Katherine Leung Talks About Her ‘Canto Cutie’ Zine, Which Celebrates the Cantonese Diaspora – Seven Days
Posted By admin on September 8, 2022
While walking among the Bookstock festival exhibitors lining the Woodstock green in June, I had an epiphany: The most vibrant literary magazine published in Vermont today is a bilingual, international art zine about the Cantonese diaspora. It's called Canto Cutie.
Founded in 2020 by Katherine Leung of Milton, the glossy, full-color, full-bleed publication boasts an event schedule more active than those of all the other lit journals in the state combined. All summer, visual artist and writer Leung has been tabling near and far, from Winooski Wednesdays to the Vermont Womenpreneurs Summit, and she'll be at upcoming book fairs in Boston and Los Angeles.
This is no hastily photocopied pamphlet. Canto Cutie, now in its fifth volume, brings together writers and artists from around the world in lushly designed spreads of poems, paintings, illustrations, photographs and interviews.
I opened my copy of Volume IV to these searingly good lines in "Birthmark," a poem by Claudia Yang: "to this day i / revert language of / post-colonial desire / where every glistening / freighter monsoons its threshold to / quench my pearls / daring to ask / of its origins."
Even the contributors' biographical notes are refreshing. Pca, a "multidisciplinary artist and hand-poking tattooer," writes that she's a permanent resident at the Franoise Tattoo parlor in Lisbon, Portugal.
I caught up with Leung by the Milton Public Library, where we talked about the zine's creation, the Cantonese diaspora and the layers of meaning dangling in her yeet hay earrings.
SEVEN DAYS: Have you been building this publication up as you go, or has it been a full-court press from the beginning?
KATHERINE LEUNG: It's been cooking for a long time. I have a background in university presses and working as a teacher and as a writer and artist myself, submitting to journals, hoping to get published. Those experiences made me want to start my own magazine, the way I would want to run it. The niche that we fill is for the Cantonese diaspora, which is what I identify as and what I felt there should be a publication to celebrate.
SD: I'm impressed by Canto Cutie's broad international scope. How do you connect with contributors?
KL: Mostly from submission calls. Our marketing is through Instagram, so over time I've relied on social media to get connected to artists and build relationships.
My own background is very international. I grew up in the U.S., and that's what I know. But, because of the Cantonese diaspora, I have family in Brazil, Singapore, Taiwan. I've always known that we're everywhere, not just in Hong Kong. I feel affinity with everyone who is Cantonese. We have a lot in common.
SD: I noticed that some of the artists' bios reference other publications, such as I don't want to mispronounce it...
KL: [Laughing] Oh, yeah! That's Zou Mat Je, a zine that popped up about a year after I started mine. There are a wide range of zines on every topic, especially identity and culture. Everyone loves to make little books, especially in the DIY and music scene. When I started out, I'd seen an Indonesian diaspora zine. While their diaspora is so different, I just loved reading it. And then I met someone Indigenous, from what's now known as the Louisiana area, and they have a zine about that.
SD: Do you mean Bulbancha Is Still a Place?
KL: Yes! I love that zine!
SD: Its front cover has a photograph of the statue of Andrew Jackson with his head severed, right?
KL: Oh, yeah. I'd met one of the editors at the San Francisco Zine Fest and was like, "This is the coolest thing." Same with the Indonesian zine Buah. But the Cantonese diaspora gets overshadowed by the Chinese diaspora. Cantonese is a minority language in China. There's over 40 different languages there. So, I think this might have not been a topic that people would make a zine of, because there's bigger, more dominant identities [such as] Chinese, Chinese American, Asian American.
SD: Canto Cutie is a perfect-bound publication with a pastiche of many things lists, dreams, recipes. Calling it a zine feels like a conscious decision. If it keeps growing, might you switch to calling it a magazine?
KL: A zine is an independent publication, and that's what this is. I fund it myself; I print it myself. It's just me on my computer. I don't want it to be as pretentious as a literary art magazine, where there's always some kind of drama, some toxic editor who lords over everything. This is collaborative, which I think zines really get to the point of.
Also, I wanted to remix the typical notions of how these publications work. Artists shouldn't have to sell their souls to be in something. There's no submission fee; I have a free version of every issue [online] that anyone can read. I try to translate as much as I can to make it accessible.
