Letter From the Editor: July

Hi, it's me again (lol). I'm still alive, I think. Sooooo, for some context: in the past few months, I moved cross-country, was in the Philippines for a month, I moved, I separated from my partner of over five years, I moved again....and then I moved again. To say I've been in transition is an understatement. IDK if there's some wild shit in my chart but it's literally N E V E R a dull moment over here. Yet through all the chaos, the constant thing that spirit reinforces for me is to trust the process and know that shit's really all gonna be chill - even when it's really not.

I feel so grateful for the community that's built up around Hella Pinay; that y'all still rock with me through inconsistent content, actually read my monthly outing-my-own-bullshit Dear Diary letters, reach out to me with kind words, and make me feel seen and heard. As someone who self-proclaims to not really f with social media, the very real connections it's brought to my life have been priceless and irreplaceable. Tbh, my personal goal for 2018 was to get more comfortable putting myself out there, so for those who caught the segment on GMA, I was on TV! So weird, I never thought anyone would be interested in my story and much less want to air it for millions to see. So like, thanks guys. For real for real.

We got LOTS of big things in the works that will be unfolding the rest of the year. We're starting our first big event next month at a super dope space in Oakland so Yay Areaaaaaaaaa - get ready. I'm also putting this out into the universe mostly to hold me accountable for all the work that needs to go into it, so here it is: WE ARE WORKING ON A PRINT ISSUE. I'm a big book nerd and will alwayssss love the feel and smell of paper, the excitement of opening a brand new book or magazine like a present - and I hope you guys feel the same!

As we get into the peak of the hot months over here in California, the issue that always comes up for us is the colorism bullshit. From being told not to stay outside for fear of getting dark to being praised for being puti (and therefore, "attractive"), I've always wondered - how do we make it stop? We're going to be finally airing this issue out over here in the next month, so stay tuned. And whatever your shade - fuck the haters, you're hot shit, rock it!

<3 Steph