Asian American / Asian Research Institute

The Complex: Karan Mahajan with Keith Gessen
2026-03-11 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building – Margaret Liebman Berger Forum, 476 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10018
Follow the illicit liaisons, political ambitions, and mortal betrayals of one prominent Delhi family in a sweeping novel from National Book Award finalist Karan Mahajan.

Book Talk: The Complex: Karan Mahajan with Keith Gessen (Hybrid)
2026-03-11 18:00 - 19:00 | NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building – Margaret Liebman Berger Forum, 476 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10018
Follow the illicit liaisons, political ambitions, and mortal betrayals of one prominent Delhi family in a sweeping novel from National Book Award finalist Karan Mahajan.
The Complex: The sons and daughters of SP Chopra, one of India’s political architects, live together in a sprawling Delhi complex, vying for influence in a family shaped by the great man’s legacy. By the late 1970s, the still-young nation is on the brink of transformation, and the Chopras are scrambling to define their own futures. Sachin Chopra leaves for America, followed by his bride, Gita, eager to forge a life beyond the pressures of the family compound. Yet Delhi keeps pulling them back—even as Sachin’s predatory uncle, Laxman, hounds Gita. A man of restless ambition, Laxman ascends through the ranks of a rising Hindu nationalist movement, caught between his political aspirations and his personal transgressions. As India erupts in violence and long-buried secrets come to light, the embattled Chopras must reckon with the cost of power, the weight of tradition, and the shifting nature of love and allegiance.
Karan Mahajan worked on The Complex during his 2018-2019 Fellowship at the Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He will discuss his book with writer Keith Gessen.
To join this event in-person | Please be sure to register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form shortly before the program.
To join the livestream | A livestream of this event will be available on the NYPL event page. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL’s YouTube channel.

Advisors Asian American Career Ceilings “Advice and Networking – Investing”
2026-03-11 18:00 - 19:00 | NY
The Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative has been hosting a series of Advice and Networking events covering different professions. These one hour virtual events enable Asian Americans of all ages to get valuable career advice from experienced and successful Asian Americans. Our previous Advice and Networking events covered technology, finance, investing and consulting.

MOCA PERFORMS - Declaration of Independence, Day 1
2026-03-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
Museum of Chinese in America’s Performing-Artist-In-Residence program welcomes a cohort of 3 performing artists to generate a theme-based project. This year’s theme, Declaration of Independence, encourages the resident artists to interrogate what it means to be “American,” to see self-determination, or to stake a claim to visibility, freedom, and belonging.

During this program, the resident artists will present works-in-progress and share the creative vision behind their projects. Audience members will have the opportunity to engage in an in-depth conversation with the artists, offering feedback, asking questions, and gaining insight into the cultural contexts and personal motivations that shape each work.
Join us for an intimate evening of artistic exploration, dialogue, and discovery.

Bob Crawford & Alexis Coe: America’s Founding Son
2026-03-11 19:00 - 20:00 | New York Public Library – Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 42nd Street & 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10018, United States
John Quincy Adams was born nine years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and he died as the United States was sliding irrevocably toward Civil War. In between he was a foreign ambassador, secretary of state, sitting president, and finally ex-president and sitting congressperson. In America’s Founding Son, Bob Crawford—best known as the bassist for the Grammy-nominated band The Avett Brothers—traces Adams’s unparalleled life and career. He helped formulate the Monroe Doctrine, which was evoked as recently as the day Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was arrested. He is also the only ex-president to serve in Congress, where he confronted slaveholders and challenged the nation to live up to its founding ideals.

