“Especially for first-time authors, the Kundiman publishing panel demystified the process of finding and working with agents.”
– Jon Funabiki

“Kundiman’s free workshops are a beautiful and valuable act of service to the Asian American community. Not only are the sessions incredibly useful, especially the ones about publishing, but by offering financially accessible courses, they are practicing love and equity. I am so grateful to be an emerging Asian American writer while Kundiman exists.” – Amanda Tien

“This class helped me understand more about the publishing world especially as an Asian American writer. I learned a lot even despite having gone to other publishing talks and seminars and it made me excited to keep working on my book and less afraid to submit it to agents.”  – Maria S. Picone

“These panels reminded me of how important representation, community, and transparency are within the publishing industry and all industries alike. I'm especially grateful to Kundiman and Penguin Random House for making these events free for Asian Americans and effectively making the publishing world so much more accessible.” – Hannah Kang

We hosted the third installment of our Publishing Panels for AAPI Writers series on Saturday, September 9, from 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET with a moderated conversation and audience Q&A among book publicists Karen Gu (Two Lines Press), Juliana Kiyan (Penguin Press), Jamie Knapp (Plume, Tiny Reparations, Dutton), and Glory Anne Plata (Riverhead Books).

This virtual event was held via Zoom with ASL interpretation by Pro Bono ASL and live captioning by Sign Nexus.

access zoom recording here!

Karen Gu is the Publicist at Two Lines Press. She has previously worked for Graywolf Press, The Believer, and the National Book Foundation. She is a fiction writer and Kundiman fellow.

Juliana Kiyan is an Editor and Associate Director of Publicity at Penguin Press. She began her career at Scribner and joined Penguin Press in 2011. She has worked in publicity for over a decade, and her role recently expanded to acquire and edit titles.

Jamie Knapp is the Director of Publicity for Plume and Tiny Reparations Books and the Associate Director of Publicity for Dutton. She also serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council Representative for the PPG Division at Penguin Random House.

Glory Anne Plata is an Assistant Director of Publicity at Riverhead Books. She began her career as an intern at The New Press, then joined the G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Riverhead Books publicity department in 2010 before transitioning to working solely with the Riverhead Books imprint. She has worked in book publicity for over a decade.

We hosted the second installment of our Publishing Panels for AAPI Writers series on Saturday, January 28, from 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET with a moderated conversation and audience Q&A among acquisitions editors Yuka Igarashi (Graywolf Press), Vivian Lee (Little, Brown and Company), Alyssa Ogi (Tin House), and Nidhi Pugalia (Viking Penguin) about what happens once an editor receives a project from an agent, how authors can build relationships with editors, and the process of working towards publication.

This virtual event was held through a Zoom webinar with ASL interpretation by Pro Bono ASL and live captioning by Sign Nexus.

Access zoom recording here!

Yuka Igarashi is an executive editor at Graywolf Press. Before joining Graywolf in 2021, she was editor-in-chief of Soft Skull Press, founder and editor-in-chief of Catapult magazine, founding editor of the annual Best Debut Short Stories anthology, and the managing editor of Granta magazine.

Vivian Lee is a writer and senior editor at Little, Brown. Her booklist includes Matthew Salesses, Jimin Han, Cinelle Barnes, and Curtis Chin.

Her writing can be found at The Los Angeles Times, Eater, ELLE.com, Catapult, and more.

She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BA in Literary Journalism and from the New School University in New York with a MFA in Creative Writing (Non-Fiction). She is a 2018 PW Rising Star Honoree. Originally from Los Angeles, she now resides in Queens.  You can find more at vivianwmlee.com or on Twitter @vivianwmlee.

Alyssa Ogi is an editor at Tin House, where she acquires poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction. Originally from southern California, she received her MFA in poetry from the University of Oregon, and taught undergraduate creative writing and AAPI literature before shifting into publishing. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Nidhi Pugalia is an Associate Editor at Viking Penguin, working on fiction and nonfiction. In fiction, she is drawn to lyrical writing in the science fiction/fantasy, magical realism, or speculative spaces, as well as to complex and propulsive mystery, thriller, and suspense novels. She is also looking for narrative nonfiction from smart, passionate writers who offer a fresh or niche perspective. Some of the authors she has worked with include Juno Dawson, Shubnum Khan, Asha Thanki, Sally Wen Mao, Sahaj Kaur Kohli, Megan Barnard, and Erin Swan, among others. She is also a writer, a baker, a violinist when no one’s listening, and an aspiring typewriter-owner.

We kicked off the series on Saturday, October 1st, from 12:00–1:30pm ET with a moderated conversation and audience Q&A between accomplished literary agents Wendi Gu (Sanford J. Greenburger Associates) and Jade Wong-Baxter (Frances Goldin Literary Agency) on knowing when to submit your manuscript to agents, tips for crafting your query, and the journey from pitch to print.

This virtual event was held through a Zoom webinar with ASL interpretation by Pro Bono ASL and live captioning by Sign Nexus.

Access zoom recording here!

Wendi Gu is privileged to represent a talented range of award-winning and bestselling children's books authors and illustrators. For all children's books categories, from picture books to young adult, Wendi values emotional stories filled with lyricism and heart. She is drawn toward books that help dismantle stereotypes about mental health, ability, and race. As the daughter of immigrants, she sees special importance in stories about migration and displacement, especially as they relate to friendship and family. For middle grade and young adult novels, she enjoys voice-driven stories with contemplative characters. Occasionally, she enjoys truly absurd humor. But above all, Wendi is looking for authors and illustrators who value inclusivity and intersectionality, whose writing and art encourages love and care. Bonus points go to stories from different parts of the globe. She grew up in the Chicago suburbs and spent many of her summers with her grandparents in China. She attended Northwestern University where she studied Creative Writing. She lives in Brooklyn with her spouse and dog named Beanie Gu.

Jade Wong-Baxter joined the Frances Goldin Literary Agency in 2021. She previously worked for three years at Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents as a junior agent and foreign rights associate. A graduate of Vassar College, Jade got her start in publishing at Writers House, W. W. Norton, and Folio Literary Management. Her clients include Chris Belcher (PRETTY BABY, Avid Reader, 2022); Delia Cai (CENTRAL PLACES, Ballantine, 2023); and Hannah Matthews (YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE, Atria, 2023). Jade is looking for adult literary/upmarket fiction and narrative nonfiction, with an emphasis on narratives by and about people of color, as well as the perspectives of marginalized identities. Her other areas of interest include magical realism, memoir, cultural criticism, and Asian-American history.