The First Letter from the Editor

Here to introduce myself—

Why I started M.U.V. Magazine and how it grew to today.

I’m Kelsey—mainly known as Kelso or Kels. I am the youngest of seven and a first-generation American from the first Vietnamese family in Buffalo. 

Since I was a little girl, I have always loved to write and been known to find ways to talk to others. When I was 8 years old, I remember for Christmas getting a styrofoam microphone and business cards that said, “Kelsey Dux— investigative journalist.”  At 10, I started my own newsletter, handwriting and gluing my articles and pictures together for my mom to distribute copies at her work. I can clearly recall a specific issue that had a small section on something related to Hannah Montana and then half a page on the 2010 BP oil spill. I remember thinking, even though this was international news, that writing about the disaster in my little newsletter could make a huge difference. 

At 11, I fell in love with magazines, specifically hunting down as many past issues of Glamour magazine in consecutive order as possible. At one point, I had secured two copies of Kerry Washington's 2013 October Edition: one for my collection and one that was framed above my bed. Then in high school, I independently reached out to our local NPR station to conduct interviews and write about how the 2016 election was impacting the learning environment for my peers. I continued to look for ways to nourish my passion for publications and write about things I felt needed to be highlighted. I then began writing for the Buffalo News, publishing multiple articles related to topics such as racism and gun violence. 

I've dreamt for years now about building community and sharing underrepresented stories through starting my own magazine. Then around four years ago, with the help from my friend Xiara, the name M.U.V. — moving underrepresented voices — was created. So many pieces of M.U.V. magazine started years ago. The other day when looking through old photos, I actually found a scanned drawing from 2021 with “M.U.V.” surrounded by clumps of color.

So about a year and a half ago I asked myself, what was stopping me from truly pursuing this dream? Nothing. But I was scared. So I spent most of 2024 laying down what it would look like for me to actually go for it. As I worked, the fear got smaller, and then in February 2025, I finally soft-launched M.U.V. magazine. 

I started sharing my vision with other people and putting myself out there to enter spaces I had not been in prior. I put together a vision and a website. I felt like I was moving at such a rewarding and exciting pace. 

However, shortly after my soft launch, I was hit with heartbreak. I underestimated how hard it would hit me, especially in my creative motivation. I still tried to get myself to go to events, meet new people, and hear about their passions and backgrounds while also getting to share a piece of mine. I still loved it, but it was hard to push myself at times to do it. But I am so glad I did. 

Now, with a team of three behind me, M.U.V. Magazine is ready to grow into its next chapter. Built in its name, M.U.V. Magazine is a Buffalo-based digital magazine focused on doing exactly that; moving and uplifting underrepresented voices to our spotlight. We plan to share digital articles and content through our website and social media, as well as a physical publication next spring. 

To be blunt, right now is a terrifying time for so many people and communities in this country. 

At M.U.V., we believe community-based platforms give us strength against apathy and misinformation, making us more connected and informed. We hope to do our part as a small publication to serve our community through creatively capturing and sharing parts of Buffalo. 

There may already be Buffalo publications; this is true, but there will always be more stories that have yet to be told. I think about my parents and their stories, and how every day there are amazing individuals all around us who can be celebrated. That being said, we are so excited to start sharing more of our work with you and continue to share the ups and downs of building M.U.V. Magazine.

With Love,

Kelso Dux

                               Editor in Chief