You will eat preserved lemons in perfect silence.
The past will not haunt.
We will tend the land.
Because we have been tended to.
At the 2022 Kundiman Retreat, faculty member Philip Metres, along with Fellows Pichchenda Bao, Sumita Chakraborty, Na Mee, Tariq Luthun, and Andie Millares collaboratively wrote a poem that they titled “Pantoum for the Future." The poem spoke to a kind of communal care—for the self, for the earth, for those we share this world with. This month we’ve put together a limited edition broadside featuring this beautiful poem.
Community is the bedrock of Kundiman. We are proud to have uplifted thousands of AAPI writers over the past 20 years. As we look toward the future, we’re excited to launch our 2024 Kundiman Forever campaign this month. This campaign, which began ten years ago, continues to be essential to building programming that fits the needs of Kundiman’s community. We’re hoping to raise $40,000 in support of readings, workshops, and the annual Retreat.
Kundiman has long been supported by the generosity of people like you, who make up the heart of this organization. A donation of $5 a week—less than the cost of a latte—can provide a scholarship for a writer of color to attend a four-week workshop with Kundiman. These recurring donations provide a crucial source of stable funding. The first 20 people to commit to a recurring donation of $5 a week or more will receive a limited edition 20th anniversary print made by Barahm Press and featuring lines from “Pantoum for the Future.”
If you are unable to commit to a recurring donation at this time, we welcome you to support with a one-time donation of any amount. We are also always so grateful to those who help spread the word about Kundiman’s initiatives, whether over email, social media, or word of mouth.
As we look back on twenty years of Kundiman, we’re so grateful to each and every person who has helped to bolster this organization. Thank you for all your generosity. We look forward to what Kundiman can become in 2024 and beyond.