maivmai is an online hub and publication platform for voices from the Hmong diaspora. Our name is derived from the Hmong word for “daughter” or “girl”, often applied affectionately to younger relatives without a distinct kin relation. maivmai is a combination of both the Hmong Romanized Popular Alphabet (RPA) and the American English spellings — Maiv and Mai, alluding to the bicultural and multidimensional lives of Hmong youth.
maivmai’s primary goal is to encourage storytelling in the Hmong community, both locally and at large. We hope our platform makes it easier to find, produce, and share the kinds of stories that make you think, which make you feel, and help you to discover your own voice.
This goal can only be achieved by maintaining a space that welcomes both new and established writers. At maivmai, we celebrate every draft because we believe our lives are constant works in progress. As such, we highly value hitherto “unfinished” pieces and and find the lingering beauty of such imperfect works as full of potential. For us, writing is a process as much as it is an art or a skill, one that builds empathy and helps to create community when shared. At maivmai, our voices are bridges, connecting the multitude of voices in the Hmong diaspora.
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We are accepting all forms of writing at this time (poems, prose, fiction, non-fiction, etc etc) and would love to have you be a contributing writer for maivmai. To do so, please email us at writemaivmai@gmail.com to be added to our writers’ list. Then review our SUBMIT page to view how to submit to us.
