A zine for Asian diaspora, by Asian diaspora.
This project is now closed.
Thank you to all of the contributors, supporters, and staff for making this zine possible! We raised a total of $1060.35 USD for 5 Asian community focused organizations. Below is a chart showing the total breakdown of our supports' donations to each organization.
About the Project
Hi! I'm Ren and I'm currently a business management student in my final stretch of classes. This zine is a community project I am coordinating as part of my business management course. This means we will be on a considerable deadline, but I know that in the time we have we can make this into something meaningful.
As an Asian American woman, I have been anxious and heartbroken over the violence and tragedies affecting Asian diaspora communities. Personally, I feel that what we need right now is to be humanized, to exist outside of a narrative. My goal with this project is to share stories from our lives that center us as people first and foremost.
About the Title
For too long, we have merely been cherry blossoms, a simple, idyllic image easily reduced to a decorative motif. You think you see us on the doors of Chinese restaurants, the edges of a travel pamphlet to Tokyo, the polyester craft-store scroll gathering dust above your fireplace. Before spring is even over, the delicate pink petals fall to the ground to be trampled. You don’t see the billowing green leaves and bright, bitter fruit in the summer, or the stark snow-bearing branches in winter. You also don’t see the bright, curling petals of the flame-of-the-forest in India and Pakistan. You don’t see the cascading golden flowers of the Ratchaphruek tree in Thailand, the fragrant clusters of blossoms of the ashoka tree in the Himalayas, the changing canvases that are the rainbow eucalypts of Indonesia and the Philippines.We are here beyond our ephemeral blooming periods. We are not just your cherry blossoms. We are here, together, always.
Focus of the Project
Among the Branches centers the lives of Asian diaspora. We believe it is important to showcase the day-to-day details of Asian lives, not just amazing successes and terrible tragedies. Like tree branches that support blossoms, fruit, leaves, and snow in turn as the seasons pass, Asian diaspora communities live out a broad, ever-changing range of experiences, not just the visible extremes.For our Asian peers, we would like this zine to be a space to decompress amid the constant rush of negative news we’ve been living through. We want this zine to make you feel like you’re not alone.For our non-Asian peers, this zine is a reminder that we are people -- and that should be more than enough of a reason for you to care about us. The beauty of our lives is more than our communities’ achievements; the value of our lives is more than the loss and violence we have endured.
For Contributors
Submissions Now Closed
Theme: Existing as an Asian diaspora.
Anyone who identifies as Asian or has Asian heritage is welcome to contribute.
I encourage you to create something inspired by the little joys or mundane aspects of your life. You are of course welcome to create pieces inspired by your great success or saddest moments, but I would love to focus on our humanity and existence as everyday people.
Any piece of art in a digital format such as an illustration, a piece of writing, poetry, or photography will be accepted. Contributors are more than welcome to submit a piece they’d made previously as long as it fits within the theme.
The button below will take you to the page that has the submissions form. It also contains the technical guidelines so please read carefully!
Submissions Now Closed
Examples of
Potential Contributions
An illustrated memory of your favorite cultural tradition or holiday.A short essay musing over a moment with your family over your favorite meal.Your favorite piece of clothing from or inspired by your culture.A poem about your relationship with your cultural identity.A short comic about a time you felt closer to your culture.
Submissions Now Closed
Submission Guidelines
Technical Requirements
FILE NAME
Please title your file
artistname_title
If you have multiple files, number them like so:
artistname_title_1
artistname_title_2 ...If you are adding a translation (see our rules for multilingual pieces) please title it like so:
artistname_title_translationYour submission may be rejected if you do not follow these requirements.
For IMAGES (illustrations, photography, etc) SEE EXCEPTION IN NEXT SECTION
▻ Size: No larger than 2250 x 3000 px, see format guide below
▻ Format: PNG or JPEG
EXCEPTION: Graphic novel pages (comic)
▻ Size: Standard Letter size (8.5 x 11)
▻ MAXIMUM 2 PAGES.
For TEXT (written pieces, poetry) (SEE EXCEPTION BELOW)
▻ Max word count: 1000
▻ Format: DOC or DOCX
▻ Please use this guide (https://www.maketecheasier.com/convert-google-docs-to-word/) if you need help converting text files from Google Docs.EXCEPTION: poetry that is meant to be formatted in a certain configuration (eg. diamante poems, other)
▻ You may submit, in addition to the DOC/DOCX, a PDF file as reference for how the poem must be formatted. Our zine volunteers will ensure that the formatting of the final piece matches this reference document.
