Nov 15–Jan 5: Apply for the 2016 Kundiman Retreat! Spread the word!

June 15 – 19, 2016
Fordham University
Rose Hill Campus
New York City

Now accepting applications for the
2016 Kundiman Asian American Writing Retreat

In order to help mentor the next generation of Asian American writers, Kundiman sponsors an annual Retreat in partnership with Fordham University. During the Retreat, nationally renowned Asian American poets and writers conduct workshops with fellows. This year's faculty members are Jaswinder Bolina, Kimiko Hahn, Lee Herrick, Porochista Khakpour, R. Zamora Linmark, and Bich Minh Nguyen. Kundiman provides a safe and instructive environment that identifies and addresses the unique challenges faced by emerging Asian American writers. Our hope is that fellows are able to forge a deeper relationship to their artistic process and are able to encounter their work with renewed focus and energy. 

To apply, submit a cover letter and a brief writing sample of your genre. For poets, submit a writing sample of 5–7 pages. Fiction writers, submit a writing sample of 5 pages (1250 words max). The deadline to apply is January 5th, 2016. Accepted fellows will be notified in late January.

For the poetry application, please click here: https://kundiman.submittable.com/submit

For the fiction application, please click here: https://kundiman.submittable.com/submit

For more information about the Retreat, watch this video: https://vimeo.com/72058947

Photo Credit: Margarita Corporan

Photo Credit: Margarita Corporan

Poetry Faculty


Jaswinder Bolina is author of the poetry collections Phantom Camera, winner of the 2012 Green Rose Prize from New Issues Press, and Carrier Wave, winner of the 2006 Colorado Prize for Poetry. His recent poems are collected in the digital chapbook The Tallest Building in America (2014). They have also appeared in numerous U.S. and international literary journals and in The Best American Poetry series. His essays have appeared on The Poetry Foundation, The Huffington Post, The State, The Writer, and in several anthologies including Poets on Teaching (University of Iowa Press 2011), Language: A Reader for Writers (Oxford University Press 2013), and in the forthcoming 14th edition of The Norton Reader. Bolina is a professor of poetry in the MFA Program at the University of Miami. 

Kimiko Hahn has been attracted to disparate source material over her nine collections of poetry—whether Flaubert's sex-tour in The Unbearable Heart, an exhumation in The Artist's Daughter or classical Japanese forms in The Narrow Road to the Interior. Rarefied fields of science prompted her latest collections Toxic Flora and Brain Fever. An advocate of chapbooks, her latest is The Cryptic Chamber. She is a distinguished professor at Queens College, City University of New York.

Lee Herrick is the Fresno Poet Laureate and the author of two books, Gardening Secrets of the Dead and This Many Miles from Desire. His poems have appeared in The Bloomsbury Review, ZYZZYVA, Highway 99: A Literary Journey Through California’s Great Central Valley, 2nd edition, and Indivisible: Poems of Social Justice, among others. Born in Daejeon, South Korea and adopted at ten months, he lives in Fresno, California and teaches at Fresno City College and in the low-residency MFA Program at Sierra Nevada College.

Fiction Faculty

R. Zamora Linmark is the author of the best-selling novel Rolling the R’s, the novel Leche, and three collections of poetry. He has received fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission. His stage adaptation of Rolling the R’s premiered in Honolulu in 2008 to critical and commercial success. He has lectured and taught, as a distinguished visiting professor in Creative Writing, in universities in the U.S. and the Philippines. Linmark divides his time between Manila and Honolulu.

Bich Minh Nguyen is the author of the novel Short Girls, which was named an American Book Award winner in fiction and a Library Journal best book of the year. Her memoir, Stealing Buddha's Dinner, received the PEN/Jerard Award from the PEN American Center and was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year. Her most recent novel is Pioneer Girl. Nguyen has taught fiction and creative nonfiction in the MFA Program at Purdue University and the MFA in Writing Program at the University of San Francisco. She and her family live in the Bay Area. 

