People of the Book: Translating an Oral Tradition into Written Form in Lumad Mindanao
2025-10-30 15:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | NYU Espacio de Culturas, 53 Washington Square S, New York, NY, 10012, United States
Over the past decade, a small Higaunon team devoted their free time to transcribing their core oral tradition, known as the Panud, into book form. The Higaunon are a Lumad (Indigenous) minority community on the island of Mindanao (Philippines), and the Panud is the story of their people from the earliest ancestors to the present. It takes the form of a genealogy, but the Panud also contains, among other things, their creation story, religious doctrines, customary laws, and a record of migrations, land claims, and wars. The first all-Higaunon book written by Higaunons, Su Panud Ta Baligiyan (2023) was quickly adopted for use in the local government’s Indigenous Peoples Education Program. This talk will present the history of the Panud project, and the challenges (logistical, political, and epistemic) our team faced in transforming this unique oral tradition into written form. Through the story of the Panud project, we will explore some of the core epistemic differences between oral and literary cultures. The process also reveals some of the dilemmas inherent to “preserving tradition” and heritage making, and the complexities of being a ‘culture bearer’ in a modern Indigenous minority community in Southeast Asia.

Literary Thursdays: Anelise Chen, Author of “Clam Down: A Metamorphosis”
2025-10-30 18:00 - 19:00
In this wondrously unusual memoir, a woman retreats into her shell in the aftermath of her divorce and must choose between the pleasures and the perils of a closed-up life. Join us and learn more about this genre-defying transformation fable from an acclaimed “5 Under 35” National Book Foundation honoree!

Joe Wong Mandarin Stand Up Comedy – Deep Chat
2025-10-30 18:30 - 20:30 | China Institute, 40 Rector Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10006
Join us for a night of laughter and connection with the brilliant Joe Wong (黄西) as he brings his brand-new Mandarin stand-up special, Deep Chat, to China Institute in America.
In this fresh new show, Joe dives deep into the immigrant experience and the humorous cultural collisions that shape life in America. Through his sharp wit and warm storytelling, he explores the joys, struggles, and surprises of living between worlds, which reminds us that laughter is the best bridge across cultures.

A Chinese Reformer in Exile: Kang Youwei and the Chinese Empire Reform Association in North America
2025-10-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
How did a reform movement championed by imperial China’s most famous reformer take root across North America, and what can it tell us about the birth of modern Chinese politics? Join authors and scholars Robert L. Worden and Jane Leung Larson for an in-depth conversation on their new reference work, A Chinese Reformer in Exile: Kang Youwei and the Chinese Empire Reform Association in North America, 1899 to 1911 (Brill, 2025; Open Access PDF and hardcover).

Alpha Beta Blah – To The Grave
2025-10-30 19:00 - 20:30 | Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW), 18 West 21st Street, Suite 900, New York, NY, 10010, United States
The 2025 AAWW Margins fellows present “Alpha Beta Blah”, a new reading series that invites writers to come frat out with the fellows.
The third reading of this series will take place on October 30th at 7 pm ET. For “To The Grave”, send us your most bone-chilling stories about love. Tell us about a romance that still lives in your bones, exes you need to exorcise, and late night trysts that have taken over your psyche. Tell us how love possessed you, stalked you, and terrified you.

Icons of Culture: Lucy Liu
2025-10-30 20:00 - 21:00 | Perelman Performing Arts Center, 241 Fulton Street, New York, NY, 10007
As an actress, producer, and activist, Lucy Liu has been blazing a trail and reshaping culture for almost 30 years. The proud New Yorker sits down with Josh Horowitz to breakdown her career, her art and advocacy, and her powerful new film, Rosemead.

Maps That Speak: Asia, the Pacific, and Hawai’i with Jo-Ann Wong
2025-10-31 14:00 - 15:00 | NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building – Lenox & Astor Room, 216, Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10018
The Library’s Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division is one of the world’s leading collections, renowned for its size, scope, and unique holdings. Reference Librarian Jo-Ann Wong will showcase maps of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian communities, examining them from multiple viewpoints. She will highlight selections that spark deeper conversations about who has the authority to tell their stories, alternative approaches to mapmaking, and the enduring impacts of colonialism on cartographic representation.

YAMAN: Filipino cultural festival
2025-11-01 10:00 - 21:00 | New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, New York, NY, 10036
YAMAN (treasure in Tagalog) is more than a cultural expo—it’s a movement carrying Filipino culture forward through indigenous craftsmanship, fashion, entertainment, food, and community. Experience the world of YAMAN, become a Heritage Guardian, and support Tboli master weavers whose ancient hands are running out of time—preserving the soul of our identity for generations to come.
Sign up now to make a cultural investment while participating in a 3-day cultural festival of all things Filipino, featuring a marketplace, inspirational talks with Filipino American trailblazers and celebrities, and more!