Demilitarizing Hawaiian Lands - Local Struggles, Global Implications
2026-03-12 16:00 - 17:30 | NY
Participants: Kyle Kajihiro (moderator), Camille Kalama, and ʻIlima Long
This webinar will discuss the history of (de)militarization in Hawaiʻi and contemporary struggles to reclaim Hawaiian lands, including expiring military leases of Hawaiian trust lands and successful demilitarization campaigns on Kahoʻolawe, Mākua, and Kapūkakī (Red Hill).
Zoom Link:
https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/99388947770?pwd=[REDACTED]
Join by SIP
99388947770@zoomcrc.com
Meeting ID: 993 8894 7770
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Demilitarizing Hawaiian Lands – Local Struggles, Global Implications (Virtual)
2026-03-12 16:00 - 17:30 | NY

Exhibition Opening - Changing Cultures: Zhen Guo, A Retrospective
2026-03-12 16:00 - 18:00 | Mishkin Gallery at Baruch College/CUNY, 135 East 22nd Street, New York, NY, 10010
The Mishkin Gallery at Baruch College is proud to present Changing Cultures: Zhen Guo, A Retrospective, the first major survey of New York-based artist Zhen Guo (b. 1955, Shandong Province, China). The exhibition is on view from March 12 – June 12, 2026, and is accompanied by an illustrated brochure with a new essay on Guo by curator Gail Levin.
The works on display span nearly sixty years, from Zhen Guo’s first embroidery (Chairman Mao, 1966) to her large-scale papier-mâché and sewn fabric breast sculptures and handmade tufted tapestries created between 2012 and 2025. The show explores an artist’s journey from China to New York; themes include an immigrant’s identity, motherhood, and the violence embedded in patriarchal cultures. Guo’s large-scale “muted landscape” paintings protest environmental injustice.
Zhen Guo’s education was cut short at age twelve, when she was assigned to work in a clothing factory. She later studied, then taught, at Zhejiang Academy in Hangzhou, and immigrated to the United States in 1986. Recent solo exhibitions include “Zhen Guo: Embracing Kali” at Ethan Cohen Gallery, NY (2026), “Unfolding her Life” at Bard College (2024), and “What is My Name” at Connecticut College (2023). Guo has organized numerous exhibitions of feminist art and is the founder and president of the Chinese Feminist Art Alliance, NY. She lives and works in New York, NY.
Changing Cultures: Zhen Guo, A Retrospective, is curated by Gail Levin, Distinguished Professor in Fine & Performing Arts at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, CUNY. Guo’s retrospective follows Dr. Levin’s eponymous exhibition Changing Cultures: Immigrant Artists from China, 1991, on Chinese immigrant artists navigating worlds to express evolving identities. Levin’s most recent project is a biography of American artist Alice Baber, published in February 2026 by Pegasus Press. This exhibition is made possible by the Edith B. Stein Symposium Fund, Friends of the Mishkin Gallery, and the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at Baruch College (CUNY).

Kirk Varnedoe Memorial Lecture Series with Patrick Flores
2026-03-12 18:00 - 20:00 | The Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1 East 78th Street, New York, NY, United States
This talk reflects on the possibillities of curating Southeast Asia, reconsidering the gestures of art history and exhibition-making that supplement a regional aspiration.

Curator’s Talk – Making Mei Lanfang, a Modern Icon
2026-03-12 18:30 - 20:00 | China Institute Gallery, 40 Rector St, New York, NY, 10006

Musical: At the Edge of Chinatown part of Rough Draft Festival 2026
2026-03-12 19:00 - 20:00 | LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, 31-10 Thomson Ave, Long Island City, NY, 11101
Created by the music group, The Slants, At the Edge of Chinatown follows three Asian-American teenagers navigating fractured identities while their family restaurants face extinction in a rapidly changing Chinatown. It’s an explosive musical about third-culture kids who must remix the old world to build their own, proving that sometimes the most powerful form of preservation is fearless reinvention. With an emo/pop-punk score powering the show, this story pulls from our own backstories of growing up in restaurants, navigating Chinatowns around the world, and figuring out what it means to forge an identity that’s entirely your own.
On March 12 at 7pm, you’ll catch demo versions of songs performed by the two of us (Joe X. Jiang and Simon Tam) at the Little Theater (LPAC). Tickets are only $10, and students get in free. After the performance, stick around for a talkback where you can give us feedback and help shape this thing as we continue developing it. If you’re in NYC or know anyone who is, grab tickets here…and please spread the word!