Porochista Khakpour was born in Tehran, raised in Los Angeles and lives in New York City. She the author of the forthcoming memoir Sick (HarperPerennial, 2017), and the novels The Last Illusion (Bloomsbury, 2014)—a 2014 "Best Book of the Year" according to NPR, Kirkus, Buzzfeed, Popmatters, Electric Literature, and more— and SONS AND OTHER FLAMMABLE OBJECTS (Grove, 2007), the 2007 California Book Award winner in “First Fiction,” one of the Chicago Tribune’s “Fall’s Best,” and a New York Times “Editor’s Choice.” Her writing has appeared in or is forthcoming in Harper’s, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera America, Bookforum, Slate, Salon, Spin, The Daily Beast, Elle,and many other publications around the world. She is currently Editor at Large at The Scofield and Contributing Editor at The Offing, and Writer in Residence at Bard College.

To see a full list faculty from previous years, please click here: http://kundiman.org/faculty/

Photo Credit: Margarita Corporan

Testimonials

"As soon as I arrived, I was greeted so warmly as if I was among old friends! Here was a group of dynamic people who shared both my struggles—being a writer of color in America—and my passions: a deep devotion to the art of poetry.  I've always heard, read, and spoken about the importance of community in any artistic endeavor.  The poet's road can be a lonely one; the drifting heart needs its anchors.  But I never realized how empowering  a community of artists could be until I spent four days with the Kundiman staff, teachers, and fellows.  I found there what I failed to find in my MFA program, or in any other poetry workshop I've taken: a deep respect and honor among poets; a desire to talk about race, identity, and history, in conjunction with one's composition process; and a willingness to be brave, to fail, and to look silly.  The sillier the better!  In fact, the laughter, energy, and spark never expired, despite the hot, long days and even longer nights.  I thank the founders of Kundiman and the entire staff for having the vision to create and maintain such a fierce

––Brynn Saito

"Kundiman has been a transformative experience toward courage and sensitivity. Never have I been surrounded by such an instant sense of family and fellowship, of bread-breaking over poetry. Writing and reading poems during the retreat were rare opportunities to be vulnerable without judgment. There are no words for the dams that break when we realize we don't have to apologize for ourselves as poets or minorities and can be our whole, complex selves. The Kundiman retreat and family exist in a pocket outside of real time for me, in a space where I learn to push myself beyond what I thought were grace and poise, to a new kind of balance, support, joy, and permission. Kundiman teaches me to live my poems; my successes are worth little without the celebration of this

––Henry W. Leung

For more testimonials, please visit this link: http://kundiman.org/testimonials/

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@kundiman.org. We look forward to reading your applications! 

Dec 17: Asian American Arts Alliance's December Town Hall / Pop-Up Market


ASIAN AMERICAN ARTS ALLIANCE'S
DECEMBER TOWN HALL / POP-UP MARKET


Thursday, December 17th, 6:30 - 9:30pm

W83
150 West 83rd Street
Fifth Floor (Loft and Roof Terrace)
New York, NY 10024

For those of you who are Town Hall regulars, you're in for a real treat! Kundiman will be joining the Asian American Arts Alliance for the December Town Hall. We will have some pitches, performances, and a potluck but with a slight twist: Our featured artists are those participating in the pop-up, and those that want to pitch will have the opportunity to do so digitally through our Tumblr and social media. 

Come by the Kundiman table and join us for some holiday cheer! 

Free and open to the public.

For event details and to RSVP, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/december-town-hall-registration-19336827973

November 13: Kundiman Poetry Prize Reading

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Kundiman Poetry Prize Reading
 

Friday, November 13th, 5pm

NYU Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House
58 West 10th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) 
New York, NY 10011

Lo Kwa Mei-en’s first book "Yearling" is the 2013 winner of the Kundiman Poetry Prize and out now from Alice James Books. Tarfia Faizullah’s first book is "Seam" (Southern Illinois University Press, 2014). Porochista Khakpour is the author of two novels, most recently "The Last Illusion" (Bloomsbury, 2015). Poet and fiction writer Jennifer Tseng’s most recent work is the novel "Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness" (Europa Editions, 2015). This event is co-sponsored with New York University.

