Kernel Magazine was sprung from a little seed in the heart of a little town known as New Paltz, New York. It's a unusual place bursting with welcoming artistic energy, and a safe bubble where queer and marginalized people find each other and express themselves freely. It's a place where supportive community thrives and people come to gether to celebrate each other.

Kernel Magazine was founded by Milo Axelrod, a long-time resident, and a designer, writer, and artist. Milo has been a local since '16 and befriended countless people, from artists to activists, those down-and-out to those on-their-way, from sprouted seeds to creators in full bloom. The wealth of skill and ambition in this fertile valley is extraordinary. Kernel Magazine is on a mission to lift up voices longing for a platform to speak their truths, starting local but reaching wherever our seeking shoots can spread.

We believe that money should be openly talked about. Kernel Magazine is run on a mostly-volunteer basis. Everyone working on this magazine is here because they believe in the cause and love the mission. And yet, each issue of Kernel (beyond issue 01) will have a price tag! This is because, even without the cost of paying people for their labor, producing and distributing a magazine actually costs a good deal of money.

After production costs, our financial goal is to break even. Any amount of money we make after that is gifted to our team of volunteers as a thank you for their hard work, because at the end of the day, we live under capitalism and believe that people should be compensated for their time and energy. If, by some miracle, we make a whole lot of money, the rest will be donated to local community causes. Our business adviser was surprised by our model, but its one we believe in, and we are lucky that we can afford to make it happen.

That being said, help is always welcome! If you believe in our mission and are financially able, we greatly appreciate contributions. Everything will go directly to production costs and the other admin expenses that keep us viable.

If you have further questions about how we run, feel free to send us a message.