Asian American Writers' Workshop

09/08/2025

From ’ archives, we’re sharing a piece by , writer, former Open City fellow, and co-editor of Palestine: A Socialist Introduction, on U.S. imperialism and their interference in Yemen. First published in January 2018, Awad’s reportage and takeaways continue to be relevant and illuminating even now. 🌱✈️ Read the full piece at aaww.org/what-its-like-to-live-in-the-country-thats-bombing-your-own/.

09/05/2025

Join us on Thursday, September 18, for our Brooklyn Book Fest Bookend event, CTRL+ALT+LIT, an exploration of alternative literature, from Tumblr threads to self-published novels, and how it remixes cultural narratives and creates community beyond traditional publishing. 💌🛜💿 Featuring a panel of experts from 4N, Choo Choo press, and Acacia Magazine, followed by a zine swap and mixer, Ctrl+Alt+Lit aims to offer a countercanon rooted in passion, identity, and connection. 🩷 RSVP AT AAWW.ORG/EVENTS! 🩷

09/04/2025

Read the opening of “The Cost of Fish,” a recent essay by in our A Taste of Climate column in , which considers the intersection of food and the climate. Elisabeth looks at wild fisheries in Indonesia, her father’s homeland, their practices, and the important role of fish in cooking, culture, and local economies. 🐠🪸 Read the full piece at aaww.org/the-cost-of-fish/!

09/03/2025

Join us on Wednesday, September 17, for a night of poetry in celebration of ’s fifth full-length collection, SEABEAST, a bestiary that winds together the threads of cetacean evolution, natural history, animal migration, and colonization. 🩵🐋 Rajiv will be joined by Megan Pinto, Ashna Ali, and Rosamond King! 🌻 RSVP at aaww.org/events/.

09/03/2025

"The Bajau think of homeland in terms of water, not land." 🌊

In a new multimedia essay in , Judi Mae "JM" Huck considers Sama, a language spoken in the Southern Philippines, its accompanying indigenous culture, her family history, and children's lullabies. 🎶

The piece, featured in our Transpacific Literary Project translation column, includes a recording of a nursery rhyme by the writer's mother, Didi Buhain, her translation of the song from Sama to Filipino, and JM's translation of the Filipino into English. 🐟

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Of my two birth tongues, why had only one made the crossing?

09/02/2025

"the tomatoes have no taste, you said,/ the cucumbers no crispness."

Read this week's piece, "Dear Ma," by Jingyu Li, in . 🐈 🍅

you grow your own tomatoes now you smile at your harvest.

09/02/2025

In a new multimedia essay in , Judi Mae “JM” Huck () considers Sama, a language spoken in the Southern Philippines, its accompanying indigenous culture, her own family history, and children’s lullabies. 🎶🐠 The piece, featured in our Transpacific Literary Project translation column, includes a recording of a nursery rhyme by the writer’s mother, Didi Buhain, her translation of the song from Sama to Filipino, and JM’s translation of the Filipino into English. Read the full piece at aaww.org/the-margins/. 💞🌊

08/26/2025

"I know this is a lie because death in America/ is not quite so dignified."

Read this week's piece, "Tall Tale" by Rita Mookerjee, in . 🪷✨

I know this is a lie because death in Americais not quite so dignified.

08/25/2025

"Climate change is often synonymous with global warming, but it does not just mean hot temperatures; it also brings increased humidity and volatility, all of which create ideal conditions for pests and fungal diseases."

Read more from "Honey, It's Hot Outside," by Clarissa Wei, in ' climate column. 🐌

Tending to a garden in Taiwan.

08/22/2025

Happy Friday! Today we’re sharing a recent poem, “The First Exemplar of Filial Piety” by , from . 🌱💌

Next week, the AAWW office will be closed for a summer break! Keep an eye out for more poems, programs, and news to come :) Enjoy the rest of your Augusts. 🤲

08/21/2025

Announcing another upcoming fall workshop, WRITING FOR GRAPHIC NOVELS, with & Chris Kindred! Join us on September 20 for a Saturday intensive that takes you step-by-step through the craft of combining script writing and art direction, with forays into the history of the medium and their experiences in comics and games. 🎨🖊️ Register now at aaww.org/events/!

08/20/2025

Today we’re sharing “A Poetry of Deranged Witness: Don Mee Choi’s Hardly War” by .hong from in December 2017. This past Friday, August 15, marked National Liberation Day in Korea—eighty years since the end of Japanese colonialism, though it was followed by U.S. interference and ongoing occupation. Hong’s essay looks at the experimental and abstract poetry of Don Mee Choi, and Yi Sang, in writing about and critiquing war. We will remember those who fought for national sovereignty, and continue to demand true liberation for Korea from all U.S. imperialism. ❤️‍🔥✊

Read the full piece: https://aaww.org/a-poetry-of-deranged-witness-don-mee-choi/