SD: Your insistence on the multilingualness, including different alphabets, translations I wish more literary magazines were hip to that.
KL: Well, most of our translations are interviews. I know what you're saying, because I love reading bilingual poetry when it's side by side, but we don't have that.
SD: Do you find it frustrating to live in one of the whitest states, or do you see Vermont as a headquarters of sorts for sending this zine around the world or how do you think about it?
KL: Hmm, that's a good question. I've lived in many places where there's a big Cantonese diaspora, like the Bay Area. San Francisco's Chinatown was founded by Cantonese immigrants; that's a huge center. But I've also lived in Tucson. I'm still Cantonese; I still want to do this work.
I also think about one of my favorite writers, Alexander Solzhenitsyn. He decided to live here, I think in Cavendish? A beautiful refuge. You need that as a creative, as well. I know I'm very privileged to be here.
Is this a headquarters for, like, Cantonese culture going forward? I don't think so! But in the face of the political climate in Hong Kong, and also worldwide right now, I feel very safe and happy making art here. To look out and see trees, snow.
Hong Kong is facing a mass exodus of thinkers, writers, professors, artists. Journalists, especially. The one-country-two-systems policy isn't working anymore, since the British handed back control. Hong Kong has always been on rocky waters, politically. Then, in 2020, there was a resurgence of unrest and crackdowns. Much of the concern right now is that the rule of law is shifting to the Chinese system, when it had been very safely in the British system for a long time: a cool, cosmopolitan place for people of different identities to live. But that's changing; a lot of people are leaving. So, to know that my diaspora is going through that, yeah. I do feel lucky to be in Vermont.
SD: I really enjoy how Canto Cutie insists on maintaining that perspective, as opposed to courting the white Vermont gaze. I never feel like Canto Cutie is catering to me.
KL: I feel like, if a Vermonter picks up this zine and asks themselves a real question, the zine is doing the job of educating if it invites someone to research more, learn more, read foreign news. For example, I provide the social media handles and websites for our contributors. If readers buy their art, read more of their poems, then I think that's the biggest win. That's the ultimate goal.
SD: Speaking of learning more: What do your earrings say?
KL: They're by an artist from Volume I, Brenda Chi. They say "yeet hay," which means "hot air." It's an Eastern medicine custom that exists only, as near as I can tell, in southern China and within the Cantonese diaspora the belief that there's a fire inside you at all times. The food that you consume can be categorized as cool air, which is good for your health, or hot air, which stokes the fire even more. When you eat food that's not good for you, like fried food, your body will feel it as pain, getting sick, sore throat. It's something that's very serious to Cantonese parents and also a joke between the diaspora, because pretty much all Western food is yeet hay. It's funny: "Don't eat that; it's yeet hay." It's also funny because when you hang out with your friends or drink alcohol everything fun is yeet hay.
More:
- Kenyans in diaspora tend to send more money home the weaker the Kenyan shilling gets - Business Insider Africa - March 27th, 2023
- Express View: Obsession with Khalistan seethes at the margins of Sikh diaspora, finds little resonance in Punjab - The Indian Express - March 27th, 2023
- Singers The Bala Boys on buying a one-way ticket to Chennai, the diaspora and working with a twin - The Hindu - March 12th, 2023
- Members of the Russian diaspora join global protests marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - Global Voices - February 27th, 2023
- It's with Great Difficulty That the Diaspora Builds a Home and to Pay Extra Tax if It's ... - Latest Tweet - LatestLY - February 25th, 2023
- Diaspora | social science | Britannica - January 27th, 2023
- Wheres the outrage? The silence of New Jerseys Peruvian diaspora to recent state violence is palpable. | Op - NJ.com - January 21st, 2023
