Speaking at OCA National Convention with Curtis Chin re film

  

I'll be in conversation with Curtis Chin re his latest film and AAJA-MI will be cosponsoring this event:

Friday, July 24, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM, OCA National Convention FREE Community Night Market, plus FREE screening of Curtis Chin’s latest film, “Warren King: King of Cardboard,” with fireside chat 6:00 pm with film’s director Curtis Chin and AAJA-MI president Frances Kai-Hwa Wang (that’s me), at Chinese Community Center, 32585 Concord Drive, Madison Heights, MI 48071. Parking available behind the building and across street at AMC John R 15, 32289 John R Rd, Madison Heights, MI 48071. The film screening and discussion is sponsored by AAJA-Michigan (that’s us!). Free but Preregistration is required https://www.ocanationalconvention.org/registration

Saturday, July 25, 2:30 pm - 3:45 pm, U of M Detroit Center, 3663 Woodward Ave #150, Detroit, MI 48201, Asian American Media Panel re uplifting the community’s stories through broadcast media, documentaries, journalism, and freelance writing, with One Detroit Sr. Producer and Michigan Journalism Hall of Famer @BillKubota, author of “Phoenix Girl” @MichelleYang, Dragon Eagle TV Lisa Gray, and moderated by Semafor congressional reporter Nicholas Wu. Free but Preregistration is required https://www.ocanationalconvention.org/registration

Finding Your Voice: Generative Non-Fiction Writing Workshop

 

Big Thanks to the great folks at The 2026 Detroit Lit Summer Writers’ Institute for inviting me to be a part! July 18-19, 2026, Love Building, 4731 Grand River Ave., Detroit. I'll be teaching my "Finding your Voice" creative nonfiction writing workshop! And amazed to be part of this with so many amazing writers! Register today https://www.eventbrite.com/e/finding-your-voice-a-non-fiction-workshop-tickets-1991782381721

Finding Your Voice: A Non-Fiction Workshop

Part of the 2026 Detroit Lit Summer Writers' Institute collection

The LOVE Building, Detroit, MI

Saturday, July 18 • 3 PM - 5 PM

A generative non-fiction generative writing workshop designed for all levels.

If you have been scribbling poetry in secret journals for years or if you want to now begin a memoir for your grandchildren, it can take some time to find your voice or to have enough trust to show your writing to the world. Rather than waiting for the day when everything is perfect and finished, this course begins one day, one word at a time. Short writing exercises, tips and tricks, including creating a space for writing, writing every day, reading aloud, training your mind to see detail, taking chances with emotion, having fun with humor and flourishes, writing from the heart, cultivating consistency, overcoming barriers to writing. Bring a notebook and a pen.

Check out all the other workshops too: From DetroitLit "Join us for workshops, panels, centered on professional development. This conference is designed to sharpen your craft, grow your literary career, and build real community with fellow writers. Whether you’re just starting out or deep into your practice, there’s a place for you here. This year’s sessions include:
📖 Landing a Book Deal: Navigating the Query Process
🗣️ Finding Your Voice: A Non-Fiction Workshop
🌙 Before The Poem: An Immersive Literary Salon
⚡ Chaos, Movement, and Perplexity: A Generative Poetry Workshop
🖊️ Crafting An Artist Statement: Communicating Your Value(s)
Detroit Lit prioritizes writers of color — and thanks to the generous support of Arts Midwest, all events are FREE and open by donation. No barriers. Just writing.
📅 July 18–19, 2026
🔗 Register now" — https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/2026-detroit-lit-summer-writers-institute-4847586

More at https://www.instagram.com/p/DZs57kFhXgn/

facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/1561466088850549/1561466092183882

Register today https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/2026-detroit-lit-summer-writers-institute-4847586

Some articles post #AAJA26 convention panel Covering End-of-Life Decisions, Aging, and AAPI Communities