MOCA PERFORMS - Declaration of Independence, Day 2
2026-03-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
Museum of Chinese in America’s Performing-Artist-In-Residence program welcomes a cohort of 3 performing artists to generate a theme-based project. This year’s theme, Declaration of Independence, encourages the resident artists to interrogate what it means to be “American,” to see self-determination, or to stake a claim to visibility, freedom, and belonging.

ALC Habeas Training & Toolkit
2026-03-13 15:00 - 16:00 | NY
Join the Asian Law Caucus (ALC) for a training on habeas petitions seeking freedom for immigrants with unexecuted final orders of removal who have been recently re-detained after living in the community for many years. The training, along with an accompanying ALC toolkit, is focused on Ninth Circuit caselaw, but many of the arguments covered can be made in other circuits.

The Road to Healing, Rejuvenation, and Social Justice: Understanding Mental Health Challenges and Barriers to Mental Health Service Utilization among CUNY Asian American/Asian College Students
2026-03-13 18:00 - 19:30 | Asian American / Asian Research Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, Suite 1000, New York, 10036, United States
In their study, Prof. Esther Son explores the mental health challenges and barriers to accessing services faced by Asian American/Asian college students at the College of Staten Island/CUNY, particularly after the pandemic.

Wild Schools: An Evening of Shorts and Conversation with Women and Gender-Queer Filmmakers in New York
2026-03-13 18:30 - 20:30 | NYU Espacio de Culturas, 53 Washington Square S, New York, NY, 10012, United States
This event is free and open to public. Because of limited capacity, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Theater of the Matters: The Island of Loves
2026-03-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY, 10017, United States
The Theater of the Matters presents a dual program in honor of Paulo Rocha and Sumiko Haneda. Haneda’s 1982 documentary The Poem of Hayachine Valley (早池峰の賦) will screen on 16mm on March 14 at Light Industry.

AAWW & The Strand Present: Amin Ahmad + Kirthana Ramisetti
2026-03-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York, NY, 10003
Join us for an event with notable writer Amin Ahmad, discussing his new novel A KILLER IN THE FAMILY.

Moderating this discussion is culture writer and author, Kirthana Ramisetti. This event will be hosted at The Strand at Columbus (SCA) located at 450 Columbus Ave.
This event is co-presented with the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. For more information, please visit their website at aaww.org.

Writing Without Fear
2026-03-13 20:00 - 21:30 | The Asian American Writers’ Workshop, 18 West 21st Street, Suite 900, New York, 10010, United States
Are you working on a novel, memoir or non-fiction project? Did you start off with great enthusiasm, only to feel the project bog down? Are you overwhelmed by the complexity of the task? Has anxiety crept into your writing day?
To produce good work, writers must be willing to take risks and to produce writing that fails. This process of exploration often creates anxiety, and often results in the dreaded writer’s block. How do we allow spontaneity and improvisation into our work and still create coherence
How do we craft a writing process that allows risk, but also creates a safety net?
Borrowing from psychology, we will understand the types of anxiety inherent in the writing process, and how to manage them. We will examine working methods from other creative fields — architects, screenwriters, film editors, and radio story tellers — and steal from them.
The goal of this workshop is to create a writing process that works for you, and that allows you to be fearless and productive.

Prospect Park Lunar New Year Celebration
2026-03-14 11:30 - 14:00 | Boathouse + Audubon Center at Prospect Park, 101 East Drive, Brooklyn, NY, 11225
Celebrate Lunar New Year in Prospect Park! Enjoy a lion dance, cultural performances, festive activities & raffle prizes.

Join Prospect Park Alliance and the Chinese-American Planning Council for a joyful Lunar New Year celebration! Experience exciting lion dances, live cultural performances, and festive activities for all ages. The Lunar New Year marks a fresh start and new beginnings. Stop by to connect with neighbors, learn about local community resources and services, and celebrate together in Prospect Park. Enjoy raffle prizes and gift bags giveaways for the first 100 attendees to visit the welcome table, while supplies last.

