We recently had the chance to connect with Katherine Leung and have shared our conversation below.
Katherine, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
One year ago, my daughter entered the universe. I was pregnant for nine months and then my world exploded. It was never, ever the same.
Prior to her arrival, I was certainly on a path. I was working on building my indie publishing business. I was applying for grants, running programs to support my community, and doing everything I could to promote Cantonese diasporic artists. But once she entered the picture, my life changed in every way. I quit working my 9-5 to stay home and take care of her full time. My days went from producing work for others, to playgroups, storytimes, walks in the park. The days grew slower. Nursing her, reading books, and being outdoors took precedence over every professional goal I have ever had.
A few months ago, she started spending one day per week at a nannyshare. It was time to act on all the creative projects I had bubbling up inside of me. So every Wednesday, I wander through different endeavors just trying to take care of me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Katherine Leung. My most well-known project to date is Canto Cutie. It’s an art and literature zine that publishes the work of Cantonese artists and writers. It is a publication for the diaspora, about the diaspora that I founded in 2019.
The Cantonese diaspora has roots in Hong Kong, Southern China, and other Southeastern Asian countries. There are large Cantonese communities in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Cantonese speakers were often part of the first wave of immigrants to construct the historic Chinatowns present in large cities today. My magazine is a platform to highlight people in those communities, specifically artists. Cantonese is a variety of Chinese with over 82 million native speakers with a culture very different from Mandarin speakers. Due to civil unrest, self-identifying and linguistic pride is more important than ever. This zine attempts to reflect the diversity of identity and experiences across the diaspora.
I’m currently working on assembling Volume 10 of Canto Cutie. But I’m ready for a change. I recently started up creating my own work again. I started painting, making art piñatas, and limited-run zines containing my own writing as self-care. The year I took off from creating things meant that I had a deep well to draw from. There are so many things I want to make and so little time. It’s a great problem to have.
I also created a ketubah for a recently married couple. I want to make more Jewish ritual objects such as ketubahs and personalized kiddush cups. I’m also creating a podcast about Asian Jewish Life in Vermont, where I live. There is a lot to share about our rituals here in our rural state.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I think Canto Cutie in its current iteration has served its purpose. There will be 10 volumes of this prolific zine by the end of this year. Each magazine is over 100 pages. It’s full-color and professionally printed. There are over 160 artists published by the magazine. I’ve spent a lot of time interviewing, curating, and putting it together. But as I’ve mentioned, I don’t have that time anymore with a little one. I only have one day per week to create, so the 40+ hour workweeks I used to devote to producing each magazine has to change.
I’m looking to create zines in a different format or be open to more collaboration. Either way, I’m ready to release the original intention. It was a lot of fun, but I’m hoping to experiment more with paper types, book arts, and the ways this zine can grow and change with me.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I knew I was creative from a very young age. My parents had put my sisters and I in art classes. But I felt like I had to create for others’ validation. I remember one particularly defining moment. In my bedroom, I worked for hours on a mixed-media piece. It was Sailor Moon, drawn with colored pencils using the grid-method I had learned from school. The background was done in purple watercolor. I must have been 7 at the time. I proudly walked this painting downstairs to show my mom. She took a brief glance at the incorrect proportions and said “so?” Not even a good job. My mom is still very tough to please and critical of mostly everything. I still remember this moment so vividly, and it being so fundamentally disappointing to me.
Now that I am a mom, and although my daughter is far from being that age, I’m going to commit to always saying good job. Or noticing the time it took. Or remarking on the color choices. Anything. I don’t really have a “kind thing to say to my younger self” because life moves fast. I’m a mom already, but I’m ready to be kind to her about her creations. I’m already getting to praise her efforts and actions daily.
Somehow, this is giving me permission to praise myself too.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am currently committed to a few projects.
One, is building up my artist persona as myself, not as the editor of Canto Cutie. I want to create and think for myself, and not just in support of the artists I publish. So that’s one endeavor I am committed to.
I am also committed to the podcast project I mentioned earlier. I have secured the funding to pay an audio-producer, and now we are chipping away at actually creating the podcast. The podcast is a limited series about Asian Jewish life in Vermont. I am the narrator and will be using the interviews that I recently collected as fieldwork. At the beginning of 2025, I was a fellow through the Vermont Folklife Center. I talked to 12 different people who identify as Asian Jews and just asked everyone to speak for an hour about their daily life. I asked them about their favorite traditions, holidays, and to talk more about their families. I learned so much and will be sharing my findings in this podcast. I was a new mom already when I started this oral history work, so I was especially interested in how others were raising their families. I hope to release the podcast in May of 2026.
As I dive more into my Asian and Jewish identity, which let’s be honest- is always on the forefront of my mind as I create any art – I want to develop more of my skills in creating Jewish ritual objects. I had such a phenomenal experience creating my first ketubah for a lovely queer couple, two friends of mine, and I want to create more. So I hope I can find more work like this as I expand my network and share more about this side of me on social media.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I started Canto Cutie art magazine in 2019. It was during the covid lockdown when it really took off. I had free time to myself. I lived in a two income household with no kids. I had time and all the time to create.
I created Volume 8 and then Volume 9 of Canto Cutie post-partum. I remember being overwhelmed by emails. The artists I claimed to be supporting via this platform were stressing me out. Packing orders used to be fun, and now it was a stressor to do after the baby had gone to sleep with her inconsistent sleep habits. That’s when I knew I was out of my depth. My body had changed. My brain had changed. I no longer wanted the high-stakes environment of needing everything to go perfect.
I want to pivot into lower-value zines where I get to play with my laser printer and fun papers.
I’ve already begun putting an end date on many of Canto Cutie’s community programs. I enjoyed our bi-monthly community storytimes, and our giant Queer Art Club community dinners, but it’s exhausting to keep them running. This period of my life will be marked by slowing things down, and taking on more experimental projects rather than following the recipe I know that works. It’s time to be selfish and I can’t wait to see what this next chapter will bring!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cantocutie.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cantocutie
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