Author Talk: Playing Mahjong to Capture Family Stories with Nicole Wong
2025-11-01 13:00 - 14:00
Nicole will share how playing mahjong with her grandparents helped her preserve their Chinese New Zealand family history and cultural legacy. She will also share family stories and offer tips on how to start documenting your own stories.
NICOLE WONG is a writer and producer based in Oakland, California. She is the creator and founder of The Mahjong Project, her effort to preserve a small piece of her family history and bring more people into the joy of playing the game. She organizes pop-up mahjong nights in San Francisco and Oakland. Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora is her first book. Her work has been featured by Vogue, The Washington Post, KQED, Axios, Forbes, and more.

MOCA TALKS –《与此同时 At the Same Time》英译诗集分享会
2025-11-01 15:00 - 16:30 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
Reflecting on the hometown of Laozi, Wang Jiaxin, a highly representative contemporary Chinese poet, has perhaps transformed his many years of overseas experiences and reflections into clear and contemplative new poetry. The Museum of Chinese in America is once again collaborating with the North American Chinese Writers’ Association to promote Chinese-language works nurtured from the immigrant experience. This talk will focus on Wang Jiaxin, inviting him to share the publication process of the English translation of his poetry collection 与此同时 (At the Same Time), discuss the creative journey behind his work, and explore how personal experiences can be transformed into introspective literary expression, as well as the challenges and poetic possibilities encountered in the process of translating modern Chinese poetry. In addition, poet Li Cao, poet and writer Jialu Mi, Associate Professor at The College of New Jersey and Director of its China Studies Program; and poet and writer Ying Fan will also join the event to share in the conversation on writing and Chinese poetry.
The talk will be conducted primarily in Chinese, with English as a secondary language, and will feature selected readings from the English translation of the collection.

Grandma and Her Ghosts: Film Screening & Taiwanese Cultural Experience
2025-11-01 15:30 - 18:00 | Taiwan Center, 137-44 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY, 11354
Join us for 《魔法阿媽》 Grandma and Her Ghosts: Film Screening & Taiwanese Cultural Experience, a special afternoon blending Taiwan’s Ghost Month traditions with Western Halloween fun — where film, food, and folklore collide!

✨ Event Highlights
🎬 Film Screening – Watch the beloved Taiwanese classic Grandma and Her Ghosts (with English subtitles).

👻 Cultural Stations

Calligraphy: Writing Lucky Talismans ✍️
Ghost Month vs. Halloween: Fun Facts & Traditions 🕯️
Snack Challenge – “Eat If You Dare!” featuring Taiwanese street foods such as Stinky Tofu, Century Egg Tofu, Pig’s Blood Cake, Intestine Vermicelli, and more.

🥤 Bubble Tea Giveaway – Dare to Dress Up!
The first 30 ticket holders in creative costume will receive a free bubble tea, sponsored by CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice!
Costumes can be Halloween-inspired or Asian/Taiwanese-themed — think temple culture, paper talismans, Asian zombies, or ghostly spirits.
🎭 Show your creativity, dress boldly, and enjoy your free bubble tea!

📸 Photo Booth – Take spooky and fun photos with themed props and decorations.

💬 Language
This event will be bilingual (Mandarin & English).
No Mandarin required — just bring your curiosity and courage!

📌 Notes

Snacks are tasting portions only; limited availability.
Registration is required; no walk-ins once capacity is reached.
Bubble tea giveaway is limited to the first 30 ticketed participants in costume (one drink per person, while supplies last).
The organizer reserves the right to interpret, modify, or adjust the event content as needed.

🤝 Sponsors
This film screening is officially licensed. Special thanks to Rice Film Studio Co., Ltd. for providing the film and promotional materials.
This event is mainly sponsored by the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC), Taiwan, with additional support from CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice for sponsoring bubble tea for our participants.

New York Chinese Cultural Center Presents HOME Project 2025
2025-11-01 18:30 - 20:00 | Abrons Art Center, 466 Grand St, Manhattan, United States
In celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary next year, our commissioned artists present a series of pieces exploring the theme of honoring and celebrating Chinese immigrants who embark on their life journeys in the United States while preserving their cultural heritage.

Webinar: Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists, and Researchers
2025-11-03 17:00 - 18:00
A training that will equip participants with the knowledge and advocacy tools needed to advocate on issues that directly impact them, such as the China Initiative, research security, fundamental rights and academic freedom in our country.

