The Indie of Asheville is a monthly publication based in Asheville, North Carolina. The Indie is the partner grassroots project of the Traveling Bonfires, an arts/culture organization. Both initiatives spawned out of the nonprofit The Philippine Independent Communication Inc., which was founded by journalist-poet Pasckie Pascua in New York City in 1998, and officially established in Albany NY in 2000.
The organization relocated to Asheville, North Carolina in 2001, and has since modified its organizational structure and target constituents, as well its mode of programming—to address a more diverse American community network and outreach program from its original Filipino-American readership. Aside from Asheville, The Indie also saw limited circulation in downtown Manhattan NY and the Hampden and Fells Point neighborhoods in Baltimore—and in neighboring towns near Asheville, such as Weaverville, Hendersonville, Black Mountain, Candler and Waynesville.
After 7 years of existence in Asheville/WNC, the community newsmagazine halted operations in the fall of 2007—when Pascua relocated to Los Angeles on the onset of the economic downturn. It resumes publication on August 2011—and consolidates circulation in Asheville and its neighboring WNC towns.
VISION-MISSION and OBJECTIVES.
A wider perspective and understanding of global issues from the standpoint of other cultural realities that co-exist in and around America’s rapidly diversifying communities is imperative. Hence, The Indie of Asheville seeks to:
[1] On the macro, provide a fluid stream of dialogue on relevant multi-ethnic concerns, such as regional economic interface, new immigration, politics and creed, social networking, pop culture etc.
[2] On the micro, the publication seeks to initiate a healthy and sustained forum of community-level discussion and exchange of thoughts and profiles on matters of local entrepreneurship, independent arts and media, family and neighborhood exigencies, city politics and activism, and regional/rural culture.
