About.
Our Mission.
Founded in January 2023 with the ambitions to flourish an all-inclusive space for youth writers and artists, The Malu Zine is a youth-led initiative by Seohyun Ryu and other international writers. The Malu Zine strives to foster a space that encourages writing from all affinity groups, in immaculate digital issues, workshops, and contests.
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“Malu”(마루) means the tops of the mountains and/or the tips of the waves in pure Korean. We strive to help artists all around the world to break boxes. You make the rules for your own writing. Share true creativity. We are here to support you to go beyond the words, go beyond Malu.
We love vibrant work. We want it all, and we love to see it. Make us cry, make us laugh. Make us scream. We can't wait to see it. Submit your work to our literary magazine, and become a part of a community full of astonishing artists!
How it started.
Hello, and welcome to The Malu Zine! My name is Seohyun Ryu, and I am the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Malu Zine, a literary magazine and community that aims to offer the opportunities writers need to grow as an artist!
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I grew up in Seoul, South Korea, since I was born. I remember cutting scraps of paper to create tiny zines and filling my notebook with fairytales inspired by Disney Animations as a child. Writing was always a passion I held, but I had to suppress it because the education system in my hometown didn’t support the arts. Fortunately, I had the amazing opportunity to move to the States, California, during my first year of high school and pursue my dream as a writer! It was mind blowing to even know that a school could offer writing/art clubs, newspaper teams, creative writing camps for students to join and foster their creativity! I sometimes look back at middle school and recall my friends from Korea. The endless possibilities they had for the arts left my heart aching. As I know how it feels to give up on a dream, I created this international magazine to offer publication opportunities and a community where writers can feel at home all around the world! Creating is a part of being human. Don’t stop creating.