Upcoming Events
George Abraham
As writers in diaspora, the western imagination of the “lyric I” can impose harmful and reductive gazes unto our poetry. How do we wrestle with these narratives under the failed and limited imagination of empire? In this generative and discussion-based workshop led by poet George Abraham, we will look beyond respectability, linearity, and digestibility. 
Kay Ulanday Barrett, Jaden Fields, Muriel Leung, féi hernandez
Mic Check! Are you a writer? Come share your work at our next edition of our open mic, Mouth to Mouth. Curated and hosted by the magical Kay Ulanday Barrett and Jaden Fields! This month we’re featuring Muriel Leung and féi hernandez. 
Jafreen Uddin, Snighda Sur, Cathy Linh Che, Lawrence-Minh Bùi Davis
For AAWW at 30, we'll celebrate with leaders of major Asian American organizations and publications the importance of finding a space of our own plus the literal and figurative definitions of home. Moderated by Cathy Linh Che of Kundiman, the panel features our very own Jafreen Uddin, Lawrence-Minh Bùi Davis of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific Center, and Snigdha Sur of The Juggernaut. 
Aaisha Bhuiyan, Ayesha Islam, Jessica Jacolbe, Lylla Younes, Teresa Mathew, Hannah Bae, Noel Pangilinan
RSVP HERE! This October, join us for a celebratory reading with our 2021 Open City Fellows, as they read from, and discuss the work they have completed over the course of their Fellowship term. We’ll hear from Open City Neighborhood Fellows Jessica Jacolbe and Teresa Mathew, who have been documenting... 
Mayukh Sen and Monique Truong
Join us as we celebrate Mayukh Sen’s new book, Taste Makers, which brings forward the stories of seven immigrant women whose legacies are complicated and often erased, despite their outsized global influence on food. Their histories unwrap, layer by layer, issues of labor, immigration and gender. Mayukh will be joined in conversation by novelist Monique Truong. 
Kyle Lucia Wu, T Kira Madden, Pik-Shuen Fung, Yanyi
RSVP HERE! Join us this November for a celebration of former AAWW Margins Fellow Kyle Lucia Wu and her newly released novel, Win Me Something, a self-aware bildungsroman with a deep yearning for belonging, revealing chasms and the malleability of deep-seated relationships. Kyle will be joined in conversation with authors T... 
Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, Terisa Siagatonu, Noenoe Silva
RSVP HERE! In December we will convene a panel of Pacific Islander poets, activists, and scholars to discuss the driving forces behind their work, and their connections to Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio's forthcoming book Remembering Our Intimacies: Moʻolelo, Aloha ʻĀina, and Ea. Incorporating discussions of their creative work and scholarship, our... 
Neel Patel
RSVP HERE! Join us as we celebrate the launch of Neel Patel's debut novel, Tell Me How to Be, with a reading and 1:1 author conversation with Neel. This "daring, hilarious, poignant" (Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) story of the bond between an Indian-American mother... Past Events
Nawaaz Ahmed, Jafreen Uddin
Our quarterly Fireside Chat series brings an Asian diasporic author, artist, or academic into conversation with Jafreen Uddin, Executive Director of the Asian American Writers' Workshop. Jafreen will be joined by debut novelist Nawaaz Ahmed (Radiant Fugitives) to share updates from the Workshop, and to discuss uplifting the next generation of Asian American creators. 
Rachna Nivas, Shruti Swamy, Ria DasGupta
AAWW in collaboration with the Leela Dance Collective presents BECOMING THE ARCHER: a conversation on classical dance and literature between world renowned Kathak artist Rachna Nivas and author of The Archer Shruti Swamy. 
Albert Samaha, Matt Ortile
Join us to celebrate Albert Samaha's powerful new release, Concepcion. This intimate and incisive memoir explores the unjust legacy of imperialism in the Philippines and the pursuit of a dream through the lens of the author's family migration history. Albert will be joined in conversation by writer and editor, Matt Ortile.
Aman Ali, Zeshawn Ali, Aizzah Fatima, Sahar Jahani, Adam Gagan
RSVP HERE! Twenty years after 9/11, leading Muslim screenwriters come together to discuss the state of Muslim American representation onscreen. Panelists will wrestle with the multi-faceted challenges of representing a tremendously diverse population, exploring how far we've come and, just as critically, how far we still have to go. Featuring... 