The Filipino Nonprofit Leadership Playbook Part 2
2026-03-14 12:00 - 16:00 | Philippine Consulate, 556 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10036
The Philippine Consulate General in New York and the NY Chapter of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA NY) invite all leaders and organizations to participate in this FREE educational seminar, The Filipino Nonprofit Leadership Playbook, at the Philippine Center. The seminar will begin promptly at 12:30 PM for online attendees to join.

Spring Into Nowruz: Family Day 2026
2026-03-14 13:00 - 16:00 | Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10021
Join us in welcoming the Persian New Year at our Nowruz Family Day on Saturday, March 14, 2026, 1 – 4 p.m. Celebrate the start of Spring and learn about Nowruz with interactive workshops, music, crafts, storytelling and more. Don’t forget to enjoy Persian sweets and savories at the Leo Cafe.

Music: Rising South Asian Artists
2026-03-14 18:00 - 22:00 | Sugar Mouse, 47 3rd Ave, New York, NY, 10003, United States
Come join us in person to celebrate the amazing talent of South Asian artists on the rise! This event is all about good vibes, creativity, and connecting with artists who are making waves. Don’t miss out on discovering fresh voices and unique styles that are shaping the future of music. It’s a fantastic chance to soak in some inspiration and support local talent. See you there!

Rhea Yadav
Teddybear Band
Anu Mysore
Priya Roy

Brain Awareness Week - Stress,Trauma and Mental Health
2026-03-16 - 2026-03-22 | NY
The Forever Spring Impact Campaign will host a Brain Awareness Workshop as part of the global Brain Awareness Week (March 16–22, 2026), bringing together scientists, educators, and community advocates to explore how stress affects teen brain development and what families can do to support youth mental health.
The workshop is designed to make neuroscience accessible to the public by combining scientific insight with storytelling and culturally responsive education. As part of its educational outreach, the Brain Awareness Workshop is partnering with Anaheim Union High School District’s Cambridge Virtual Academy to use the program as an educational module in classrooms, helping students learn about brain health and stress during adolescence.
The event will take place virtually and is open to educators, parents, students, health professionals, and community members interested in youth mental health and brain development.
The workshop is produced by Right Here in My Pocket as part of the Forever Spring Impact Campaign, a storytelling and public education initiative that uses film, community dialogue, and science-based information to address mental health disparities affecting Asian American communities.
About the Forever Spring Impact Campaign
The Forever Spring Impact Campaign is a public education and storytelling initiative that highlights mental health disparities in Asian American communities, particularly among Southeast Asian populations. Through film, community conversations, and partnerships with educators and scientists, the campaign seeks to reduce stigma and expand culturally responsive mental health awareness.
View videos online at https://www.youtube.com/@RightHereInMyPocket

Monday, March 16 — Echoes of the Past
Tuesday, March 17 — Infancy Memory Architecture
Wednesday, March 18 — The Teenage Brain
Thursday, March 19 — From Trauma to Healing

Partners:

The Center for Transition to Parenthood at Columbia University
Cognition, Affect, and Neurodevelopment in Youth Lab at UCLA
Anaheim Union High School District- Cambridge Virtual Academy
Tell My Story
Parents Are Human
Home for Refugees

Remembering 3/16 Prayer Walk
2026-03-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Greeley Square Park, 32nd St and Broadway, New York, NY
On the fifth anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings, we gather to celebrate our community’s strength and demand change.

