sydney ling
founder & editor-in-chief
Sydney Ling is a writer from the Bay Area. She founded Rice & Spice as a creative safe space for Asian American youth to openly express themselves. When she isn’t working on Rice & Spice, she’s binging K-dramas and C-dramas, meticulously curating a Spotify playlist, or attempting humor through one-liner reviews on Letterboxd. You can find her on Instagram, Spotify, Letterboxd, and Pinterest.
yoko zhu
managing editor
Yoko Zhu is a Chinese-American from Atlanta, GA. She’s an aspiring journalist and currently pursues Journalism in Boston. She’s a firm believer in environmental activism and uplifting women and people of color. Her favorite pastimes are painting, composing short poems and stories. Her favorite place to think and self-reflect is in nature. Long drives and long walks soothe her immensely.
evelyn rude
partnerships director
Evelyn Rude is a queer AAPI Gen-Z creative based in Austin, Texas. Her focuses are photography, creative directing, and content creation for social media platforms. She uses her creativity as a voice for the AAPI and queer community telling her story through her work. Currently she is pursuing her journalism degree and is heavily involved in creative direction and story telling. She finds it important that her work has diversity and is able to express a story or a message for her clients, herself and the communities she is involved in.
storm nguyen
style & e-commerce merchandising director
Storm Nguyen (they/any) is a young creative director and visionary from South Seattle, Washington. They are currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Cultural Studies with minors in Apparel Design/Merchandising and Psychology at Seattle Pacific University (graduating in Spring 2023). Apart from being a long-time photographer for Rice & Spice, they also are involved with activism and organizing in their local community, and working part time as a Bridal Stylist. Their work primarily centers intersectional experiences- creating commentary on social issues through the fusion of fashion, photography and storytelling. In the future, they hope to utilize their interdisciplinary educational background to analyze the roots of cultural societies and present a re-imagination of the world through an inclusive, people-based perspective that embraces diversity, with no limitations through their craft.
kate hada
events coordinator
a word i would use to describe myself is peculiar. i’ve always felt like a weirdo as many people do, but for a long time i couldn’t find an outlet to express my internal pain and ideas. once i discovered photography it pulled me out of my comfort zone and into a new world. it’s like i was looking through a lens ironically. photography truly motivates me to keep going everyday and connect with the people i care about most. as for my other hobbies i like to sing, dance, and play guitar to name a few. i also love animals and anything sweet :)
sravya balasa
digital strategy director
Sravya Balasa recently graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.S. in computer science. Ever since she started using her parent’s DSLR camera in 6th grade, she fell in love with capturing the world from her point of view and sharing it with others. As a photographer, she enjoys not only meeting amazing clients but also seeing them realize how beautiful they are. Sravya specializes in portrait, fashion, and event photography but has begun experimenting with editorial photography in the past year.
victoria huerta
marketing director
Hi, I'm Vic (she/her)! I'm 19 years old, and I'm a photographer. I adore music; I've been singing since I was 8. My favorite genres are R&B, alt folk, and 2000s alt. My current favorite movies are Midsommar and The Florida Project. One day, I hope to travel the world in its entirety.
kristen lew
video editor
kristen is a sophomore at UCLA! when they're not watching films they're horrible at coding but loves cs anyway. she also enjoys learning new languages, hong kong architecture, screenwriting, the smell of fresh wind, and prefers tea over coffee. will also propose if you offer to pay for food. find kristen at: youtube, tiktok, letterboxd, + instagram
anushka dakshit
writer
Anushka is an Indian American journalist and writer from Tampa, Florida. She recently graduated from UF with degrees in journalism and women’s studies and wants to spend the rest of her life writing about how art can help liberate underrepresented identities and create socio-political change. She’s always loved listening to and reading interviews about fashion designers, musicians and filmmakers, which inspired her to become an arts and culture journalist. Her Bengali identity is integral to her fascination with creatives, stemming from watching Satyajit Ray films and reading Rabindranath Tagore plays. In her free time, you can find her writing several Substack drafts (that she’s too scared to publish), listening to SZA and Clairo, scrolling on Pinterest and obsessing over her favorite writers, which include Durga Chew Bose, bell hooks and Jia Tolentino. Find her on Instagram @anushkadakshit if you want to talk about anything from old Bollywood movies to the latest Miu Miu collection.
jade kwitkiwski
culture & entertainment writer
jade is a college junior based in boston studying communication. on campus, she’s a member of several cultural clubs and creates multimedia content at her job. outside of school, she loves cooking korean food, longboarding (& more recently skateboarding), concerts, thrifting, and taking the T all over the city.
