Kundiman

05/07/2026

You can still register for Kimberly Alidio's one-day poetry craft class, happening this weekend! Bring along an object related to your creativity for a writing exercise focused on generating new work.

Saturday, May 9th, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM ET. Open to all writers of color.

https://www.kundiman.org/critical-wonder-with-kimberly-alidio

[Image ID: A circular headshot of Kimberly Alidio is surrounded by event details in red and brown text. The background is cream-colored with a yellow to green gradient border. The red and black Kundiman logo appears in the bottom right corner.]

05/06/2026

For over twenty years, Kundiman has been dedicated to creating spaces where writers can build community while honing their craft. This May, we’re running our Kundiman Forever campaign to raise $25,000 to fund scholarships for the Retreat and Online Classes, and free programs for Regional Groups.

Donate today to support scholarships for Fellows attending our upcoming Retreat in June. You can also become a monthly donor to help readers and writers find community year round through readings, online classes, and publishing panels.

Please make a donation by visiting: kundiman.kindful.com/kundiman-forever-2026.

[Image ID: An image of a group of people writing at outdoor picnic tables at the Kundiman Retreat.]

04/23/2026

On Monday, May 18th at 6:00 PM CT, the Kundiman Midwest Regional Group will present a virtual discussion on the immense and far reaching influence of Toni Morrison with Asian American writers and scholars: Wilson C. Chen, Nina Li Coomes, and Nghiem Tran. These writers will talk about how their work has been informed by Toni Morrison's art, life, and legacy; topics of conversation will include elders and ancestors, writing as a working mother, and madness as a survival tactic in the novel The Bluest Eye.

This event is part of "Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison," a yearlong celebration hosted by Literary Cleveland and Ohio Humanities.

kundiman.org/calendar-1/open-spaces-of-we

[Image ID: Circular headshots of Nghiem Tran, Nina Li Coomes, and Wilson C. Chen are surrounded by event details in red and black text. The background is a red and white gradient The Literary Cleveland logo appears in the bottom left corner and the Kundiman logo appears in the bottom right corner.]

04/21/2026

It’s been wonderful to see our community come together at recent Kundiman Regional Group events. Kundiman South and Kundiman Northeast co-hosted “Growing From Our Roots: An Asian Debut Author Showcase” during the 2026 AWP Conference in Baltimore. Kundiman Southern California co-hosted a zine release for Arumandhira Howard’s “For Animal Use Only.” Kundiman Hawai‘i co-hosted a reading called “Build Me a Bangka: Departures from the Philippines - New Diasporic Writing.”

If you're interested in gatherings like these, join our network of regional groups, which hold meetups, readings, and other events across the nation and internationally. We have ten groups: Northeast, Midwest, South, Mountain West, Southwest, Northern California, Southern California, Pacific Northwest, Hawai‘i, and International.

https://www.kundiman.org/regional-groups-1

Photos 1–2 by Juston Spradling. Photo 3 by Lynn Hu. Photo 4 by Kien Lam. Photo 5 by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto.

[Image ID:

Slide 1: A group photo from the "Growing From Our Roots: An Asian Debut Author Showcase" reading held by Kundiman South and Kundiman Northeast.

Slide 2: “Growing From Our Roots” organizers Joshua Nguyen and Susan Nguyen celebrate five years of the reading series.

Slide 3: Arumandhira Howard reads at the release party for her new zine "For Animal Use Only," hosted by Kundiman Southern California and Scribble in Los Angeles.

Slide 4: Arumandhira Howard and Joré Aaron at the "For Animal Use Only" release party.

Slide 5: A group photo from the "Build Me a Bangka: Departures from the Philippines - New Diasporic Writing" reading held by Kundiman Hawaiʻi, Mixing Innovative Arts, and the Hub Coworking Space in Honolulu.]

04/20/2026

Scholarship applications for Kimberly Alidio's one-day poetry craft class are due tomorrow.

Saturday, May 9th, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM ET. Open to all writers of color.

https://www.kundiman.org/critical-wonder-with-kimberly-alidio

[Image ID: A circular headshot of Kimberly Alidio is surrounded by event details in red and brown text. The background is cream-colored with a yellow to green gradient border. The red and black Kundiman logo appears in the bottom right corner.]

04/14/2026

On Friday, May 1st, the Kundiman Midwest Regional Group, in collaboration with the Foundation of Asian American Independent Media, will present an evening of cinema and poetry in Chicago to kickoff of the 29th Annual Asian American Showcase!

The evening will begin at 5:30 PM CT with a happy hour and community mixer, where you can connect with fellow film lovers, writers, and creatives. A screening of literary-inspired documentaries and experimental animation will begin at 6:30 PM CT, followed by a live reading by poets Lisa Low, Meg Kim, Dawn Angelicca Barcelona, and Darsh*ta Jain that at 7:30 PM CT.

For more information on the event, films, and readers visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/modern-portraits-an-evening-of-aapi-short-films-and-poetry-tickets-1986725643882

[Image ID: Circular headshots of Lisa Low, Darsh*ta Jain, Meg Kim, and Dawn Angelicca Barcelona are surrounded by event details in red and black text. The background is a red and white gradient.]

04/08/2026

Kundiman is excited to welcome Noah Arhm Choi and Kavita Das to the Board of Trustees. Learn more about their appointment below.

Announcing new Board members Noah Arhm Choi and Kavita Das

04/06/2026

Join Kimberly Alidio for a one-day poetry craft class on Critical Wonder: Process as Poetics. This generative writing class will explore how craft elements — such as the line break and visual-sonic forms — also function as matters of practice affecting our personal and political selves. Poets, prose writers, and interdisciplinary writers are welcome.

Saturday, May 9th, 1:00 PM–3:30 PM ET. Open to all writers of color.

https://www.kundiman.org/critical-wonder-with-kimberly-alidio

[Image ID: A circular headshot of Kimberly Alidio is surrounded by event details in red and brown text. The background is cream-colored with a yellow to green gradient border. The red and black Kundiman logo appears in the bottom right corner.]

04/02/2026

Last month, Kundiman attended the AWP 2026 Conference in Baltimore. It was an honor to present our featured event “Towards a Liberatory Literature: A Palestinian Voices Reading and Conversation,” featuring leena aboutaleb, Sarah Aziza, and Fargo Nissim Tbakhi. Thank you to our panelists and everyone who joined us for this incredibly galvanizing discussion.

Read more about our time at AWP in our recap: kundiman.org/announcements/awp-2026-recap

[Image ID: Fargo Nissim Tbakhi, leena aboutaleb, and Sarah Aziza on stage at our featured event.]

03/26/2026

You can still join Jade Yeung's four-week poetry workshop on reading and writing visual poetry, beginning this weekend!

Saturdays, March 28th–April 18th, 2:00–4:30 PM ET. Open to all writers of color.

https://www.kundiman.org/poetry-jade-yeung

[Image ID: A circular headshot of Jade Yeung is surrounded by event details in red and brown text. The background is cream-colored with a yellow to green gradient border. The red and black Kundiman logo appears in the bottom right corner.]

03/18/2026

There's still time to sign up for Ryan Lee Wong's multi-genre craft class, happening this weekend! Discuss the storytelling possibilities granted by research like oral history, archiving, and mapping, and participate in generative writing exercises.

Saturday, March 21st, 2:00 PM–4:30 PM ET. Open to all writers of color.

https://www.kundiman.org/documentary-fiction-ryan-lee-wong

[Image ID: A circular headshot of Ryan Lee Wong is surrounded by event details in red and brown text. The background is cream-colored with a yellow to green gradient border. The red and black Kundiman logo appears in the bottom right corner.]