Emperatriz Ung
Saturday, 9/18, Sunday 9/19 | 3 PM - 5:30 PM ET Online | 2 Sessions | REGISTER HERE! Sliding Scale $100-$200 | Limited Scholarship Seats Available This class welcomes everyone regardless of past experience with programming or game design. No previous programming or game development experience needed! Using interactive fiction... 
Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint, Sunisa Manning
RSVP HERE! Join us as we celebrate Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint's lyric memoir, Names for Light: A Family History, with Thirii and author Sunisa Manning (A Good True Thai). Discussing memory, family, and legacies of postcolonial violence in Southeast Asia, our panel will illuminate connections between their work and craft. ... 
Shruti Swamy, Rajiv Mohabir
RSVP HERE! The Asian American Writers' Workshop is kicking off our fall events with a celebration of Shruti Swamy's forthcoming novel, The Archer. This riveting historical novel follows a young woman as she comes of age in India in the 1960s and 70s, defined by the rhythms of Kathak dancing. Shruti... 
Monica Sok and Danny Thanh Nguyen
RSVP HERE! Seamlessly transitioning between the absurd and the tenderhearted, balancing acerbic humor with sharp emotional depth, Anthony Veasna So’s debut collection Afterparties offers an expansive portrait of the lives of Cambodian-Americans. As the children of refugees carve out radical new paths for themselves in California, they shoulder the inherited... 
Pik-Shuen Fung, K-Ming Chang
RSVP HERE! In July, the Asian American Writers' Workshop celebrates the launch of former AAWW Margins fellow Pik-Shuen Fung's highly anticipated new novel, Ghost Forest. This powerful debut explores migration and grief, joy and sorrow, through the eyes of an unnamed protagonist as she travels through the collective memories of... 
RSVP HERE! This July, the Asian American Writers' Workshop brings together writers who contributed to #WeToo, a collection of essays, poems, creative nonfiction, and experimental works, published by the Journal of Asian American Studies and AAWW's The Margins in February. Edited by erin Khuê Ninh and Shireen Roshanravan, the #WeToo reader served...
PAGETURNER, the 2021 AAWW Publishing Conference, will convene experts and authors across industries and genres to share candid insights, advice, and experiences. From the latest generation of literary editors to some of the newest voices in the speculative genre, from academics to Hollywood screenwriters, we're exploring the craft of writing...
Kay Ulanday Barrett, Jaden Fields, Kemi Alabi, and Bani Amor
*Mouth to Mouth: Open Mic and Showcase seeks to provide a safer community space for queer and trans BIPOC folx and and rising migrant artists. We uplift these voices and ask all allies to step back and show your support by cheering our performers on.* RSVP Here! We will send... 
Wajahat Ali, Jafreen Uddin
RSVP HERE! Our quarterly Fireside Chat series brings an Asian author, artist, or academic into conversation with Jafreen Uddin, Executive Director of AAWW. This June, Jafreen will be joined by journalist, lawyer, TV host, and award-winning playwright Wajahat Ali to share updates from the Workshop, and to discuss uplifting the... 
Anik Khan, Clover Hope
RSVP HERE! This summer, the Asian American Writers' Workshop brings together hip-hop artist and activist Anik Khan and music journalist and writer Clover Hope to discuss the intersections in Black and Brown musical cultures. Speaking to music, community, citizenship, and more, they will dive into shared musical influences, from Bangladesh... 
Nghi Vo, R. F. Kuang
RSVP HERE! In June, the Asian American Writers' Workshop joins Books Are Magic to celebrate the launch of Nghi Vo's highly anticipated new novel, The Chosen and the Beautiful. This queer, speculative Great Gatsby retelling remixes and reinvents a classic, "subvert[ing] and expand[ing] the possibilities of an American story" (K-Ming... 
Ishle Yi Park and Willie Perdomo
RSVP HERE! Ishle Yi Park, the first woman poet laureate of Queens, joins the Asian American Writers’ Workshop to celebrate the launch of Angel & Hannah, a novel of dynamic free verse. The book follows Hannah, a Korean American girl from Queens, and Angel, a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn,... 
Alice Sparkly Kat
4 Sessions, Thursdays, May 5/6-5/27, 7 PM ET Sliding Scale $100-$200 Register here! Tapping into the political power of magic and astrology for social, community, and personal transformation, Alice Sparkly Kat’s cross-cultural approach to astrology as a magical language unmasks the political power of astrology, showing how it can be... 