nicole abriam
culture & entertainment + activism writer
Nicole is a New York-based freelance writer and Journalism and Communication design student at The New School. She's written pieces and contributed to publications such Adolescent, The Pinnacle magazine, the LUNA Collective, and Here-After. She was also an editor and reporter for The New School Free Press, her university paper, and has written articles that covered the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes in the city. Other than writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, exploring New York City and its gems, and trying different cuisines.
sylvie lam
photographer
Sylvie Lam is a photographer based in the SF Bay Area and sophomore at UC Berkeley studying cognitive science and design innovation. With her soft photography style, Sylvie hopes to capture authentic moments and create a window of escape from reality. When she’s not taking photos, planning for her next shoot, or doing her best to keep up with assignments (cs projects </3), you can probably find her taking silly little 0.5 pics of her friends, dancing to her favorite songs, therapeudically cutting watermelon, or searching for the best boba/matcha in town.
katelin ayayo
photographer
Hi! I'm Katelin (she/her)! I'm a 21-year-old portrait photographer based in Orange County, CA. When I finally started taking self-portraits this past year, I stopped trying to take just "pretty" pictures. Photography became my creative outlet and since then I have continued to enjoy forcing myself and friends in front of the camera. Apart from photography, I like to cook and bake and on occasion sew. If you want to check out my work, I can be found on instagram @katelinayayo :)
t’shauna henry
photographer
in memoriam
T’Shauna Henry is a multi-medium artist based in Atlanta, GA. Her passions hail from the performing arts beginning with dance and theatre as she aims to pursue all her interests and skills through photography and film. Her combination of both performing and visual arts allow her to express herself in more ways than one.
sebastian snow
poet
Hi! I’m Sebastian, or Seb, my pronouns are they/he and I’m a staff poet at Rice & Spice! I’m 18 and from the Bay Area. Besides writing, I love diy fashion, music and movies! You can find my work in Bay Area Generations, Antifragile, and on my art account @sebbynguyetart.
charlie kim-worthington
poet
Hi! I’m Charlie Kim-Worthington! I’m Korean-British, live in Los Angeles, and I am transgender. I like Latin and Ancient Greek a lot (I’m majoring in Classics in college) and focus some of my poems around the intersection between the ancient world and being trans. I use they/them and she/her pronouns. You can reach me on Instagram at @charliekimwor and @charliekwriting!
toki lee
personal essay writer & poet
toki is a queer korean-american creative based in san diego, california. their main interests include, but are not limited to, thanatology and the sociology of death, gender studies, and critical theory. their writing aims to mix personal essays with poetry and prose.
jarea fang
personal essay writer
Jarea is a Taiwanese-American graduate from Washington University in St. Louis, with a double-major in Studio Art and Comparative Literature and a minor in writing. They enjoy writing creative nonfiction prose pieces about history, art, activism, gender, and sexuality. When they're not reading books or writing, they're probably working on their zine (@secretlifezine) or watching anime. Send them video essays! They’ll appreciate you for that.
capri cyres
photographer
Capri Cyres is a queer Asian American photographer and recent photography graduate from the University of Iowa. Her goal is to transform the ordinary to the otherworldly through her photos. Her other works can be found in places such as Potted Purple Magazine, Ink Lit Mag, Foolish, Oneul Zine, and can be found on instagram at @capricyres.
mattie newlin
video editor
Hey I’m Mattie! I’m a recent graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, with a major in film and tv, and I’m a videographer for Rice and Spice Magazine. I’m 21 and live in Manhattan, New York. Most of my work is music videos, short films, documentaries, and fashion films. I also love to sing, model, act, and draw for fun and I love meeting new people and collaborating. My insta is @mattie.newlin
annie wu
poet
Annie is a high school student based in Chicago. She has enjoyed writing poetry from a young age and loves listening to all types of music. Some of her favorite poets include Franny Choi and Audre Lorde. Her favorite locations in Chicago are the Art Institute and Molly's Cupcakes.
kate coli
culture & entertainment writer
Kate is a sophomore in college and a culture and entertainment writer for Rice and Spice. In her free time she loves putting outfits together, watching alias, and going to concerts(pre-Covid of course :)). She currently has 287 Spotify playlists (you can listen to some of them on @waterfrogs!!), two tickets to see Jacob Collier and The Weeknd in 2022, and three unfinished sketchbooks.
uma snow
video editor, concert photographer, writer
hello! i’m uma, an indian-american artist from texas. i’m a huge music enthusiast and always down to talk about my favorite artists—bts and my chemical romance. i love all things creative, from singing to writing to photography.
taylor baik
personal essay writer
taylor is a korean-american college freshman who has explored a panoply of worlds, both fantastical and physical. she can be found submerged in classical literature, caught up in a painting, or scrawling out an impromptu story: she hopes her words reach you!
yagyesha roy
poet