2026 Hess Week with Scholar in Residence Russell M. Jeung
2026-03-17 - 2026-03-19 | Brooklyn College (Library, Woody Tanger Auditorium), 2900 Bedford Ave, Library, Room 150, Woody Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn, NY, 11210
Join Brooklyn College’s Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute for the Humanities for a week of public talks in honor of Professor Russell M. Jeung, the 2025-26 Robert L. Hess Scholar-in-Residence.
Tuesday, March 17
Welcome Ceremony
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
The Lives, Rights, and Civil Liberties of Asian Americans in an Age of Mass Deportation
2:15 PM to 3:30 PM
Wednesday, March 18
Belief and Belonging: Faith Communities and Justice
11:00 AM to 12:15 PM
Recuperating Collective Stories: Writing Chinese American Memoirs
2:15 PM to 3:30 PM
Struggling, Surviving, Thriving: Asian American Mental Health
3:40 PM to 4:55 PM
Thursday, March 19
Asian American Movements for Racial Justice: Resistance and Solidarity
11:00 AM to 12:15 PM
Hess Week 2026 is co-sponsored by The Asian American and Diasporic Studies Minor Program and The Brooklyn College Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institute (BCAP).

Equity Pulse: Is Your Citizenship at Stake?
2026-03-17 15:00 - 16:00 | NY
On April 1, the Supreme Court will hear arguments that could redefine what it means to be a U.S. citizen. It is a battle Chinese Americans have fought before. In 1898, Wong Kim Ark sued for his right to reenter the United States after being denied because of his Chinese ancestry. His Supreme Court victory established birthright citizenship as we know it. Now, that precedent is under attack in Trump v. Barbara. Join attorneys Wendy Feng, Arjun Shenoy, Tony Wang, and Jennifer Wu on Tuesday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT, as they break down the legal arguments and discuss what this case could mean for AAPIs and civil rights. They were directly involved in the drafting of the two amicus briefs filed by the AAPI community in this case. Even if you’re a U.S. citizen today, this case could affect generations to come. Hear from top legal experts, ask questions, and engage on a constitutional right that now hangs in the balance

CUNY Women Lead Loudly: Voice, Vision, and Valor
2026-03-18 09:00 - 15:50 | NY
Faculty and staff are invited to “CUNY Women Lead Loudly —Voice, Vision, and Valor,” a unique virtual experience featuring panels, interactive breakout sessions and a fireside chat with CUNY presidents.

TEENS, STRESS and NEURODEVELOPMENT
2026-03-18 16:00 - 17:00 | NY
Get ready to dive into a live chat about Teens, Stress and Mental Wellness during Brain Awareness Week!

A dynamic conversation bridging neuroscience research and community advocacy through storytelling that translates science into accessible, culturally grounded public learning through storytelling and culturally responsive education.
Our featured guests include:

Dr. Tiffany Ho, PhD – A neuroscientist at UCLA and researcher at The Candy Lab, Dr. Ho studies how stress impacts adolescent neurodevelopment and mental health outcomes.
Dana Christian Lee – Executive Director of Tell My Story, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping parents prioritize and advocate for their children’s mental health.
Duc Nguyen – Producer of the Forever Spring Impact Campaign, an initiative fostering community-centered conversations, breaking stigma, and deepening understanding around mental health challenges.

This webinar is part of the Forever Spring Impact Campaign, which seeks to illuminate persistent disparities in mental health services within Asian American communities—particularly among Southeast Asian populations—while advancing dialogue, equity, and healing.

AAPI New York: Stories From The Bronx
2026-03-18 16:00 - 20:00 | Hostos Community College/CUNY, 500 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY, 10451
New York City teachers, community members, and youth are invited for an interactive day of storytelling, community building, and curriculum development on the localized history of Queens’ Asian American community.

Enduring Otherwise: Muslim Queer and Trans Worldmaking in Indonesia
2026-03-18 17:00 - 18:30 | NYU Wagner – Lafayette Conference Room, Floor 2, 105 East 17th Street, New York, NY, 10003
Join NYSEAN for the book launch of Enduring Otherwise: Muslim Queer and Trans Worldmaking in Indonesia by Ferdiansyah Thajib, Senior Lecturer in the Standards of Decision-Making Across Cultures MA Program at Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Rianne Subijanto, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Baruch College-CUNY, will moderate the discussion.
