We would like to welcome the addition of Kazim Ali and David Mura to the Kundiman Board of Trustees. Both have also been longstanding members of Kundiman’s Advisory Board. Their experience and perspectives will strengthen our ability to build and evolve our organizational leadership for the future.
Below are brief bios for Kazim Ali and David Mura.
Kazim Ali co-founded Nightboat Books with Jennifer Chapis in 2004 and served as its publisher from 2004–2007. He continues to edit books for Nightboat and serve as President of the Board of Directors. Kazim is a Professor of Literary Arts and Comparative Literature at the University of California, San Diego, and chaired the Department of Literature there from 2021-2024. Prior to joining UCSD, Kazim taught at various colleges and universities, including Oberlin College, Davidson College, St. Mary's College of California, and Naropa University.
From his tenure at Nightboat Books, Kazim has experience recruiting and onboarding nonprofit board members, as well as program development and individual donor fundraising.
Kazim is the author of 16 books of poetry, fiction, essay and cross-genre work, as well as translator of works from French, Farsi, and Spanish.
David Mura is a memoirist, essayist, poet, fiction writer, and playwright. He has taught at colleges and universities around the country. His most recent books are The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives and A Stranger’s Journey: Race, Identity & Narrative Craft in Writing.
David served as Director of Training for The Innocent Classroom, a program designed by writer and educator Alexs Pate to train K-12 teachers to improve their relationships with students of color. In 2024, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship for general nonfiction. David previously served on the board of Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA), which is the only multi-genre workshop for writers of color. He has experience supporting arts organizations through change management.
A Sansei or third- generation Japanese American, David has written two memoirs, including Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei, and multiple award-winning books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
We welcome David and Kazim to the Kundiman Board of Trustees.