Some articles that might be interesting re our AAJA26 Convention panel re

Covering End-of-Life Decisions, Aging, and AAPI Communities (Presented by Compassion and Choices), Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST, Hyatt Regency Minneapolis

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-asian-americans-are-filling-the-gaps-in-care-for-their-elderly-parents

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/indian-american-retirees-head-south-culture-comfort-n388141

https://www.aaja.org/2019/11/14/taking-care-of-our-tough-immigrant-moms-across-four-generations-well-trying-to/

https://www.joaoroqueliteraryjournal.com/poetry/2021/5/17/sowing-aunties

https://compassionandchoices.org/resource/eoldgt/ 

https://compassionandchoices.org/take-action/community-engagement/aanhpi/

Speaking: #AAJA26 Convention in Minneapolis, Thurs Jun 25 4pm

 

I'll be speaking at the #AAJA26 Convention on Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST at Hyatt Regency Minneapolis

Covering End-of-Life Decisions, Aging, and AAPI Communities (Presented by Compassion and Choices)

Conversations about aging, serious illness and end-of-life decision-making are often shaped by culture, faith, family dynamics, and longstanding stigma. This sponsored session by Compassion & Choices explores how Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are engaging—or avoiding—these important discussions, and what barriers still remain. Panelists will share practical tools and planning resources available through Compassion & Choices, along with real-life examples of how advance care planning can support individuals and families facing complex end-of-life decisions.

The session will also examine how journalists and storytellers can report on aging, caregiving, and end-of-life issues with accuracy, empathy, and ethical care. Attendees will gain insight into culturally responsive reporting practices, navigating religious and intergenerational perspectives, and telling nuanced stories that honor dignity, agency, and community realities.

Panelists: 

Moderator: Richard Lui, Journalist, Author, Filmmaker

Ben de Guzman, Compassion and Choices AANHPI Leadership Council

Frances Kai Hwa Wang, Journalist 

Dr. Nausheena Hussein, Author

Lyda Morgan, Founder & Board Member, Cambodian American Partnership of Minnesota 

Teaching writing workshop at Detroit Lit, July 18-19, 2026

 

So excited to be a part of The 2026 Detroit Lit Summer Writers’ Institute July 18-19, 2026, Love Building, 4731 Grand River Ave., Detroit. I'll be teaching my "Finding your Voice" creative nonfiction writing workshop! And amazed to be part of this with so many amazing writers! Register today https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/2026-detroit-lit-summer-writers-institute-4847586 

From DetroitLit "Join us for workshops, panels, centered on professional development. This conference is designed to sharpen your craft, grow your literary career, and build real community with fellow writers. Whether you’re just starting out or deep into your practice, there’s a place for you here.
This year’s sessions include:
📖 Landing a Book Deal: Navigating the Query Process
🗣️ Finding Your Voice: A Non-Fiction Workshop
🌙 Before The Poem: An Immersive Literary Salon
⚡ Chaos, Movement, and Perplexity: A Generative Poetry Workshop
🖊️ Crafting An Artist Statement: Communicating Your Value(s)
Detroit Lit prioritizes writers of color — and thanks to the generous support of Arts Midwest, all events are FREE and open by donation. No barriers. Just writing.
📅 July 18–19, 2026
🔗 Register now" — https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/2026-detroit-lit-summer-writers-institute-4847586 

More at https://www.instagram.com/p/DZs57kFhXgn/ 

facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/1561466088850549/1561466092183882

Register today https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/2026-detroit-lit-summer-writers-institute-4847586 

Speaking: OCA National Convention with Curtis Chin July 24, 2026

I'll be speaking at the OCA APA Advocates National Convention with filmmaker and author Curtis Chin at a special screening of his new film, "Warren King: King of Cardboard," Friday, July 25, 2026, 5-8pm, Chinese Community Center in Madison Heights. 

