Q: What prompted you to create Asian Avenue Magazine?
A: When I moved to the States 20 years ago, I volunteered for many community organizations in Denver. Over the years, friends would always ask me to recommend good Chinese restaurants, acupuncture clinics and other Asian businesses. I could see that American interest in Asian culture was growing. But there was not a resource available to meet this need.
My background in mass communication and experience working as a journalist for a magazine in Taiwan, combined with my strong desire to serve our community, inspired me to launch the first issue of Asian Avenue Magazine.
Q: What went into the first issue of the magazine in terms of investment, time and distribution?
A: Ten years ago, I began planning for the magazine. However, the timing wasn’t quite right: The Asian community at that time was much smaller, and my three children were younger. So at the time, I was unable to fully devote my time to the magazine.
For the first issue in July 2006, I invested a lot of personal time and finances. My children (two in college and one college graduate) all stepped up to help with the creation of the magazine.
Q: Why did you feel Denver needed Asian Avenue Magazine?
A: The recent census showed Colorado’s Asian population grew 27.3 percent from 2000 to 2006. This increase was more than any other ethnic group in Colorado. The group is very diverse, but we have few organizations or resources to bring together all of the different ethnicities.
There are many great Asian publications in Colorado, but none are in English and most of them only serve a certain ethnicity: Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean. So I wanted to create a magazine that included all Asian cultures to help bridge Asian and mainstream interests.
Additionally, the magazine provides information about American culture and events which, in turn, helps our Asian readers gain insights that may have been otherwise overlooked. The magazine is a bridge that promotes understanding of differences.
Q: How does the magazine contribute to the Asian community in Denver?
A: Our feature stories aim to bridge Asian and mainstream interest. Some past topics have included the Dragon Boat Festival, Asian adoption, second-generation Asian-Americans, meditation and cross-cultural marriages.
We have four departments, including Mile High Society, which profiles local Asian businesses and distinguished people in the community. We have interviewed Mayor (John) Hickenlooper, Gov. (Bill) Ritter and Secretary of State (Mike) Coffman.
The magazine also has an on-scene section, dining features and reviews and an Asian Explorer department.
Q: What does it cost to advertise, and how many magazines do you publish monthly?
A: Advertising costs depend on the dimensions and frequency, but our prices are much cheaper than other local newspapers and magazines.
We are a free monthly magazine with a circulation of 10,000 copies, distributed to more than 450 locations ranging from the Denver visitors center and DIA (Denver International Airport) to library branches in Denver and Boulder.
Q: What plans do you have for the magazine?
A: We plan to add business tips on how to do business with Asian countries and also hope to attract more second-generation Asian-American information. We would like to become the 5280 for the Asian community, the No. 1 resource to all Asian cultural aspects in Colorado. We have also begun planning to partner with local organizations to host and collaborate on events. For instance, we are organizing a Miss Asia teen pageant for young ladies in the Mile High area.
Q: Why do you continue to do it?
A: Although it is a challenge to maintain funding for the magazine, I feel the contribution we are making to the community is worth more than the business aspect. Creating this magazine requires more than a business mind-set, but you must be passionate about its purpose. There will always be tough days. But I remind myself about our mission to spread cultural awareness and anticipate the further growth of the magazine.
Edited for length and clarity by Elizabeth Aguilera
