Slant’d started two years ago, as a magazine right here on Kickstarter. We were excited to share our stories—the scandalous ones, the controversial ones, the embarrassing ones, the sacred ones—and reflect the beautiful complexity of Asian America.
Three issues and a lot of soul searching later, we’re back and ready to give you more: More stories. More community. More connection. More activism.
As a magazine, Slant’d gave our community a voice, it helped us feel seen—but the real magic happens when we gather IRL. Culture is meant to be experienced, so we’re reintroducing Slant’d as more than a magazine. We are a collective—made up of diverse experiences, bonded by a shared purpose, and built from the ground up for us, by us.
Our reintroduction is also an invitation for YOU to join us in our form of activism. The future of Asian America is bright—and it’s ours for the taking. Help us today and together, we will build the community that Asian Americans want, need, and deserve.
Since day 1, we’ve been a completely volunteer-run organization, powered by passion and the belief in something bigger than ourselves.
By backing Slant’d today, you’ll help us transform from a passion project to a sustainable business. Your contribution will enable us to tell more stories, host more events in more cities, induce more food comas—and pay our people!
All funds raised through this campaign will go towards:
UPDATE: Now that we’ve hit our original goal of $25,000, you can help us unlock stretch goals:
Slant’d is a reality thanks to this amazing team of volunteers who are passionate about magic of storytelling and community. With your support, we’ll get one step closer to transforming this side hustle into a full-time hustle for all of us.
You are invited to join The Collective: an ongoing membership program that celebrates the vibrant spirit of Asian America.
Come experience the stories and connections that can only be found through The Collective. As a Member, you’ll be a trailblazer, helping to co-create and cultivate the community that Asian Americans want, need, and deserve.
As a small business on a mission to make a big impact, our membership program will be critical for transforming Slant’d into a business that thrives for years to come.
Membership includes:
For those who are new to Slant’d, we publish an annual anthology-meets-art book filled to the brim with personal narratives about the Asian American experience as told by our diverse community.
This isn’t your everyday magazine; this is a collection of gut-wrenching, heartwarming, and provocatively told stories that you’ll not only want to consume on the subway, but also display on your coffee table and pass along to your friends.
Through our signature mix of personal essays, poems, art, illustration, photography, Issue 03 (theme: Taboo) openly dives into topics like self-pleasure, drugs, intergenerational trauma, tattoos, the adoptee experience, and grief—and ultimately celebrates the freedom that comes from challenging long-held beliefs around who we are and how we came to be.
Magazine specs:
A big thank you to our brave storytellers: Andrew Kung, Cyrena Lee, David Lai, Janelle Tan, Janine Kwoh, Jeff Deng, Joyce Chen, Kenji Kuramitsu, Kitty Hu, Kristen Liu-Wong, Lauren Gonitzke, Lori Bailey, Lulu Cheng, Mike Fu, Quinn Leong, Rumi Hara, Shanshan Chan, Tiffany Lo, and Xiao Mei
Co-creation is part of our DNA. We work hand-in-hand with every writer and artist on the magazine AND we design merch with different Asian American makers. We’re already in talks with some amazing brands and are excited to bring you new and fun ways to rep Slant’d everywhere you go.
For example:
We loved the artwork of Linh-Yen Hoang so much that we created phone and laptop wallpapers for you to enjoy every time you go to check the ‘gram.
We designed a set of four (4) exclusive Slant’d postcards with Asian American artists Bianca Ng, Felicia Liang, Laenz, and Travis Suzaka so you can share the love with your friends and family.
That’s not all! Our Head of Merchandising, Amber Luan, has been dreaming up some new merch for 2020 inspired by other brands we love. BONUS: All Members (existing and new ones who join during Kickstarter) can vote on what swag we create!
Slant’d proudly supports and co-creates with other content creators, cultural institutions, and community organizations—because we’re all stronger together. Some of the many partners we’ve worked with to produce life-changing content and experiences include:
“When I think of Slant’d, I think of a community of Asian Americans supporting each other in their art and lifting each other up. Every time I’m with them, I feel warm, safe, and inspired. As a community, we can continue to grow and create spaces for Asian Americans to thrive.” – Sarah S., TAP Community & Advocacy Chair (New York)
“Getting the opportunity to hear a range of incredibly moving and heartfelt stories from the Asian American community at their Issue 02 launch party empowered me with the vocabulary to reflect more compassionately about my own Chinese immigrant upbringing, an experience that I have either often overlooked or, more tragically, dismissed for much of my childhood. Because of Slant’d, I met a host of very inspiring and courageous people from the Asian American community—people who, through their work and art and values, relentlessly challenge and redefine the historical narratives of what it means to be Asian in today’s fractured America. Slant’d is a tower of inspiration and I’m exceptionally proud to be a member of its loving community. ” – Irving R., comedian and writer (San Francisco)
“I am half Japanese and growing up I never really felt like I had a community or strong sense of self. I didn’t have people in media to look up to and I often enabled hurtful stereotypes projected on me from friends, not knowing they were wrong. Slant’d has shown me that other Asians feel this way. Slant’d has helped me feel like my voice matters and I feel more proud to be who I am. Most importantly, Slant’d helped me take control of the narrative of my ancestry’s history.” – Nadine B., Slant’d super fan (Los Angeles)
As featured on:
Learn more about Slant’d at slantd.media and stay connected by following us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) and signing up for our mailing list.
MAGAZINE
Risks are fairly low. Issue 03 is on the presses, but it’s possible that printing or shipping may be delayed. Fortunately, our printer (The Prolific Group) is awesome and we’re confident that you’ll still receive your magazines on time. Any delays will be communicated ASAP.
COMMUNITY GATHERINGS
For 2020, our events are limited to SF, LA, NY, and Denver, but we hope to expand soon. In the meantime, we’re SO excited to meet you IRL! The frequency of our events will depend on the amount of funds raised. If we fall short of our goal, then we’ll limit the amount of events to what feels feasible for our scrappy team of volunteers.
MERCH
We have ideas brewing, but we need funding to bring you that coveted Slant’d swag. If we fall short of our funding goal, then production will be put on hold until we secure another source of funding in 2020.