You can see the film now on PBS https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/warren-king-king-of-cardboard/38103/

More re OCA National Convention https://www.ocanationalconvention.org/

Speaking: AAJA26 Annual Convention panel "Covering end-of-life decisions, aging, and AAPI Communities (Presented by Compassion and Choices)" June 25, 2026

I'll be speaking on a panel at the Asian American Journalists Assn. 2026 Annual Convention in Minneapolis, Thurs., June 25, 2026, 1-2pm PDT, "Covering end-of-life decisions, aging, and AAPI Communities (Presented by Compassion and Choices)" with with Richard Lui and Ben de Guzman

Conversations about aging, serious illness, disability, and end-of-life decision-making are often shaped by culture, faith, family dynamics, and longstanding stigma. This sponsored session by Compassion & Choices explores how Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are engaging—or avoiding—these important discussions, and what barriers still remain. Panelists will share practical tools and planning resources available through Compassion & Choices, along with real-life examples of how advance care planning can support individuals and families facing complex medical decisions.

The session will also examine how journalists and storytellers can report on aging, caregiving, cancer, disability, and end-of-life issues with accuracy, empathy, and ethical care. Attendees will gain insight into culturally responsive reporting practices, navigating religious and intergenerational perspectives, and telling nuanced stories that honor dignity, agency, and community realities.

Award: SPJ Detroit 2026 Excellence in Journalism Sojourner Truth Reporting on Racial Justice Award, fourth place

So excited to win fourth place in the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit 2026 Excellence in Journalism Sojourner Truth Reporting on Racial Justice Award! And to celebrate all of our AAJA MI journalists and the great work they are doing https://www.spjdetroitevents.com/

Poetry Reading: "A Floating World" with IS/LAND at KYLYN Fest May 15

 I'll be performing a new poem as part of a new performance piece, "A Floating World" with IS/LAND Asian Pacific American performance collaborative

KYLYN Festival | Dance Performance: A Floating World, Friday May 15, 2026: 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Ann Arbor District Library, Downtown Library: 4th Floor Program Room. A Floating World is a movement-based performance from AAPI Performance Collaborative IS/LAND grounded in the belief that there exists an ephemeral “floating world” of ancestral consciousness and connectivity. We brush against this floating world in moments of sudden, yet inexplicable, familiarity - lucid dreaming, tasting something new that instantly feels known. These indecipherable encounters are surprising and confusing, yet they stir a profound, unconscious realization of a deeper reality that we cannot consciously understand. Intense emotional experiences, particularly grief, also evoke this connection to the 'floating world,' leaving us raw and destabilized. This event is part of the KYLYN AAPI Arts & Culture Festival. https://aadl.org/node/668218

Here are all the Kylyn events and AAPI events at AADL and CLUSTER Museum https://aadl.org/aapiheritagemonth and https://www.kylynfest.com/  

Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Happy KYLYN Festival

AAJA-MI is proud to be a cosponsor of KYLYN fest, esp these journalism adjacent events with our AAJA-MI members and friends.

EVENT: KYLYN Festival | Building Media Literacy in Older AAPI Communities, Monday May 4, 2026, 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Ann Arbor District Library, Downtown Library, 343 South Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104, 4th Floor Program Room. Featured panelists include: Zosette Guir and Bill Kubota of Detroit PBS. Moderated by Chien-An Yuan. Join us for a panel discussion exploring the socio-cultural issues affecting the elder AAPI populations today. More than ever, this vulnerable demographic is facing a surge in being targets for scams, disinformation, and soft propaganda. These threats, often amplified through social media, exploit cultural, linguistic, and generational gaps, leading to severe financial, emotional, and social consequences. This panel discussion will focus on strategies being developed in solutions journalism to increase information literacy among AAPI elders and push back against these predatory tactics with evidence-based responses. This event is part of the KYLYN AAPI Arts & Culture Festival and is co-sponsored by Asian American Journalists Association Michigan Chapter.  https://aadl.org/node/668097

EVENT: KYLYN Festival | In Love & Struggle: Michigan-Made AAPI Film Shorts, Monday May 11, 2026: 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Ann Arbor District Library, Downtown Library: Lower Level Program Room: Join us as we screen three new films by Michigan AAPI filmmakers: Na Forest Lim’s In Love and Struggle, Toko Shiiki’s and Paloma Núñez-Regueiro’s Dynamic List of Indelible Marks, and Kristine Patnugot’s A Union of Two: A Pre-martial Law Manila Love Story. 



