When I was young, I had a dance teacher that I loved and feared. I loved her because she was assertive and straightforward (everything that I was not), and I feared her because she always wanted more from me and pushed me hard to do better. One day after rehearsal, she sat the entire dance company down and lectured us on life. Her voice pierced through our collective silence and she declared, “Nothing ever stays the same. It either gets better, or it gets worse.”

That quote has been with me throughout the many challenges I’ve faced, and today, I see that quote manifesting in Hyphen. As we enter our fifth year, we are focused on getting better. And with this issue, we thought about what kind of space we want to offer you.

Rest assured, we are thinking in all dimensions! It’s about what’s inside the magazine—how we can continue to tell stories that unveil, celebrate, challenge and raise eyebrows. For example, we have a story that explores the Asian American identity and community inside prisons. We also give you our Top 10 list of Asian American politicians who could be future presidential candidates. We discuss natural forms with architect Eugene Tsui and examine the way historic Asian American spaces are being reincarnated. Actor John Cho tells us about his motivation for playing a stoner in Harold & Kumar and for taking on the iconic part of Sulu in the new Star Trek movie. We even capture five Asian Americans who thrive in some very strange environments.

But beyond the space of these pages, Hyphen is a lot more. Through our newly redesigned website, we want to engage you in our conversation and let you know about events happening around the country. And of course, there’s nothing like a Hyphen party to bring the idea of community to life.

As we move on to the next five years of Hyphen, we hope you share our commitment to making sure that “nothing ever stays the same.” It’s just going to get better and better.

Lisa Lee
Publisher