Dear Pretty Birds,

How good can it get? That is the question on top of our minds as we close out the 13th issue of this latest version of All the Pretty Birds.

During the course of this glorious last year, we’ve conceptualized various paths for the community, and while we are eager to launch them, we have encountered bumps as we traverse our roadmap. The wonderful news is that these are bumps, rather than obstacles, on the long and opportunity paved path ahead of us.  

Another element anchoring us to our purpose of providing a holistic, nurturing space for ATPB community members is hope with its well-spring of optimism. Personally, the second half of this year unfolded in a long bout of confusion, disorientation and frustration. While cycling through these rollercoaster emotions, I had so many heart to hearts with fellow creatives who like me are pondering what’s next. What’s been humbling is how much my peers respect what we’ve created here on ATPB, and their confidence that the road we take going forward will be an inspiring and influential one for the community and culture, but most importantly the GREATEST one for us. So for the near future, Anja Tyson our publisher and I have decided to take some time to explore how we can usher All the Pretty Birds to its full potential in a sustainable manner.  

Before we pause, we have the honor of bringing you two features that we are over last week’s full moon about. For Our Hair Don’t Care, we interview Henning founder, Universal Standard Head of Projects, one-time editor, model and Sports Illustratrated rookie Lauren Chan about the imprints that prepared her to navigate the world as a woman of color and plus-size model. Over at Tamu’s Cafe, we enjoy the sauciest episode yet as the exquisite chef Woldy Reyes lavishes us with his charm, obscenely delicious rock fruit bibingka work-of-food-art, while recounting his experience as a first generation Filipino queer man living with a disability. As always, this issue is about listening, seeing, learning and spreading the word about the good work of brilliant human. Please enjoy and share their stories. 

While we plot something insanely gorgeous, soul-lifting and sensorially addicting, please feel free to stop by, reread and watch all of the goodness we’ve created here. 

See you soon. 

Love and always love,

Tamu