Letter from the Editor: NüVoices Magazine and Website Rebrand
In a quiet cafe in Beijing eight years ago, I worked with our founder Joanna Chiu and site designer David Chu to launch the NüVoices website—home to the collective’s expert directory, podcast and NüStories platform featuring news and features by underrepresented voices. We had a lofty but urgent mission: to create a feminist platform for stories by women and other minorities focusing on China topics. A place for voices too often sidelined, for stories that resist neat categorisation, and for perspectives that expand how we understand China, broadly defined.
Looking back over the pieces we’ve published at NüStories and the guests we’ve hosted on our podcast since those early days, what stands out is not just the breadth of topics or the diversity of contributors—though both have been remarkable—but the passion and energy through them all. There’s an eagerness to explore and center the lived experiences of diverse communities in a China context, as well as celebrate the work of women and other minorities in the China-watching space, which remains white and male-dominated.
We’ve published stories that amplify the work by extraordinary women, interrogate systems, and provide insights into underreported topics. Together, they form an archive—not just of writing, but of moments in time, of conversations unfolding across communities reflecting on a changing China. We’ve run two essay competitions, various in-person events and virtual workshops, as well as a fellowship program for emerging journalists. We’re extremely proud to have provided a home for more than:
- 65 News Stories
- 25 Enterprise Features
- 28 Reviews
- 20 Personal Essays
- 16 Profiles
- 10 Commentaries
- 130 Podcast Episodes
Yet our platform has never been just about what we publish. It has been about the collective effort behind it: editors, contributors, and supporters who believe in the value that we bring to the China-watching space. Daisy Singh Greaves, who leads our social media content, has greatly expanded our online presence; working tirelessly with our deputy social editor Angel Sun to share our collective’s content through our Instagram, BlueSky, Facebook and LinkedIn. Now, we have nearly 4.5K followers on all our combined platforms, which average a 3% monthly follower growth and have seen a 5% increase in engagement over the past two years. Our associate editors Suchita Thepkanjana and Heather Irvine have also been instrumental in the running of our everyday operations and maintaining our online platform, run by our digital editor Nicole Fan. Lastly, we’ve been so fortunate to have a group of dedicated contributing editors—Lijia Zhang, Lin Taylor, Mary Hennock, Nerys Avery, Cleo Li-Schwartz and Rhoda Kwan—lending their expertise to our stories.
Our collective’s small but mighty podcast team is directed by our amazing managing editor Megan Cattel, who has led production on more than 70 episodes since 2021, when our podcast became an entirely independent venture that is entirely women-driven and in-house. Co-hosted by Solarina Ho, Sophia Yan, Lijia Zhang, Joanna Chiu, Chenni Xu, myself and other members of our executive team, the podcast has featured a stunning variety of emerging and veteran journalists as well as experts, including authors like Barbara Demick, Fuchsia Dunlop, Clarissa Wei, Emily Feng, Karen Cheung and Leta Hong Fincher. Listeners often still recall to us the inaugural episode which highlighted the work of Chinese news assistants (all female) of foreign correspondents based in China. Each episode was crafted with care by editor and sound engineer Rebecca Liu, as well as producer Wing Kuang, under Megan’s expert guidance. You can listen to our podcast on Spotify, Apple iTunes, and other audio streaming platforms.
As I reflect on our journey since 2018, I’m reminded that this project is still in motion, particularly as our community grapples with new challenges like an increasingly precarious US-China rivalry and growing anti-gender movement worldwide. In response to this, our team has reflected on how best to use our platform and the space we’ve created.
Our team is thrilled to announce that we’ve decided to build on this legacy by rebranding NüStories into something new: NüVoices Magazine, a platform that aims to focus on longform stories that capture the spirit of our mission. Following the success of our annual personal essay contest, we realised there was a hunger for more in-depth stories and essays, driven by the ideas and perspectives of gender minorities from diverse backgrounds. Moving forward, NüVoices Magazine will shift away from news content in order to prioritise such longform narratives; we’ll be focusing on quality over quantity. Our aim is to be a place to retreat to and for our readers to reflect on the issues that matter most to this community. We’ll be considering pitches on a rolling basis, so watch this space!
Along with the introduction of NüVoices Magazine, it’s with great pleasure and excitement that we unveil our beautiful new website, designed by our brilliant site editors David Chu and Nicole Fan, which is now up and running! It features a brand new masthead and more user-friendly platform for our directory of more than 700 female, non-binary and BIPOC experts. Go check it out and consider supporting our volunteer-led team, now chaired by Chenni Xu, with a donation here. NüVoices recently became a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit in the US, so donations are now tax-deductible. We’re thankful for all of you and look forward to bringing you more exciting content as we enter into this next chapter!
With gratitude,
Jessie Lau
Head of Magazine Editorial, Site Manager and Board Member