EVENT: KYLYN Festival | An Author's Journey: A Conversation on Publishing, Passion, and What Comes Next, Wednesday May 13, 2026, 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Ann Arbor District Library, Downtown Library, 343 South Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104, Lower Level Program Room. Join a thoughtful conversation with AAPI authors A.H. Kim (A Good Family and Relative Strangers) and Michelle Yang (Phoenix Girl) as they discuss their journeys to get their books published, the positive reception of their work, and what comes next. Kim and Yang will offer reflections and insights on strategies for maintaining a sustained creative practice and provide valuable insight for aspiring writers and readers alike. This event is part of the KYLYN AAPI Arts & Culture Festival and co-sponsored by Asian American Journalists Association - Michigan Chapter. https://aadl.org/node/666500 

KYLYN Festival | Dance Performance: A Floating World, Friday May 15, 2026: 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Ann Arbor District Library, Downtown Library: 4th Floor Program Room. A Floating World is a movement-based performance from AAPI Performance Collaborative IS/LAND grounded in the belief that there exists an ephemeral “floating world” of ancestral consciousness and connectivity. We brush against this floating world in moments of sudden, yet inexplicable, familiarity - lucid dreaming, tasting something new that instantly feels known. These indecipherable encounters are surprising and confusing, yet they stir a profound, unconscious realization of a deeper reality that we cannot consciously understand. Intense emotional experiences, particularly grief, also evoke this connection to the 'floating world,' leaving us raw and destabilized. This event is part of the KYLYN AAPI Arts & Culture Festival. https://aadl.org/node/668218

Here are all the Kylyn events and AAPI events at AADL and CLUSTER Museum https://aadl.org/aapiheritagemonth and https://www.kylynfest.com/  

Cluster Museum Ekphrastic Poetry Walk Author Reading Saturday, April 25, 2026, 1:00 PM

Happy National Poetry Month! Cluster Museum Ekphrastic Poetry Walk Author Reading

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 1:00 PM 2:15 PM

From 1pm-2pm on Saturday, April 25, a selection of the Ekphrastic Poetry Walk poets will perform their work in front of their chosen artwork.

Choose to walk to each location as a group or meet us there.

The Ekphrastic Poetry Walk includes CLUSTER’s Grass Grows in the Icebox, WSG Gallery’s Aesthetic Crossings: Ted Ramsey solo show and Gutman Gallery’s Process: A Human Exhibition.

Author list guest curated by Cam Finch & Katie Hartsock.

Featuring the work of James Barton, Scott Beal, Forrest Hejkal, T Hetzel, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, Rachel Nelson, Isaac Pickell, Onna Solomon, Ellen Stone, Jennifer Sperry Steinorth, and Lily Tobias.

Author Reading Schedule:

1pm at CLUSTER Museum, 307 N. Main St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104

1:30pm at WSG Gallery on Ann St.

2pm at Gutman Gallery on 4th Ave. (I'll be reading at this part!)

if you haven't been to Cluster Museum yet, it's brand new, on Main and 3rd, two blocks from Kerrytown, and they're having a closing reception for their current exhibit afterwards, so join us!

https://clustermuseum.org/events/ekphrasticpoetrywalkauthorreading2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/DXZgHRgkSL7/?img_index=1

READING Cluster Museum 2-day Ekphrastic Poetry Walk Event

2-day Ekphrastic Poetry Walk Event

Friday, April 24, 2026, 12:00 PM to Saturday, April 25, 2026, 6:00 PM

Poetry Reading at Cluster Museum: Saturday, April 25, 2026, 307 N. Main St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104

During National Poetry Month, the 2-day Ekphrastic Poetry Walk celebrates the power of the Arts through the words of poets.

