Ghosted World attendees. Photo credit: Denaise Seals
From August 4th–6th, Kundiman attended Ghosted World: An Uncanceled Asian American Literature Festival in Washington D.C. It was a weekend filled with celebration, protest, grief, and resistance.
On July 5th, the Asian American Literature Festival (AALF) was suddenly canceled by Smithsonian leadership, just weeks in advance. Without explanation, they erased months of planning work and canceled a unique and historically significant event. This year would have marked the third AALF, the first since 2019. In response, the organizers of the AALF rallied together to host Ghosted World: An Uncanceled Asian American Literature Festival— a series of smaller literary events, held without the support of the Smithsonian.
A selection of reads from Loyalty Books. Photo credit: Shirley Cai
The events at Ghosted World included Literaoke at Busboys & Poets, a salon of protest and care, a quiet healing room at the Eaton D.C, and a ghosts and spirits-themed reading at Loyalty Books.
Readers at A Salon of Protest and Care. Photo credit: Shirley Cai
Kundiman has been proud to organize the AALF in the past, alongside many of our valued community partners. Over the years, we've offered several events at the Festival, including a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon, a Pacific Islander poetry reading, lectures on Asian American history, & more. This year, we had planned a reading celebrating Palestinian diasporic literature, a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon for Asian American literature, and a space for dedicated opportunities for intergenerational community-building. We were devastated to not have been able to hold these events.
Ghosts & Spirits reading at Loyalty Books. Photo credit: Shirley Cai
The weekend exemplified the resilience and power of our Asian American community and further cemented the importance of a gathering like the Asian American Literature Festival. We send so much love to all the organizers, artists, publishers, and supporters who put in immense care and labor to ensure that this space was made possible.
We encourage you to read the open letter to the Smithsonian condemning the abrupt and unexpected cancellation of the festival and consider adding your name here. You can also follow @aalfcollective on Instagram for updates.
Ghosted World attendees. Photo credit: Denaise Seals