Watch icons Maxine Hong Kingston and Viet Thanh Nguyen discuss writing, legacy, and the recent collection of Kingston’s work from the Library of America, edited by Nguyen. Recorded live for the American Writers Festival.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Resources
ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE Month
Celebrate the impact of AAPI writers and their work, discover book recommendations for AAPI Heritage Month, listen to podcasts with AAPI writers and more!
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and we have a number of resources available to help you discover, celebrate, and honor the vast contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander writers, both past and present.
- Explore virtual exhibits like Hisaye Yamamoto: An American Story, focused on the life and legacy of Hisaye Yamamoto, a hugely influential yet often overlooked writer who survived a U.S. internment camp during World War II and went on to inspire countless other Asian American writers.
- Watch past program videos with contemporary authors like Viet Thanh Nguyen, Nicole Chung, and more.
- Listen to informative and engaging podcasts with leading writers such as T Kira Madden and Rowan Hisayo Buchanan.
- Take your class on a Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month guided exploration of the AWM with a focus on Asian American writers and their work.
Lisa See: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
Beloved author Lisa See reads from and discusses her captivating and vivid new novel Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. Set in 15th century China, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a fictional retelling of the life of one remarkable woman, Tan Yunxian, a female doctor whose book contains formulas still used today in traditional Chinese medicine. Filled with Lisa See’s luminous writing, deep research, and emphasis on the primacy and importance of female friendship, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a huge treat and an irresistible read for old fans and new readers alike. Books will be available for sale prior to and during the event, and See will sign books following the program. Get your tickets for Lisa See at the AWM here. This in-person event will also be livestreamed, and you can register to watch online here.
Explore Online Exhibits
Hisaye Yamamoto: An American Story
Discover the personal story of Hisaye Yamamoto, a powerful, but perhaps underappreciated, writer who defined a generation of Japanese Americans as she also sought to expose injustices and give voice to the voiceless. Yamamoto and her family were imprisoned by the United States government in a concentration camp during World War II. Learn how writing helped Yamamoto get through that time and how that experience impacted her writing and activism later on.
My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today
In our special exhibit My America, available both online and in-person, contemporary immigrant and refugee writers explore themes of home, community, language, duality, and what it means to be “American.” Acclaimed writers like poet Jenny Xie, novelist R. O. Kwon, author Yiyun Li and many more share insights into their craft and the experience of creating a home in a foreign land.
Watch Joanne Lee Molinaro discuss her new cookbook The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma’s Kitchen at the American Writers Museum.
Reading Recommendations for AAPI Heritage Month
Writer and editor Rowan Hisayo Buchanan—author of the novels Harmless Like You, Starling Days, and the forthcoming The Sleep Watcher—spoke to nine Asian American novelists about their books, as well as the Asian and Asian American writers who have inspired them.
AAPI HERITAGE MONTH BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
WATCH
Over on our YouTube channel we’ve put together a Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month playlist for your viewing pleasure.
- Writers Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kao Kalia Yang and Vu Tran discuss their contributions to the anthology The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives.
LISTEN
Check out and subscribe to our podcasts to hear fascinating conversations with contemporary Asian American writers.
- Writers Rowan Hisayo Buchanan and T Kira Madden discuss their writing habits and contributions to the book Go Home!, an anthology of Asian diasporic writers musing on the notion of “home”.
READ
Hit the American Writers Museum blog for even more Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month content.
- Check out past Q&As with leading women writers like novelist R. O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries.