March 5: Belladonna* and Kundiman Celebrate Theresa Hak Kyung Cha

Belladonna* and Kundiman Celebrate Theresa Hak Kyung Cha

On the weekend of what would have been Cha's 60th birthday (a full life cycle event in the Chinese/Korean lunar calendar), Belladonna* and Kundiman gather nine poets to perform a staged reading from Dictee. Cha's best known written work, Dictee focuses on the life of several women framed with the art of the Greek muses, yet in the cosmos of Shamanism and Daoism. Their struggle to speak and overcome suffering is enacted through a mixture of media which destabilizes the notion of a progressive and seamless history.

Join us for an afternoon of projected images, voices, pictorial characters, scholarly contextualization, and a birthday cake.

When: Saturday, March 5 from 2pm to 3:30pm

Where: Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, NYC

Cost: $8

 

February 25: Shovel & Fish: Book Release with Ross Gay & Aimee Nezhukumatathil

February 25, 6:30 pm
Reading & Signing: NYFA, Suite 740
Reception: Cave Canem, Suite 310-A
20 Jay Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn

Shovel & Fish: Book Release with Ross Gay & Aimee Nezhukumatathil
A reading and reception to celebrate the release of Bringing the Shovel Down, Ross Gay's second collection, and Lucky Fish, a new collection by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Co-sponsored by Cave Canem.

 

February 4: AWP Panel, Kundiman from Community to Communities: Reaching out from the Writers’ Retreat.

More info here.

Featuring: Jennifer Chang, Sarah Gambito, Margaret Rhee, Andre Yang, Neil Aitken, Tamiko Beyer

While Kundiman is known for its annual retreat and its dedication to the promotion and cultivation of Asian American poetry, what often goes unmentioned is the civic, social, and community work that extends beyond the space of the retreat. Faculty members, fellows, and Kundiman founders will discuss the tenets of community building as it relates to Kundiman, but will also discuss how they channeled and even extended the premise of community building beyond the Kundiman retreat space.

Noon.-1:15 p.m

Ambassador Ballroom, Omni Shoreham Hotel, West Lobby

Washington, DC

February 3: AWP Panel, Smashing the Box-- Fresh Faces and First Books by Asian American Poets.

More info here. 

Featuring Esther Lee, Gary Jackson, Cynthia Arrieu-King, Neil Aitken, Purvi Shah

Representing an array of diverse voices and aesthetics, these poets will share work from their recently-published first books, as well as how organizations like Kundiman, a retreat for Asian American poets, and its community has affected their artistic lives. Along with sharing the joys and challenges of publishing their first poetry collections, they will also discuss how their work pushes against the boxed-in stereotypes that exist about writers of color and their experiences in America.

3:00 p.m.-4:15 p.m.

Coolidge Room, Marriott Wardman Park, Mezzanine Level

Washington, DC