Safy-Hallan Farah
Afton,MN
Summary
An award-winning cultural critic and interdisciplinary artist with 10+ years of experience in the creative arts and media.
Overview
2025
2025
years of professional experience
Work History
Owner and Operator
Princess Babygirl Studios
Minneapolis, Minnesota
01.2024 - Current
- Operating my studio space, where I do my art practice daily, as well as host events.
- Conceiving and editing pieces for princessbabygirl.substack.com.
- Developing a network of writers and artists for an upcoming magazine project.
- Collaborating with like-minded cultural producers to produce well-attended events.
- Conducting research on aesthetics and identity.
FREELANCE WRITER
Safy-Hallan Farah
Minneapolis, MN
07.2013 - Current
- Crafted short and long-form cultural criticism and reportage for NPR, GQ, Vox, Pitchfork, Elle Magazine, BuzzFeed, Rolling Stone, Vice.com, Vogue.com, New York Mag, Walker Art, Document Journal, Flaunt Magazine, and TechCrunch, among other publications.
- Contracted to promote Sonia Ahler's Swan Song, with Tavi Gevinson. Other clients include Matt Healy of the 1975's Dirty Hit and comedian Phoebe Robinson.
- Published in legacy print publications like the New York Times, Nylon, Teen Vogue, and Vanity Fair, in addition to various indie magazines and anthologies.
- Wrote several cover stories, including the Ilhan Omar Teen Vogue cover.
- I traveled to Toronto to produce a hip-hop documentary and two accompanying write-ups for MTV News, as well as to Alberta for an Alt Press cover story.
- Consulted and forecasted trends for major brands on taste, aesthetics, and culture.
- Produced branded content for Patagonia and Lyft.
- Spoke at a Substack conference, after gaining admission into one of their first fellowships.
- Earned press and mentions in the Daily Beast, The Atlantic, Vice.com, (front page of the variety section), Business Insider, The New York Times, Star Tribune, Vanity Fair and Vox.com.
- Spoke on various panels, served on the 826 Lit Board alongside David Eggers.
- Recieved the Minneapolis Dept of Civil Rights' History Maker Award.
- Name-checked by artist and writer Miranda July on Gawker.com.
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
PAPER Magazine
New York, NY
07.2016 - 01.2020
- After my summer as Night Editor, I transitioned into this role, connecting writers of color to the historic Paper brand.
- Edited and commissioned writing and art from freelancers.
INTERVIEWER
Minnesota Historical Society
Saint Paul, Minnesota
05.2016 - 02.2018
- Conducted interviews with African immigrants for archival purposes.
CONTRIBUTOR
Nylon Magazine
New York, NY
10.2014 - 01.2018
- Authored Lizzo's first national artist profile.
- Wrote the December 2016/January 2017 cover story before the print division shuttered.
NIGHT EDITOR
PAPER Magazine
New York, NY
06.2016 - 08.2016
- Wrote and edited news blog posts covering late-breaking stories and pop culture news.
- Managed multiple writing and editing assignments while adhering to a rigid, late-night timelines.
- Worked closely with graphic, photo and video teams to plan and produce compelling content.
- Provided editing, fact-checking and proofreading for various articles.
- Recruited talented freelance writers to research and compose articles.
- Utilized the Content Managing System to create, edit and publish articles in a collaborative capacity with other editors.
SOCIAL EDITING INTERN
KFAI-FM Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN
11.2013 - 02.2014
- Tweeted about programming and events.\
- Grew the social media following through engaging local content.
EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE
Paper Darts Magazine
Minneapolis, MN
09.2011 - 09.2012
- Read submissions for the online/print edition of the magazine, and edited pieces for inclusion in print, in addition to assisting with PR and the newsletter.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/FOUNDER
1991
Minneapolis, MN
- Produced multimedia projects; shooting, editing and curating for both the print magazine and the website.
- Managed development, editing and publishing of editorial content, whether it was reportage, personal essays, visual art or the design of the product itself.
- Defined the voice and vision of the publication, tailoring it to a diasporic readership.
- Garnering press coverage in Vice Magazine and the Star Tribune's Variety cover.
- Building relationships with brands like Red Bull and Daily Paper.
- Published many dynamic writers, photographers and illustrators, including Aamna Mohdin who is now the community affairs correspondent for the Guardian.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - African American Studies
University of Minnesota
Skills
- Set dressing
- CSS/HTML
- Photoshop and InDesign
- CMS
- Reporting and cultural criticism
- Zines and collage art
- Art direction
- Audio production
- Adobe Illustrator
Timeline
Owner and Operator
Princess Babygirl Studios
01.2024 - Current
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
PAPER Magazine
07.2016 - 01.2020
NIGHT EDITOR
PAPER Magazine
06.2016 - 08.2016
INTERVIEWER
Minnesota Historical Society
05.2016 - 02.2018
CONTRIBUTOR
Nylon Magazine
10.2014 - 01.2018
SOCIAL EDITING INTERN
KFAI-FM Minneapolis
11.2013 - 02.2014
FREELANCE WRITER
Safy-Hallan Farah
07.2013 - Current
EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE
Paper Darts Magazine
09.2011 - 09.2012
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/FOUNDER
1991
Bachelor of Arts - African American Studies
University of Minnesota
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