A message from the AAWW Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 23, 2026

The Board of Directors of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop announces that Executive Director Jafreen Uddin will be leaving the organization after six years.

Uddin was the first woman to lead the organization since its founding in 1991, and led the Workshop through unprecedented times. Highlights of her tenure include:

  • Assumed organizational leadership at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, guiding the Workshop through an unprecedented period of disruption with steadiness and clarity.
  • Oversaw and directed nearly 500 events over six years, curating an award-winning public literary calendar that elevated underrepresented voices and deepened community engagement.
  • Guided over 40 emerging writers through the Workshop’s fellowship programs, providing mentorship and pathways into the broader literary ecosystem.
  • Strengthened the Workshop’s national reputation through strategic partnerships with literary organizations, cultural institutions, publishing houses, and civic partners.
  • Expanded AAWW’s geographic presence beyond New York City through initiatives like The Margins Residency, effectively scaling a New York-based institution nationally.
  • Nurtured the growth of The Margins into a nationally recognized destination for Asian and diasporic literary voices, expanding its digital editorial presence and audience.
  • Launched a new initiative to digitize AAWW archival materials and turn the organization’s book collection into a circulating library available to the public.

“Over the past six years, I have had the privilege to witness this community of writers, fellows, staff, and supporters show up for each other and for literature with a devotion that has permanently shaped how I understand this work and its place in the world. I am deeply grateful to the board, to our staff, and to everyone who made this chapter possible. I depart knowing that the Workshop is more visible and more impactful than ever, and I look forward to being among its loudest and most devoted champions from afar,” said  Jafreen Uddin, outgoing Executive Director at AAWW.

Uddin’s last day at AAWW will be August 7, 2026. In the interim, AAWW’s operations will be overseen by its Board of Directors while a search for the next Executive Director gets underway. The Board will announce an Interim Director as soon as possible. 

“The Board of Directors is grateful for Jafreen Uddin’s leadership which strengthened AAWW’s programming, partnerships, and national presence over the past six years. We wish her continued success.” 

The Asian American Writers’ Workshop and its Board is deeply grateful for Uddin’s profound contributions to the organization and wishes her well in her next chapter. The organization remains committed to its mission of incubating and amplifying Asian diasporic storytelling to mobilize for a more just future.