HYPHEN, what?!

I've never really heard about this magazine until it came up in class. Honestly, I was really suprised to hear about a magazine that consisted of Asian American artists, articles and stuff like that. Like, it wasn't as common as other magazines or books that portrayed "white" people or celebrities. Hyphen pretty much opened up my eyes to how involved Asian Americans are becoming especially in regards to media, and forms of art whether it be thru music, food, dance, etc.

One thing that really caught my attention was all the slang some articles used. I think that it was what made the stories have an impact on me. I mean, how often do you see the f word published on a magazine, a book, or something of that sort? Rarely. And so, that really did take me by surprise.

I also really like the magazine's cover art. It depicts both Asian and American aspects, values, and traditions. I like how Hyphen doesn't emphasize just one culture, but incorporates both in a mix. This helps show that although we, Asian Americans, strongly believe in traditional values we gained from our parents, we also have our own as we've learned and accomodated through our American habits and what not.

Lastly, I guess I can say that Hyphen's pretty much boosted my self-esteem when it comes to how much I appreciate my own culture, background and where I came from. It gives me the chance to explore who I am as an Asian American and learn that there's a community out there that shares what I feel and what I'm experiencing.

-Angel