AAWW Board Announces Interim Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 4, 2026

The Board of Directors of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop announces that Ed Lin has been appointed interim Executive Director, an unpaid position, effective with the departure of Executive Director Jafreen Uddin on Aug. 7. The Board also announces a pause on major programming at the AAWW, and that the organization is moving temporarily to an all-volunteer structure.

Lin is the first writer to win three Asian American Literary Awards, which were facilitated by the AAWW. He has a long association with the AAWW, having joined in 1992, a year after its founding. He’s taken and facilitated many writing workshops over the decades. A financial journalist for more than 30 years, Lin currently hosts the monthly open mic at Yu & Me Books, and serves on the board of the Mystery Writers of America.

“I’m humbled to be a part of the AAWW’s continuing story in this way,” said Lin. “In the early years of the Workshop, writers met in borrowed spaces, and supported each other. Getting words on pages and improving them were the most important things to us, the reason why we were eking out an existence in New York City. We never lacked for enthusiasm, and we believed in each other and ourselves more than anything. I look forward to opening a new chapter for the AAWW, while noting where we’ve been and what we’ve built.”

The AAWW will pause major programming until further notice. In anticipation of logistical needs in the near future, the Workshop will be looking for volunteers for various capacities. The Board is grateful for the years of service and dedication of the Workshop’s departing staff.

The AAWW will host open houses on the following dates and times at its office on 18 West 21st Street, Suite 900. Interim Executive Director Ed Lin will be there to listen and record concerns and ideas.

  • Tuesday August 11 | 10:00am – 3:00pm
  • Wednesday August 12 | 10:00am – 3:00pm
  • Thursday August 13 | 6:00pm – 8:00pm

The search for a permanent Executive Director continues.

The Asian American Writers’ Workshop and its Board remain committed to a mission of incubating and amplifying Asian diasporic storytelling to mobilize for a more just future.