Content Requirements
No fanworks: Please note that on account of the zine's theme, we will only be accepting original content. You may reference trademarked or copyrighted material in your piece as long as it falls under the U.S. copyright principle of Fair Use.
Write about your life.
The work needs to be original and focused on your experience as someone of the Asian Diaspora. You are welcome to reference others in your life or fictional characters as long as the core of your work is focused on this theme. Do not write on behalf of someone else, or tell their story when it does not intertwine with your own.
Multilingual content
We will only accept multilingual pieces if less than 25% of the piece is in a language other than English. This is so that the admin team can effectively review all works for triggering, hateful, and exclusionary content.Contributors submitting multilingual pieces must provide a separate document translating the non-English elements so that the admin team can review it easily.We appreciate the importance of non-English and bilingual writing and art to the exploration of Asian diaspora identity, and we hope to have the editing resources to include these pieces in future volumes of Among the Branches.
For Supporters
Thank you for your interest in supporting this zine! Please follow our Twitter and/or Instagram for updates on distribution.
Before you order, please take a look at our list of organizations below, make your donation, and have your proof on hand!
How zine distribution will work:
Please Note: This zine is entirely digital. There will be no physical copies distributed.Below is a list of Asian community/outreach organizations. You must make a donation to one of these organizations. Minimum $5 is recommended, but any amount qualifies you for the zine. Once the donation has been made, please document the donation with a PDF receipt or full screen screenshot as proof of donation.After our team manually checks your proof of donation, you will receive a PDF of the digital zine through email.
While sales for the zine are now closed, we encourage you to continue to support these and other POC focused organizations!
Organizations:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ)
Advancing Justice | AAJC is a national 501 (c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 in Washington, D.C. Their mission is to advance the civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all. Working to fight for Asian American civil rights through education, litigation, and public policy advocacy.
National Asian American Coalition (NAAC)
NAAC is the nation’s leading Asian American nonprofit advocating for homeownership affordability, for greater economic growth focusing on the underserved communities, for small business development and for advancing the growing economic and social power of Asian Americans nationwide.
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Organization (NAAPIMHA)
NAAPIMHA's mission is to promote the mental health and well being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Since its founding, this organization strives to raise awareness of the role of mental health in an individual’s health and well-being, especially in Asian American Pacific Islander communities throughout the US.
ASPIRE
ASPIRE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Boston. The organization is entirely run by volunteers, who are passionate about supporting the professional and personal growth of Asian American women. Their mission is to engage, educate, and empower Asian American girls and women to become effective lifelong leaders.
Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP)
LEAP is a national, nonprofit organization, with a mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) through leadership, empowerment, and policy. The organization dedicated to cultivating a robust pipeline of leaders by encouraging individuals to assume leadership positions at work and in the community, and ultimately, to become role models for future leaders.
FAQ
How much does the zine cost?
The zine will be distributed on a donation basis. Supporters must donate a nonzero amount to an Asian community or outreach organization and provide proof. We will provide a list of suggestions closer to publication.Will contributors be compensated for submissions?
No, this is exclusively a volunteer project. All proceeds go to Asian community and outreach organizations.Can I submit multiple pieces?
Due to a high volume of submissions, each contributor can only submit one piece. However, a written piece meant to accompany a visual piece (or vice versa) can be accepted as one submission.Can I submit collaborative pieces?
Yes. Be sure to cite all collaborators on the contributor form.Can I submit works that I have already posted elsewhere?
Yes.Can I submit fan art or fanfiction?
We are not accepting fanworks, only original art and writing.Will all submissions be accepted?
Unfortunately, due to high interest, we may not be able to accept all submissions. Submissions will undergo a brief selection process. If we produce additional volumes of Among the Branches, you will be able to resubmit pieces that didn’t make it into this volume.Can I submit pieces in languages other than English?
We ask that you limit non-English text to less than 25% of the piece. Please view the content requirements in Submission Guidelines.What are the sizing and format requirements for art submissions?
Please view the technical requirements in Submission Guidelines.
