Dear NüVoices community,
Thank you for your continued patronage and dedication to the important work NüVoices is conducting. We hope this finds you well this season.
The volunteer team at NüVoices has continued to hum along and produce a series of timely and thought-provoking content. The small but mighty team has produced dozens of new podcast episodes, commissioned and edited several pieces published in our online magazine, NüStories, and was represented by NüVoices board member and editor of NüStories, Jessie Lau, at a journalism conference in Perugia, Italy where she shared best practices and learnings as a volunteer-led network and community.
We could not do this without your monthly donations. To provide continued transparency, we’ve updated our statistics on where your donations have made the most impact (TL;DR 60% to podcast production; and 10% apiece to the Online Magazine, Web Hosting, Events & Trainings, and Mentorship Programs) – with 0% overhead as we are currently completely volunteer-driven.
Lastly, the NüVoices Board held its annual election in its last quarterly meeting and we have a dynamic group of Board members and volunteers to whom we give our deep appreciation.
Without further ado, here’s a wrap-up of notable events in the past few months, as well as a look-ahead to upcoming events:
✿ Thought leadership: Read about (and watch!) NüVoices Board Member Jessie Lau speaking at the International Journalism Conference in Perugia on the rise and transformation of women’s online magazines and platforms along with fellow panelists, Teen Vogue Editor-in-Chief Versha Sharma, and former Head of Editorial at gal-dem, Suyin Haynes, moderated by Senior Digital News Editor at The Local Sweden, Emma Löfgren. Jessie shared insights on building an audience, sustainability, and growing the NüVoices network.
✿ Podcasting: While the podcast team is on a well-deserved summer hiatus, check our latest episodes – and complete archives – that you may have missed, Including some of our rotating co-hosts celebrating our 100th podcast episode back in July 2023 , and episodes featuring new book debuts (we always want to celebrate these as part of our founding mission!) including Kaitlin Chan’s new graphic novel, Eric’s Sister, Fuchsia Dunlop’s latest book on Chinese food history, Invitation to a Banquet, NüVoices member Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian’s Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World , and Clarissa Wei and Ivy Chen’s new Made in Taiwan cookbook.
✿ NüVoices Chapters spotlight: Our Taiwan chapter, active on LINE, recently co-hosted an in-person event on cross-strait relations in Taipei with the Taiwan Policy Center and New Bloom magazine entitled, “Listening to Taiwanese”. To join our Taiwan chapter, contact us at nuvoices@protonmail.com.
Separately, our Toronto chapter was launched last March, and in quick succession, hosted a joint online event with University of Toronto Munk Center of Global Affairs & Public Policy: “Transnational Repression Problems and Solutions When Foreign States Interfere.” You can watch the full recording here.
✿ Mentoring: We ended our Spring 2024 podcast season with a special collaboration between NüVoices and four students from the University of British Columbia’s Human Rights in a Globalized World class. Over the course of last semester, these students conducted interviews and tied their research into their coursework. Many thanks to UBC and course coordinator Gaylean Davies for working with us. You can find their episode, episode #115, here.
✿ Industry Recognition and Awards: We are late to announce this to our patrons, but NüVoices was honored last spring by the Coalition for Women in Journalism in recognition of public service, and specifically for our volunteer work to support China-focused journalists around the world. The award jointly recognized the “intrepid and courageous” journalistic work of NüVoices founder and vice-chair Joanna Chiu on China over the last decade. Joanna accepted the award on behalf of NüVoices at an awards gala in Toronto, where she announced the launch of NüVoices’ new Toronto chapter.
✿ Community News: Documentary filmmaker Jessica Chan’s new doc Surf Nation chronicles Chinese surfers. Here’s more from the filmmaker: “Filmed in 2019 at the Olympic surf headquarters in China’s southernmost province, Surf Nation showcases the lives of young athletes training for Olympic glory. The documentary follows the journeys of Alex, 17, and Lolo, 22, over two years as they train with the team, and discover what they want their lives to be. The documentary premiered on Season 7 of public media’s WORLD Channel on Thursday, July 18th, 8 p.m. Eastern, a week before the Paris Olympics. It’s a coming-of-age film that explores modern youth in China, gender roles and navigating pressure and individual pursuits in a culture that values collective achievement. Reach out to the filmmakers at publicity@pacificaveproductions.com if you’d like a screener link or to set up an interview or find them on instagram www.instagram.com/surfnationfilm.
✿ Upcoming Events: We’re pleased to partner with Accent Sisters, the Chinese women-led literature and translation group, in New York for a book launch event for Yue-Sai Kan’s new book The Most Famous Woman in China and How She Did It at the China Institute in America on August 13, 6-8:30 PM. More from the event organizers themselves: “The evening will feature a panel discussion with Yue-Sai Kan, Xiaoyu and Princess of Chinatown, representing three generations of female creators, entrepreneurs, and influencers. Moderated by Na Zhong and Jiaoyang Li, the conversation will discuss women’s relationships with beauty, fashion, power, and money. Guests will also experience a curated exhibition of antique Yue-Sai Wawa (Chinese dolls), a mini live fashion show showcasing new Chinese fashion stars, and a book-signing afterparty with snacks and music inspired by Chinese beauty. Join us on Tuesday, August 13 for an unforgettable night of conversation, food, and fashion as we honor Yue-Sai Kan, the most famous woman in China who continues to inspire strength and beauty in us all. The event will be conducted in English.”
A few of the NüVoices New York-based members will be there, and we look forward to meeting you!
✿ Finally, tell your friends about our Patreon and Paypal donation button (https://nuvoices.com/) , located on the homepage of our website. We appreciate your continued support of our work. You can write to us at nuvoices@protonmail.com or find us on social media. Don’t forget to like, subscribe and rate the NüVoices podcast.
(A version of this letter was sent July 20, 2024 to Patreon donors)