As a magazine that cares about all facets of Asian American life, we welcome both fun and serious writing. As long as it's well written and solidly reported, we're very open. Bonus points if the story takes place in the South or Midwest. Asian America doesn't exist only on the coasts, you know.

We are interested in issues that affect Asian Americans, but, please, no Asian American Studies 101. We are also interested in tangentially Asian American stories, in quirky stories, and in stories about emerging artists rather than established ones.

We're looking for writers who can depart from the predictable daily-news structure and tell a story well, with keen observations and strict accuracy. We welcome investigative reporting as well as literary journalism, thoughtful pieces as well as tongue-in-cheek ones. Craft proposals for articles that would interest our readers, provoke dialogue and enrich our readers' learning experiences. Articles must be jargon-free and attributable to unassailable sources. We frown upon clichés and embrace original thinking. We prefer articles rich in color and driven by narrative scenes.

Keep in mind that Hyphen readers range in age from early 20s to mid-30s, but they share an intellectual curiosity that was fused and fueled by their experiences as Asian Americans. This restless curiosity fundamentally shapes our consideration of articles for Hyphen.

Hyphen is an all volunteer run organization and we have very limited funds to pay contributors. However, we recognize that your contribution is invaluable to the community. To that end, starting November 2018, we will be paying writers $25 per piece upon publication unless otherwise noted.

We don't have many rules, but here are a few. Ignore them, and your submission will be rejected:

• Do not send ideas about people and events in Asia unless they convey something about the Asian diaspora that resonates with the Asian American experience.
• Absolutely no reprints, though substantially revised or expanded stories will be considered. This means don't send us something that has already been published elsewhere.
• Do not pitch us a story about a conference. There is nothing more boring than a story about a conference.
• Don't send us anything that uses the phrase "East meets West." Just don't.