If you were to ask Tanasia Najae to describe herself in three words, she would say "I don't know, I am just me! You're not just one thing, you are you, and you are everything."

Tanasia is an international student studying Magazine Journalism in London. Originally from Michigan in the United States, it was in Kingston that she achieved her childhood dream of setting up her very own magazine.

Launched in September 2020, RAZE magazine is Kingston's coolest and most vibrant arts and culture print publication.

In the following interview, RAZE editor Tanasia told Kingston Nub News where her idea for the magazine came from and her plans for RAZE post-covid.

Nub News: What messages does RAZE portray?

Tanasia: "RAZE is for everyone! I wanted the magazine to be accessible for the audience and have real, approachable people working behind it.

"We're committed to demolishing constructs working against artists such as racism, transphobia, homophobia, classism, ableism. RAZE gives people a platform to share their own stories.

"We launched RAZE UP, which is like a network of resources in another section of RAZE to help fight against exclusivity and help others collaborate."

Nub News: What are your plans for the end of lockdown?

Tanasia: "Publishing a second issue, to continue growing and interview more people in person. With issue one all content was sourced remotely online, so it isn't as hands-on as they would like it to be.

"I can't wait to explore Europe more. I want to travel to Paris and Rome as soon as I can.

"I am not missing home too much, though sometimes I wish my family could come and visit me! It just isn't possible during the pandemic at the moment."

Nub News: What drew you to print media?

Tanasia: "RAZE started out as school projects where I was required to do digital and print assignments.

"People have told me magazines are a dying field. But people also love books and even ebooks.

"Print media is something tangible to hold and keep, you can look back on it and revisit stories.

"I feel with blogs and websites stories can get lost under new content and it's hard to find older written stories.

"I'm nostalgic. I like having books to hand to my kids one day, you can't do that with a phone!

"I am reading so much more now than before because I don't want to be on my phone all the time. Social media can be toxic and I like a break. Especially with the pandemic, we are forced onto the internet all day, my eyes hurt from the screens."

Nub News: How do you design the magazine?

Tanasia: "I chose Vivid ViVi to design the illustrations for the front cover. I didn't want the cover to be centred around one person. I wanted it to be for everyone.

"Growing up, when cover photos all looked the same, I felt if a cover doesn't resonate with you then it deters you. If you don't relate to the cover, you won't feel like it's for you.

"If you aren't represented, you feel like the odd one out. I love illustrations so decided this was the way forward for RAZE. I wanted to have a publication that isn't based around the mainstream."

Nub News: Grace Jones is your idol, what inspires you most about Grace?

Tanasia: "There are so many women I look up to. Grace Jones does not limit herself to one identity. She does not label herself. She isn't masculine nor feminine. She embodies different energies and she is fluid."

Nub News: What are your thoughts on the Commission's of Race and Ethnic Disparities calls to scrap the term BAME?

Tanasia: "Labels can be limiting, speaking from experiences, for example when people assume based on your physical appearance that you're a tourist in the city you live in. No one wants to feel like the odd one out.

"I think removing categorization takes away our differences. When people say they don't see colour means they don't see me. My colour is my culture. Disregarding race and ethnicity takes away so much."

Check out RAZE HERE .