MISSION
Kundiman is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing generations of writers and readers of Asian American literature.
Vision
Kundiman creates a space where Asian Americans can explore, through art, the unique challenges that face the new and ever changing diaspora. We see the arts as a tool of empowerment, of education and liberation, of addressing proactively the legacy we will leave for our future.
History
In the early 2000s, poets Sarah Gambito and Joseph O. Legaspi bonded over challenges they encountered as students and writers, and sought to create a nurturing yet rigorous environment for Asian American literature. They envisioned a space that would facilitate the creation of new work, foster mentoring relationships, and address the particular challenges facing Asian American writers. Out of those discussions, Kundiman presented its inaugural Workshop Retreat for poets at The University of Virginia in 2004.
The Retreat has taken place annually since then, welcoming nearly 300 Fellows and over 50 acclaimed Faculty members, and has grown to encompass fiction writers. It was held at The University of Virginia from 2004 to 2009 and at Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus from 2010 to 2024. In addition to the Retreat, Kundiman currently hosts Online Classes and Workshops, 10 Regional Groups, and in-person readings and events. Past offerings have included an annual Poetry Prize, a Creative Nonfiction Intensive, Food Writing Workshops, Wikipedia Edit-a-Thons, and a six-month long Mentorship Lab.
Kundiman’s Retreat was modeled after Cave Canem: A Home for Black Poetry and guided in its early days by Cave Canem’s founders. Founded several years after the VONA workshops for writers of color, and seven before the CantoMundo’s annual workshop for Latinx poets and Lambda Literary’s Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices, Kundiman arrives at a watershed moment in American letters. We hope to foster support and solidarity across these groups, as well as others, including writers from indigenous communities with In-Na-Po (Indigenous Nations Poets) and RAWI (Radius of Arab American Writers), so that together, we can bring forward the many identities and experiences seeking a voice in literature. For a list of other organizations that serve writers of color, click here.
What does Kundiman mean?
Kundiman is the classic form of Filipino love song—or so it seemed to colonialist forces in the Philippines. In fact, in Kundiman, the singer who expresses undying love for his beloved is actually singing for love of country. As an organization dedicated to providing a nurturing space for Asian American writers, we find in this name inspiration to create and support artistic expression.
Kundiman is pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable.
PROGRAMS
Kundiman’s programs build community, nurture writers and readers, and ensure Asian American stories reach broad audiences throughout the country:
Retreat: Kundiman’s signature Retreat is held annually to support emerging Asian American and Pacific Islander writers as they hone their craft, develop as professionals, and participate in a close-knit artistic community.
Online Classes and Workshops: Kundiman offers classes for writers at all levels to nurture their writing practices, deepen community, and learn from instructors of color. Kundiman has offered classes on topics like food writing, multiracial identity, and more in person, and offers a series of online classes in both craft class and workshop format. Our classes are offered either for Asian American writers or writers of color, and scholarships are always available.
Readings & Conferences: Each year, we host readings and attend conferences across the country, connecting audiences to Asian American and Pacific Islander literature, uplifting emerging writers, and connecting diverse audiences to stories that translate contemporary social, political, and cultural issues into intimate exchanges.
Regional Groups: Kundiman’s network of Regional Groups host salons, readings, workshops, meetups, and events to foster community building among Asian American and Pacific Islander writers everywhere.
Coalitions: Kundiman is a founding member of the Poetry Coalition, which is a national alliance of nearly 30 organizations dedicated to working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds. In addition, Kundiman works in solidarity with BIPOC-serving literary organizations such as Canto Mundo, Cave Canem, In-Na-Po, and RAWI, and Asian American-serving literary organizations such as the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, Asian American Literary Review, Bamboo Ridge Press, Kaya Press, and Kearny Street Workshop.
Impact
Kundiman Fellows report first-time publication in national literary journals, finalist distinction in literary awards, and a greater sense of confidence in their pursuit of literary excellence. Fellows have published work in The New Yorker, Salon, PBS NewsHour, The Best American Poetry, Best New Poets, Poetry, and NPR, among others. They are attending MFA and doctoral programs at institutions such as The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, New York University, Stanford University, and the University of California at Berkeley, and have earned prizes and finalist distinctions in literary awards including the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in Fiction, the Lambda Literary Award, the MacArthur Fellows Grant, the Whiting Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. They are professors at universities including New York University, University of Washington, and University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Fellow Publications since 2004:
nearly 400 Books & Chapbooks
Selection of Presses: Alice James Books, BOA Editions, Copper Canyon, Graywolf Press, Henry Holt, Kaya Press, MacMillian, One World, Penguin Press, Tupelo Press, Saturnalia Books, Yale University Press.
SIGNIFICANCE
The challenges facing Asian American writers include access to resources, geographical and cultural isolation, lack of visibility, and language barriers. By fostering the mentorship and community that many emerging Asian American writers lack, Kundiman hopes to shift the literary landscape towards equity and inclusion. We also work to provide advice, support, and training to writers seeking careers in the literary arts, from teaching to publishing to nonprofits. We strive to make our programming financially accessible for all writers.
In addition, because many Asian American writers come from lineages that include violence and trauma, the barriers to writing may be internal. Kundiman aims to create a space where those histories, personal and collective, are respected and discussed. History and experience are not separate from writing, but inform the writer’s unique voice. Kundiman believes that out of those difficult stories can come healing, beauty, humor, and transcendence.
Core Values
Generosity. We cultivate a familial spirit within our organization and act as coalition builders with others who share our commitment to literary excellence and diversity. We encourage abundance by honoring the immense resources—emotional and creative—that we collectively can offer each other. Our work is to nurture the next generation of Asian American creative writers and, at the same time, foster the desire within these writers to give back to their communities.
Inclusion. We implement artistic programs that act as a portal to intellectual and accessible discourse for underserved communities. We recognize the multiplicity of identities, genres, and lineages that fall under Asian American literature. Our programs welcome readers and writers of many ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, countries of origin, and abilities.
Courage. We foster the role of the artist as a vital voice on the prevailing issues of our global society. We believe in the artist as critic and illuminator and strive to be on the forefront of how writing and writers are changing in the 21st century. In all ways, we look to a sense of the extraordinary.