The Project

So what exactly is HypheNation?

HypheNation is a niche company catering to the discussion, celebration, and exploration of socio-racial identity in America. It encompasses five main products and services:

• a publishing company that produces works with an element of either interracial identity or "non-standard" racial identity. This includes novels (YA and adult), non-fiction books, and children's books
• a magazine line catering to interracial/biracial family life (parenting, women's, men's, teen girls', teen boys', and kids')
• a primary/secondary school textbook line
• events and conferences relating to safe identity building for children in interracial families, and an open place for parents to discuss and work with one another and experts to alleviate their own concerns
• a network of therapists and clinical social workers who understand the role racial identity plays in their work, with particular sensitivity to any marginalized racial group

What will my money do?

Your contribution will help launch all of this! Hyphen Publishing NYC has already published its first book, which is available on Amazon and in select stores (as well as being offered as a perk on this campaign) but your contribution will aid in its incorporation and running more efficiently, recruiting more authors, and publishing more inclusive books of all types. Swirl World Magazine has tentatively launched before, but is set to re-launch strong with your help, intended in November of 2013. HypheNation, the parent company of these two and the other services/products, will be incorporated and able to effectively host workshops, camps, and speakers with your help.

Why HypheNation?

For anyone who doesn't fit the "perfect American mold":

Ladies, gentlemen, children of all ages; you're sick of your history not being valued, highlighted, or even touched upon in Social Studies textbooks, your daily experiences never being reflected in math examples, and the non-existance of public role models who share your background(s). In all of the newest books, your experience is nowhere to be found. You don't think you're necessarily that "unique" but America keeps telling you that you are.

For interracial families:

Parents, you're sick of having your kids' relationship to you questioned, you hate them thinking you can't relate to them because of more than just a generation gap, and you want them to learn about all the sides of their heritage and own them equally. Oh, right, and WHAT are you supposed to do with that hair?

Swirl generation, you want to pick up a book, and it'd be nice if the main character (or even a side one) could relate to having a hard time getting a date because all of a sudden the girls realized he was not "just" White, or a magazine, and see makeup tips that actually worked with your skintone plus stories that you could relate to. Or, you're all grown up now, and trying to figure out how to find someone to share your life with who "gets" your experience instead of ignoring it, or not recreate the confusing parts of your childhood with your own kids. And yes, you CAN be "both" AT THE SAME TIME.

TL;DR (Summary)

In summary, your contribution will help bring to the forefront media and personal environments where discussions of racial identity in people of all ages (in what's supposedly a post-racial America) are honest, realistic, and raw.

What We Need & What You Get

This is just the beginning!

With the $10,000, we will be able to:

• Fully incorporate HypheNation.

• Hire content creators.

• Purchase a desktop computer for the graphic designing and layout needs.

• Purchase appropriate software for graphic designing, layout, and writing needs.

• Hire marketers and advertising sales agents to get our current products off the ground.

• Website redevelopment/development and hosting.

• Proper financial/legal consulting.

• Develop new novels and non-fiction books currently in the works, cultivate potential authors who wish to be on board.

• Begin planning HypheNation's first event

In addition to all the perks listed on the side and the benefits of HypheNation's existence (which obviously you see, otherwise you wouldn't have read this far down), you'll have my sincerest gratitude for helping to make my Gold Award project dreams a reality. And, you'll help make this world a better, safer place for kids who come home crying because they can't use the same crayon as their mommy on a self portrait, or parents who aren't really sure how to teach their adopted Chinese child about their culture, or teenagers dealing with being shunned from the dating pool because all of a sudden race matters.

Thank you for your support!