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.

Photo of Lisa See and book cover of Lady Tan's Circle of Women

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.

GET TICKETS HERE

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.

Explore Online Exhibits

Photo of Hisaye Yamamoto with text that reads, "Hisaye Yamamoto, An American Story"

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.

Explore here on Google Arts & Culture

My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today

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.

Classroom resources are available to download as well.

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 YouStarling 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.

YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

LISTEN

Check out and subscribe to our podcasts to hear fascinating conversations with contemporary Asian American writers.

AWM PODCAST NETWORK

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.

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