- Rise of the Western Armenian Diaspora in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire by Dr. Henry Shapiro - Armenian News by MassisPost - January 12th, 2023
- EXCLUSIVE! Anoushka Shankar: Representation from the Indian diaspora in music has been increasing over the years abroad - Entertainment News ,... - December 23rd, 2022
- In Order to Ensure Safety and Security of the Indian Diaspora in Mongolia, Embassy of ... - Latest Tweet by - LatestLY - December 23rd, 2022
- Hakeem Jeffries likely to succeed Pelosi, will be a leader for Indian American diaspora: says Congressman Krishnamoorthi - ThePrint - November 19th, 2022
- For Iranians in the Diaspora, This Is the Most Important Moment of Our Lives - Jewish Journal - October 15th, 2022
- Georgia: Ukrainian diaspora to rally in Tbilisi Oct. 14 to denounce Russian invasion of Ukraine - Crisis24 - October 15th, 2022
- The chairman of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora is on a visit to Australia Aze.Media - Aze Media - October 15th, 2022
- More Nigerians In The Diaspora Should Be Awarded- Dabiri-Erewa - Heritage Times - The Heritage Times - October 15th, 2022
- When will the Diaspora and the Homeland embrace interdependency? - Armenian Weekly - October 12th, 2022
- 6 members of Kerala diaspora to be honored in NY | India Post News Paper - IndiaPost.com - October 12th, 2022
- Scottish Connections (diaspora) work: qualitative research - gov.scot - The Scottish Government - October 12th, 2022
- avuolu Urges His Compatriots In France For "coordinated Actions Against The Armenian Diaspora" - GreekCityTimes.com - October 12th, 2022
- Yvonne Orji Discusses the Importance of Supporting the Diaspora and Her New Special 'A Whole Me' - Ebony - EBONY - October 12th, 2022
- Taking Nigeria from Third to First World through its diaspora (3), By Sunday Adelaja - Premium Times - October 12th, 2022
- Hindu diaspora under attack: The rising trends of global Hinduphobia, attacks by Islamists and propaganda - OpIndia - October 12th, 2022
- A voice from the Diaspora: A culture of entitlement - Jamaica Observer - October 12th, 2022
- Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: From Leicester to New Jersey, the diaspora is reflecting the divisions of Indian politics - The Indian Express - September 21st, 2022
- Hispanic Heritage Month: The importance of Afro-Latinx identity in the diaspora. | Opinion - NJ.com - September 21st, 2022
- Tibetans Struggle to Save Their Language - Foreign Policy - September 21st, 2022
- NUP protests in diaspora threaten IPOD existence Todwong - KFM - September 21st, 2022
- Members of diaspora have always been admirable Indian ambassadors: PM Modi - The Tribune India - September 21st, 2022
- World loved her: Indian diaspora in UK mourns the Queen - The Tribune India - September 21st, 2022
- 'The Woman King' Cast Dismantle the Strong Black Woman Trope, Stress Community Across the Black Diaspora - Shondaland.com - September 21st, 2022
- Daylight Africa celebrates 20th anniversary of African Union in Gambia - The Point - The Point - September 21st, 2022
- Actor-producer is on mission to tell real-life stories about the Latino diaspora without stereotypes - syracuse.com - September 8th, 2022
- Arts On Site Presents The Diaspora Fest: A Celebration Of Black Performing Artists - Broadway World - September 8th, 2022
- Proxy Indians: Diaspora success stories should give rise not to rejoicing but to regret for talent lost to us - Times of India - September 8th, 2022
- People of Indian Diaspora including J&K have become most prosperous group in the world: LG - Greater Kashmir - September 8th, 2022
- UN Honours the Contributions of the African Diaspora - IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters - September 8th, 2022
- The Race for the Votes from BiH and the Diaspora begins - Sarajevo Times - September 8th, 2022
- The African Diaspora: We are family - The Voice Online - September 6th, 2022
- There is no institutional Connection between the State of BiH and the Diaspora - Sarajevo Times - September 6th, 2022
- Om Birla interacts with Indian diaspora in Paris, hails their contribution in India's growth journey - Devdiscourse - September 6th, 2022
- Nagar: For most of the Indian diaspora in Calgary, Churchill is not worthy of a statue - Calgary Herald - September 6th, 2022
- Indian envoy asks diaspora youth to connect to their roots,... - The American Bazaar - July 31st, 2022
- Nigerians in diaspora will soon be able to vote, says Orji Kalu - Guardian Nigeria - July 31st, 2022
- What my family's photographs and their fashions revealed to me about the Caribbean-Canadian diaspora - CBC.ca - July 31st, 2022
- Mayor of Island of Maio in Cabo Verde visits New Bedford - SouthCoastToday.com - July 31st, 2022
- Clever ways Kenyans in the diaspora are investing back home - The Standard - July 31st, 2022
- Turning Passion into Reality - St. Lucia News From The Voice - The Voice St. Lucia - July 31st, 2022
- Saving women from the men they leave - The Statesman - July 31st, 2022
- Dance, diversity and diaspora - The New Indian Express - July 23rd, 2022
- Second Karabakh war witnessed lots of false information paid for by Armenian diaspora Center for Strategic Studies of Iraq - AzerNews.Az - July 23rd, 2022
- Bringing the Sounds of the Diaspora Home - Armenian Weekly - July 21st, 2022
- Southern Baptist organizations come together to reach diaspora - Baptist Press - July 21st, 2022
- Getty Images Tells Stories of Black Diaspora With 30,000 Rare Images - My Modern Met - July 21st, 2022
- Minister Theodorikakos: Extending Greek Passport Validity To 10 Years Will Lessen Bureaucracy For Diaspora - GreekCityTimes.com - July 21st, 2022
- The life of the Church and the Diaspora in Adelaide - Orthodox Times - Orthodoxtimes.com - July 21st, 2022
- Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art to showcase contemporary artists of the African diaspora - Daily Independent - July 21st, 2022
- Herald Artday to host charity auction to help Korean youth diaspora project - The Korea Herald - July 21st, 2022
- Youth from Diaspora tipped on business opportunities in Rwanda - The New Times - July 21st, 2022
- Pacific Engagement Visa quotas need to be set strategically and selectively - devpolicy.org - July 21st, 2022
- How to Resist China's Campaign of Transnational Repression - The Diplomat - July 21st, 2022
- Carrying on the legacy of the Cordero siblings | Business | theweeklyjournal.com - The Weekly Journal - July 21st, 2022
- Silverlens Gallery, a Heavyweight in the Southeast Asian Art Scene, Is Flipping the Script by Expanding Westward With a New York Outpost - artnet News - July 21st, 2022
- Tourism Minister Bah meets Gambians in the UK - The Point - The Point - July 21st, 2022
- A Woman of the World: Armen Ohanian, Published by Armenian Series at Fresno State - The Armenian Mirror-Spectator - July 21st, 2022
- What is a Diaspora? (with picture) - Cultural World - July 18th, 2022
- Seven mistakes the African diaspora make when starting a business in Africa - How we made it in Africa - July 18th, 2022
- Report: Getty Images Opens Access to 30000 Images of Black Diaspora in UK and US - LJ INFOdocket - July 18th, 2022
- Culture Talk: Curator Kanitra Fletcher on the Exhibition Afro-Atlantic Histories: It's About 'How the African Diaspora Comprises All These Voices and... - July 18th, 2022
- Rwandan youth in Diaspora urged to replicate 'Walk to Remember' - The New Times - July 18th, 2022
- Diaspora claims that Registration System for Elections on the BiHCEC is not working - Sarajevo Times - July 18th, 2022
- Voluntary slavery rampant in the Diaspora - The Herald - July 18th, 2022
- Kenyans in the diaspora embrace new tech solution, KimboCare - GhettoRadio 89.5 FM - July 18th, 2022
- The Middle Eastern Party Scene Thriving in Brooklyn - The New York Times - July 18th, 2022
- Redefining Sonic and Safety Standards in the Music Industry: The New Diaspora Music Experience - BrownGirlMag - July 14th, 2022
- HIAS: An important step for the networking of the Greek scientific diaspora with Greece - Hellenic News of America - July 14th, 2022
- Vic Mensa's 'SKIN + MASKS' Exhibit Puts a Spotlight on the Diaspora's Most Talented Artists - OkayAfrica - July 14th, 2022
- SendSprint launches in the UK with a $5 flat fee for international transfers - TechCabal - July 14th, 2022
- Jamaicas Opposition Tour of the Diaspora begins this Wednesday (July 13) - South Florida Caribbean News - July 14th, 2022
- Most Ugandans in Diaspora are ignorant of the investment incentives - New Vision - July 14th, 2022
- Elegies' investigates the presenceand absenceof the Black body - Document Journal - July 14th, 2022
Comments