Dr. Khairani Barokka, Dr. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio
RSVP HERE! This May, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop joins the Poetry Coalition, a vital national alliance of more than 25 independent poetry organizations, in curating a program exploring the theme “It is burning./ It is dreaming./ It is waking up.: Poetry & Environmental Justice.” The line “It is burning./... 
Kay Ulanday Barrett, Jaden Fields, J Mase III, and Demian DinéYazhi'
RSVP HERE! *We will call for open mic performers closer to the date of this event. This event takes place in a Zoom Meeting-- RSVP to receive the link to the Zoom room shortly before the event. Captions provided. ASL Interpretation provided by Pro Bono ASL. Mic Check! Are you... 
Kadji Amin, Rajiv Mohabir
RSVP HERE! Our series Radical Thinkers places radical academics directly in conversation with trailblazing writers, poets, and artists, creating and nurturing two-way dialogues that will interrogate some of the most pressing issues facing Asian and Asian diasporic communities today. Featuring an interdisciplinary lineup of scholars and creatives, these unexpected pairings... 
Michelle Zauner and Hrishikesh Hirway
RSVP HERE! This April, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop will partner with indie bookstore Books Are Magic to celebrate musician Michelle Zauner’s debut memoir, Crying In H Mart. Best known for her work as the musician Japanese Breakfast, Zauner’s memoir is an astonishing debut: a rich, intimate, and lyrical story... 
RSVP HERE! "I had forgotten this chant that was once mine, given me by my mother, who may not have known its power to remind. She said I would grow up a wife and a slave, but she taught me the song of the warrior woman, Fa Mu Lan. I...
Piyali Bhattacharya, Jafreen Uddin
RSVP HERE! Our quarterly Fireside Chat series brings an Asian author, artist, or academic into conversation with Jafreen Uddin, Executive Director of AAWW. This March, Jafreen will be joined by writer, editor, and professor Piyali Bhattacharya to share updates from the Workshop, and to discuss AAWW from a writers’ perspective.... 
Tamara K. Nopper
This *Free* Zoom Webinar has a cap of 100 attendees. Overflow will be directed to the livestream on AAWW's Youtube channel. Live captions provided. RSVP HERE! On March 23rd at 6 PM ET, join the Asian American Writers’ Workshop for a lecture with Tamara K. Nopper. This lecture will last... 
Priyanka Champaneri and Marjan Kamali
RSVP HERE! Join the Asian American Writers' Workshop and Restless Books for a celebration of Priyanka Champaneri's debut novel, The City of Good Death. Priyanka will be in conversation with special guest Marjan Kamali, author of The Stationery Shop. Winner of the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, The... 
Kazim Ali and Billy-Ray Belcourt
RSVP HERE! Acclaimed poet, novelist, and essayist Kazim Ali joins the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and Milkweed Editions to launch his new memoir, Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water. Northern Light, a sensitive and elegantly structured exploration of land and power, is told through Ali’s recollections of his... 
Kay Ulanday Barrett, Ashna Ali, Faylita Hicks, Jubi Arriola-Headley
RSVP here! MOUTH to MOUTH, Thursday, 2/25/2021, 7PM-8:30PM ET Featuring Kay Ulanday Barrett, Ashna Ali, Jubi Arriola Headley, & Faylita Hicks **This event will be captioned** Mic Check! Are you a writer? Come share your work at our next edition of our open mic and showcase, Mouth to Mouth. Hosted... 
Nikesh Shukla, Mira Jacob
RSVP HERE! The Asian American Writers’ Workshop is delighted to celebrate the launch of writer Nikesh Shukla’s new memoir, Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family, and Home. An intimate look at love, grief, and fatherhood, Shukla’s memoir “bears witness to our turbulent times” (Bernardine Evaristo) with humor, honesty, and... 
Chang-rae Lee and Bryan Washington
RSVP HERE! Join the Asian American Writers’ Workshop as we celebrate award-winning writer Chang-rae Lee’s electrifying new novel, My Year Abroad. A surprising, tender, and humorous work, My Year Abroad is a story unique to Chang-rae Lee’s immense talents as a writer, and explores the division between East and West,... 
Simon Han and Tahseen Shams
RSVP HERE! Our series Radical Thinkers places radical academics directly in conversation with trailblazing writers, poets, and artists, creating and nurturing two-way dialogues that will interrogate some of the most pressing issues facing Asian and Asian diasporic communities today. Featuring an interdisciplinary lineup of scholars and creatives, these unexpected pairings... 