Twenty-seven-year-old Cinda Danh is all about Lynn and its people, traveling throughout the city to chronicle the stories of their daily existence, dreams and ambitions.
A lifelong Lynn resident, Danh is the writer, photographer, and editor of a new, self-published biannual magazine called, “Faces of Lynn.”
“It’s just me. The magazine is like my passion project, a labor of love,” said Danh. “I love the people in the city and I love photography. I knew that what I wanted was something similar to ‘Humans of New York,’ but my magazine is focused on the individuals that live in Lynn.”
Danh, 27, said she first began thinking about her passion project in 2013. “I knew I wanted to take this magazine outside of a digital platform and I wanted it to be more tangible. There’s a difference when you have a digital photo versus when something is printed. There’s more value. It’s more sentimental. It means more.”
Mayor Thomas McGee, who was featured on one of three covers (Jason Taglieri and Jayden and Leilani Inoa were the other cover subjects) of the second edition, delivered the welcoming remarks at the magazine’s Jan. 4 release party at the Vision Space Gallery in City Hall Square. Other officials in attendance were Sen. Brendan Crighton, Rep. Dan Cahill, Councillor-at-Large Hong Net, and School Committee members Michael Satterwhite and Brian Castellanos.
Danh grew up in Curwin Circle and graduated in 2009 from Classical, where she was a student aide to former Principal Gene Constantino. She attended North Shore Community College and received a degree in Human Services from UMass/Boston.
Danh said she realized her inclination to capturing still images while attending Real to Reel film school at Raw Art Works.
During the day, Danh is a government relationship specialist at Preti Strategies. She was a legislative aide to former Lynn State Rep. Steve Walsh and chief of staff to State Rep. Jim O’Day of Worcester. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Lynn and the Revolutionists Club, a group of young professionals that meets at Revolution Pie and Pint.
While Danh has funded all the expenses of the first two editions of “Faces,” she was recently notified that she was the recipient of a grant from the Lynn Cultural Council. “That was exciting news,” said Danh.
The feedback from the magazine has been extremely positive. “It’s been well received,” she said. “People are excited about it, which is really cool. I love when people give me referrals about whom to feature in the magazine.”
Danh wrote 15 stories for the first edition that debuted in August. She has more than 30 stories in the current edition.
She hopes to continue publishing the magazine in years to come. “I feel like I just can’t stop – I’m meeting so many people I would love to feature,” said Danh. “I want the magazine release parties to be really exciting events for the community.”
(Cinda Danh’s first edition of “Faces of Lynn” sold for $20. This edition costs $25. The magazines are available by contacting Cinda through Facebook. The next edition will be released in July, 2019).