#WhyAPIALit

In the tradition of its iconic Talk Story series held monthly in DC Chinatown, the 1882 Foundation encourages all to explore and discuss the stories of our AAPI community that have been and are continuing to be told in literature.

The Foundation is compiling lists of books and authors that speak to the AAPI narrative through historical documentation, biographies, memoirs, novels, poetry, drama, etc. Our list will be updated regularly on this website through written reviews on our new blog! We hope that these reviews lead you to storytelling that compels you, inspires you, or simply entertain you.

Most importantly, we invite you to think about the implications of Asian American literature and question #WhyAPIAlit.

Literature Corner Blog Submissions!

We welcome you to help us shape this initiative. If you recently read a novel or short story that moved you to consider aspects of the Asian American experience or saw a film that captured an emotion or attended a play in which the character and performance portrayed an essential truth in being ethnic Chinese or Asian in a predominately white society, let us know! Write a review, add a photo or image if you have one, and send it to us. The submission box is at the bottom of this page. Try to stay within 750 words. 

We are starting the Literature Corner back up in summer 2020! Tell us your favorite AAPI reads.

Join the 1882 Foundation’s reading and discussion groups, every Thursday 10:30AM – 5:00PM at our 508 I Street NW, Washington, DC office! No prior knowledge needed to attend. Stay for as long as you would like.