For more information, please visit the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/861298457310877/ 

November 22: Kundiman in DC

Sunday, November 22, 1pm

Politics and Prose
5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
 

Michelle Chan Brown & Patricia Schultheis Reading in DC

A non-profit literary organization established in 1973 to foster the work of writers in the Washington-Baltimore area, Washington Writers Publishing House sponsors annual prizes in poetry and fiction. The 2015 Jean Feldman Award goes to Michelle Chan Brown, editor of Drunken Boat, for her second full-length collection of poems Motherland, with Wolves. Brown is also the author of Double Agent, honored with the 2012 Kore First Book Award, and the chapbook The Clever Decoys. Patricia Schultheis has won the WWPH fiction prize for her collection of stories. A finalist for the 2008 Flannery O’Connor Award, Schultheis has published short fiction in a wide range of literary journals; she’s also a voting member of the National Book Critics Circle and has served on the editorial boards of The Baltimore Review and Narrative magazine.

For more information, please visit the Politics and Prose website: http://www.politics-prose.com/event/book/michelle-chan-brown-motherland-wolves-patricia-schultheis-st-bart-s-way

 

October 17, 18, & 19: Reading Rizal


Kundiman & Filipino American Museum Present:
Three Days of Reading Rizal


Celebrate Filipino American History Month with an unprecedented weekend-long production of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere, his seminal work that defined Filipino national identity. Manhattan Reads Rizal is an immersive marathon production that pushes the boundaries of theater, multidisciplinary performance, and literary presentation.

For information on all events, please visit the Facebook Event page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/500442533463798/

Saturday, October 17th, 12-2pm
Noli Me Tangere: The Dinner Party
http://nolimetangeresat.brownpapertickets.com/

FAM (Filipino American Museum) presents a dinner party out of the 1800's. Join a cast of characters from religious zealots to military officers to socialites as they navigate the social mores and complicated politics of late 19th century colonial Philippines. Eat dinner and observe the happenings of the first three chapters of the seminal Jose Rizal novel Noli Me Tangere as the character come to life around you. Featuring Alan Ariano, Quinn Coughlin, Ron Domingo, Jose Llana, Alfredo Narciso, PJ Policarpio, and Ching Valdes-Aran. Directed by Ken Leung.
 
General Admission (includes lunch buffet): $30 online / $40 at the door
Weekend Pass (includes lunch buffet and admission to 3:30pm Sunday and 6:30pm Monday shows): $40 online / $50 at the door.

Sunday, October 18th, 3:30-8pm
Noli Me Tangere: The Marathon
http://nolimetangeresun.brownpapertickets.com/

FAM (Filipino American Museum) presents a marathon reading of the seminal Jose Rizal novel Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) . Artists, actors, dancers, activists read from the novel that shaped a national identity. Come hear the story of a colonized society and all the secrets, conspiracies, heroes and villains that result from a fractured country's subconscious. Featuring Marilyn Abalos, Patricia Astorga, Liz Casasola, Christelle de Castro, Maha Chelaoui, Luis Francia, Avena Gallagher, Rio Guerrero, Cecilia Pagkalinawan, Maia Cruz Palileo, Nicole Ponseca, Patrick Rosal, Ninotchka Rosca, Jon Santos, Sophia Skiles, Jaret Vadrea, Aldrin Valdez and more.

Tickets: $7 online / $10 at the door

Monday, October 19th, 6-8pm
Jose Rizal: What Tomorrow Brings
nolimetangeremon.brownpapertickets.com

FAM presents as a close to its exploration of Noli Me Tangere, an introduction to Jose Rizal’s follow-up novel, the explosive El Filibusterismo. Scholars, knights, and Rizal experts discuss the importance of these novels and how they resonate with a contemporary community's search for identity.

Tickets: $7 online / $10 at the door

October 24: Kundiman Reading in L.A.

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Hearts of Palm Reading Palace


October 24, 7:30pm

Poetic Research Bureau
951 Chung King Road
Los Angeles, California 90012

Join us for a star dusty evening with fellows Kenji C. Liu and Margaret Rhee reading at the Hearts of Palm Reading Palace under the ever so often L.A. pink sky. Curated by Feliz Lucia Molina. 

Kenji C. Liu's forthcoming poetry collection Map of an Onion is the 2015 national winner of the Hillary Gravendyk Prize. His writing appears in The American Poetry Review, Asian American Literary Review, Barrow Street Journal, CURA, RHINO, Split This Rock's poem of the week series, and several anthologies. A recipient of fellowships from Kundiman, VONA/Voices, Djerassi Resident Artist Program, and Community of Writers at SV, he holds an MA in Cultural Anthropology and Social Transformation.

