s philosophy, and if you’re receiving this you’re probably aware of our penchant for strong opinions and wicked commentary. But we don’t talk much about what goes on behind the scenes to create the only national print and web publication serving Asian America. Mainly, it takes a lot of money. We could be modest and humble and say everything’s just fine. But we’re speaking up: we can barely afford each print run, which is why you’ve probably noticed fewer copies of the mag in your mailboxes. We need help from supporters like you to stay afloat and more importantly, to keep growing. We want to reach new audiences, in new formats, with new storytelling and fresh talent.

The Food and Agriculture section, which I launched, could not have lived at any other magazine than Hyphen. In print and online, we’ve covered GMO labeling, pioneering Chinese American grocers and the politics of Yelp. In other sections of the magazine, we’ve tackled the effects of immigration policies on Asian American communities, the rise of plastic surgery and female egg-donation. No one else is telling these stories, much less from an Asian American perspective.

If you donate today, your money will support:

Issue 28, “The Future,” on newsstands April 1, 2014
A total overhaul of our website, with timely content and a completely new look
Our signature event, the Mr. Hyphen contest, to be held April 14, 2014 (save the date!)

Your donations will also support:

$250 one short article

$500 one illustrator or photographer per story

$5,000 cost to hold our Mr. Hyphen contest

$8,000 cost to print one issue

$11,000 cost to upgrade our website’s content management system

$25,000 total cost to upgrade code and design of our website

The following donations will win our love and the following thank you gifts:

Award	Donation Amount	Hyphen Thank You Gift
Piano Recital Winners	$20 & up	The next print issue of Hyphen
Spelling Bee Champions	$50 & up	The next print issue + Hyphen-designed illustration prints and cards
Class Valedictorians	$100 & & up	All of the above + a Hyphen-designed tote bag
Presidents, Popes and Poet Laureates	$250 & up	All of the above + enrollment in one of Hyphen’s community workshops (must be in San Francisco, CA to enroll)
M.D.	$500 & up	All of the above + two VIP tickets to the next Mr. Hyphen contest
Nobel Prize Winners	$1,000 & up	All of the above + a date with Hyphen staff members who will take you out for the day (must be in San Francisco, CA to receive gift)

Please help shore up our finances and enable us to continue telling the important stories of Asian America. On behalf of our incredibly hardworking team, thank you for reading, commenting, attending and donating. You’re the reason we do this.

Warm holiday wishes,

Nina Fallenbaum Ichikawa

Food & Agriculture Editor