Fellows, Faculty, and staff at the 2026 Kundiman Retreat. *Photo credit: Jess X. Snow*

The 20th Kundiman Retreat took place from June 15th–20th, 2026 at Pratt Institute’s campus in Brooklyn, New York. Fellows, Faculty members, alumni staff, and Kundiman office staff came together to write, learn, and form community around the possibilities of AAPI poetry and literature.

In craft classes with fiction Faculty members Lisa Ko, Mariah Rigg, and Madeleine Thien and poetry Faculty members Megan Fernandes, Leora (Lee) Kava, and Fargo Nissim Tbakhi, Fellows and Faculty considered the philosophies and techniques of “flow” in poetry, how the experiences of time generate the structures of fiction, how to arrange poems, how to negotiate between the ever-fluid concepts of “real” and “fictive,” what it means to write poetry in this moment, and how to write place as a living, breathing entity, among other ideas. Each Fellow also met with a Faculty mentor to discuss questions about craft and the writing life one-on-one.

During the Retreat, we gathered for two seminars. Leora (“Lee”) Kava led a Pacific Islander Literature Seminar in which we considered the works of writers and activists such as Epeli Hauʻofa, Teresia Teaiwa, and Albert Wendt, and discussed how concepts of genealogy and mapping can be used to navigate an approach to histories of Pacific literatures. Jason Bayani taught a performance seminar that used theater games, vocal exercises, and pair work to show how connecting our words to our bodies can lead to more confidence in front of an audience.

Jason Bayani guides us through a movement exercise during his Performance Seminar. *Photo credit: Shirley Cai*

We also wrote together during spark writing sessions. In “Our Readers, Our Selves” Andy Chen offered prompts that asked us to think of our readers as younger versions of ourselves. In “Writing the Land: Forage & Gather” Ching-In Chen asked us to wander slowly and attentively outside, paying attention to what caught our eyes, ears, and other senses, which allowed us to integrate the nature and art on Pratt’s campus with our writing.

Andy Chen’s spark writing session. *Photo credit: Shirley Cai*

Ching-In Chen’s spark writing session. *Photo credit: Shirley Cai*

We were grateful to hold the Retreat on Pratt Institute’s Brooklyn campus, where we enjoyed having author photos taken by Jess X. Snow in Pratt’s Rose Garden, gathering together for salons and community circles in the DeKalb Gallery, and writing and reflecting in quiet spaces, such as the library and Textile Dye Garden.

We were honored to host two public readings during the Retreat: the 2026 Retreat Faculty Reading and the 2026 Retreat Graduating Fellows Reading, where Noah Arhm Choi, Bushra Rehman, and Monica Sok were celebrated for completing their third and final Retreat. Thank you to all of the new and old friends who joined us for these beautiful readings!

Fargo Nissim Tbakhi at the 2026 Retreat Faculty Reading. *Photo credit: Shirley Cai*

Madeleine Thien at the 2026 Retreat Faculty Reading. *Photo credit: Shirley Cai*

Bushra Rehman at the 2026 Retreat Graduating Fellows Reading. *Photo credit: Shirley Cai*

Noah Arhm Choi at the 2026 Retreat Graduating Fellows Reading. *Photo credit: Shirley Cai*

Throughout the week, we found time to move our bodies, including at a dance class offered by Kundiman Programs Intern Leo Suzuki, a movement class offered by Kundiman Fellow Grace Jahng Lee, and somatic exercises offered by mental health support coach Patti Dayleg. We also enjoyed karaoke, tarot, late night snacks, and warm conversations with one another.

We were so grateful to have this time together, and we left the space with clearer senses of our craft, the importance of AAPI community, and the liberatory power of reading and writing. We are already looking forward to the 2027 Kundiman Retreat — applications will open in December!