Margaret Rhee is the author of chapbooks Yellow (Tinfish Press, 2011) and Radio Heart; or, How Robots Fall Out of Love (forthcoming Finishing Line Press, 2015). She co-edited Glitter Tongue: queer and trans love poems and Mixed Blood, a literary journal on race and innovative poetics edited by CS Giscombe. She is the Kathy Acker Fellow at Les Figues Press and an associate editor for Tupelo Press. In 2014, she received her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in ethnic and new media studies, and her BA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California. Currently, she is a visiting assistant professor in Women and Gender Studies at the University of Oregon.

For more information, please visit the Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1645150495737828/

November 10: Intersection For The Arts' 50/50 Poetry Nights

Intersection For The Arts' 50/50 Poetry Nights

November 10, 7:30-9pm

Tenderloin Museum
398 Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

Featuring Truong Tran, François Luong, Michelle Lin, Carolyn Ho, and Sean Labrador y Manzano. Curated by Mg Roberts. Admission is free and open to the public. 

Truong Tran is a visual artist and the author of The Book of Perceptions, placing the accents, dust and conscience, within the margin, four letter words, and a children’s book, Going Home Coming Home. The Book of Perceptions was a finalist for The Kiriyama Prize and placing the accents (Apogee Press, 1999) was a finalist for the Western States Prize for Poetry. dust and conscience (Apogee Press, 2002) was awarded the San Francisco State Poetry Center Prize. His honors include grants from The Fund for Poetry, The Creative Work Fund, The Cultural Equity Grant, and The California Arts Council Grant. Truong lives in San Francisco where he is currently teaching poetry at San Francisco State University and Mills College.

Originally from Strasbourg, France, François Luong lives in San Francisco. He has translated the works of Esther Tellermann, François Turcot, and Rémi Froger, as well as other francophone poets from France, Québec and elsewhere. His translations have appeared or are forthcoming in LIT, West Wind Review, Verse, Dandelion (Canada), Aufgabe, and elsewhere.

Michelle Lin is the author of A House Made of Water (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2017). Her poems appear or are forthcoming in Adrienne, Quaint Magazine, The Journal, Aster(ix), Phoebe, North American Review, TYPO, Apogee, and more. She has served as an editor for the journals Mosaic, Hot Metal Bridge, and B. E. Quarterly, and currently serves as Poetry Reader for Twelfth House Journal. She has taught at the University of Pittsburgh, LEAPS summer program, and Young Writer's Institute. She works for Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Carolyn Ho is a poet and artist. She is a Kundiman fellow, William Dickey fellow, won the SF Foundation's Phelan Award, the Anne Fields Poetry Award, the Kathryn Manoogian Scholarship, and a grant recipient from the San Francisco Arts Commission, among other whatnots.She believes the over 25,000 cranes she’s made over a six-year period are merely a byproduct of coping with, among other concerns, the disenchantment of earning a fine arts degree during a tech boom and the horrors of being an adult. Last year, SF Weekly recently mentioned her as one of fourteen, "Best Writers Without a Book (in) San Francisco - 2014," Carolyn is still saddened by this announcement.

Sean Labrador y Manzano has an MFA in Poetry from Mills College. His column "Conversations at a Wartime Cafe" appears at McSweeneys. He served as poetry editor for Tea Party Magazine and the L.A. based Forth Magazine. His work can be found in Chain, Bay Poetics, McSweeney's, The Best American Poetry 2004, and elsewhere.

For more information, please click here: http://www.theintersection.org/#!5050-poetry-nights/c1ctk 

For a full schedule, please visit the Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/452230071645206/

May 25: Emotive Fruition Show ft. Janine Joseph's Driving Without a License

EMOTIVE FRUITION SHOW FT. JANINE JOSEPH'S
DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE

May 25, 2016
7:30pm

Botanic Lab NYC
86 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002

Emotive Fruition, a performance series where actors bring poetry to life on stage, is hosting its May 25th show at the Botanic Lab in NYC. This episode will be held in conjunction with the release of Janine Joseph’s debut collection, Driving Without a License, winner of the Kundiman Prize for Poetry. 

For more information, please click here: http://emotivefruition.org/connect/