On Friday & Saturday April 24 & 25, pick up CLUSTER’s Ekphrastic Poetry Guide then head out on a self-guided scavenger hunt around the Kerrytown District’s art galleries to find the artwork written about by 12 Washtenaw County-based poets. 

The Ekphrastic Poetry Walk includes CLUSTER’s Grass Grows in the Icebox, WSG Gallery’s Aesthetic Crossings: Ted Ramsey solo show and Gutman Gallery’s Process: A Human Exhibition.

Author list guest curated by Cam Finch & Katie Hartsock.

Featuring the work of James Barton, Scott Beal, Forrest Hejkal, T Hetzel, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, Rachel Nelson, Isaac Pickell, Onna Solomon, Ellen Stone, Jennifer Sperry Steinorth, and Lily Tobias.

HOURS: Friday 12-5pm & Saturday 11am-5pm

*Suggested sliding scale donation for the Ekphrastic Poetry Guide is $5-$15. 

*All funds go towards visual & literary Arts programming at CLUSTER Museum.

https://clustermuseum.org/events/2026ekphrasticpoetrywalk

EVENT Curtis Chin in Conversation/ Great Michigan Read 2025/26 Event

Curtis Chin in Conversation/ Great Michigan Read 2025/26 Event

Saturday, April 18, 2026, 7:00 PM  8:30 PM

307 N. Main St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Everything I learned, I learned in a Chinese Restaurant is this year’s Great Michigan Read choice, and CLUSTER is thrilled to host author Curtis Chin in conversation.

Chin will be joined in conversation by University of Michigan Professors Nadine Hubbs and William A. Calvo-Quirós exploring themes of immigration, identity, community and the experience of growing up queer in 1980’s American and outside its borders. Together, they will reflect on how a place of upbringing becomes the setting for an unlikely origin story: In Chin’s case a Chinese restaurant becomes the setting for how a closeted Chinese boy raised on republican politics transforms into a searingly honest Gay writer and activist for social and political activism in both the LGBTQ+ and AAPI communities.

The event is moderator by CLUSTER co-founder Chien-An Yuan.

The event is co-sponsored by Asian American Journalists Association Michigan chapter.

FREE but registration required. Register https://clustermuseum.org/events/michigangreatreadcurtischen

Doors open at 6:45.

Great Michigan Reads brings excellent and critically acclaimed books into the public zeitgeist. 

This event is made possible in part by a grant from Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

https://clustermuseum.org/events/michigangreatreadcurtischen

Write with me at WCC! ABCs of Publishing and Spring/Summer 2026

My last WCC class for winter 2026 --ABCs of Publishing

2 Sats, Apr 18, 25, 2026, 10am-12pm EDT, Washtenaw Community College, online

Register today! https://washtenaw.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassListing.ClassListingDisplay&int_category_id=3&int_sub_category_id=49&int_catalog_id=1

Upcoming WCC classes for spring/summer 2026

Spring/Summer 2026

Finding the Writer Within Continuing Writers Workshop
10 Suns, May 3-Jul 19, 2026, 12pm-2pm ET, Washtenaw Community College, online

Write Here, Write Now
4 Tues, May 12-Jun 9, 2026, 6:30-8:30pm, ET, Washtenaw Community College, in person

Writing to Change the World
2 Sats, June 6, 13, 2026, 10am-12pm EDT, Washtenaw Community College, online

Writing for our Lives (formerly Communication for Work and Life)
4 Tues., July 7, 14, 21, 28, 2026, 6:30-8:30 pm EDT, Washtenaw Community College, in person

Writing with style, Finding your voice
3 Saturdays, August 15, 22, 29, 2026 EDT, Washtenaw Community College, Zoom

Register today! https://washtenaw.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassListing.ClassListingDisplay&int_category_id=3&int_sub_category_id=49&int_catalog_id=1