Raj Subramaniam, President and CEO of FedEx
2025-11-03 17:30 - 19:30 | Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10021
Join us for an in-depth, one-on-one dialogue between Raj Subramaniam, President and CEO of FedEx Corporation, and CNBC’s global markets correspondent Seema Mody. The conversation delves into Subramaniam’s dynamic leadership philosophy, his bold strategic vision for guiding one of the world’s largest transportation and logistics companies, and his approach to navigating the complexities of today’s global economy. As FedEx plays a critical role in powering global supply chains, this interview reveals how Subramaniam drives cutting-edge innovation, cultivates a people-centric culture, and harnesses advanced data-driven technologies to revolutionize the logistics industry.

Padma Lakshmi and Friends, Padma’s All American
2025-11-03 19:00 - 20:15 | Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, New York, NY, 10025
The award-winning host of Taste the Nation is joined by special guests including Michelle Buteau to launch her vibrant new cookbook, Padma’s All American, with an unforgettable evening of stories, laughter, and conversation. Based on her acclaimed Hulu series, this deeply personal book is a love letter to the immigrant and Indigenous communities who shape the flavors of America.

Art on the Move: NYC’s Iconic Subway Murals
2025-11-04 18:30 - 20:00 | China Institute, 40 Rector Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10006
China Institute and Asia Art Archive in America bring together Asian and Asian Diasporic artists Bing Lee, Jean Shin, Saya Woolfalk, and Parker Fay (who will represent Ming Fay) to share the stories behind their own subway commission projects while addressing questions around the possibilities, promise, and practicalities of public art. The conversation will be moderated by Deputy Director of MTA Art & Design Yaling Chen.

Connect with Korea: Opportunities for U.S. Students
2025-11-04 20:00 - 21:30
The Korea Society and International Student Conferences are pleased to present “Connect with Korea: Opportunities for U.S. Students,” a virtual session highlighting ways for U.S. college and university students to engage with Korea. Discover a range of Korea-related activities and academic programs, including study abroad opportunities, cultural exchanges, and professional networking. Participants will have the chance to meet directly with program representatives to learn more about each initiative featured in this session.

Image and Video Creation Using AI
2025-11-05 14:00 - 15:00
Instructor: Mike Reilley, Senior Lecturer at University of Illinois Chicago and founder of JournalistsToolbox.ai
This 90-minute training will cover the following:
– Prompt Crafting: Learn how to write and refine prompts to create compelling AI-generated images and videos.
– Fact-Checking Visuals: Practice using the newest tools and techniques to detect whether an image or video was created by AI.
– Tool Deep Dive: Explore major platforms – including Sora, Google Veo, DALL·E, Midjourney, and Adobe Firefly – and see how their quality has evolved.
– Hands-On Practice: Experiment directly with AI tools and walk away with new skills for ethical, creative visual storytelling.

Protecting Southeast Asian Communities
2025-11-05 15:00 - 16:00
Across the country, Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant communities face devastating deportation impacts. Decades after families resettled in the United States as refugees, thousands remain vulnerable to removal because of old criminal convictions, many tied to the challenges of poverty, trauma, and lack of support.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of U.S. wars in Southeast Asia, making current deportation policies particularly heartbreaking. ICE deports some Southeast Asian refugees without due process to third countries in Africa and Latin America, places they have never lived and have no connection to. Those sent to Southeast Asia often don’t have support starting a new life in a country and culture that is foreign to them, or they barely remember it.
Community-based Southeast Asian organizations have been on the frontlines providing legal support, organizing for policy change, and helping families heal. Yet these organizations remain severely underfunded, limiting their ability to meet urgent needs and build long-term power.
This briefing brings together community leaders, advocates, and funders to discuss the current landscape of Southeast Asian deportations and the human toll on families. Together, we will explore how philanthropy can step up to resource Southeast Asian organizations, strengthen community resilience, and advance a more just and inclusive future.

Communicating with Empathy: Having Conversations Across Differences
2025-11-05 16:00 - 17:00
As the holiday season approaches, NCAPA is holding a series of community calls on holding difficult conversations with loved ones and community members. The purpose of these events is to equip and prepare attendees to approach difficult conversations strategically in order to effectively address sensitive or controversial topics. At this community call, attendees will hear from advocates on their experience with relevant community programming, real life examples, and tips for their own conversations.

Toishan Diaspora in the Americas
2025-11-05 18:30 - 19:30 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) invites you to a captivating conversation with artist and photographer Pok Chi Lau. For more than five decades, Lau has traced the journeys of the Toishan/Taishan diaspora from the Pearl River Delta to Hong Kong and across the Americas. Grounded in his own family’s migrations dating back to the mid 19th century, his camera has documented kitchens, back rooms, storefronts, clubhouses, home altars, and streetscapes, spaces where language, labor, faith, and memory take root far from home.

2025 Korean American Film Festival New York
2025-11-06 - 2025-11-07 | Village East Cinemas, 181-189 2nd Avenue, New York, NY, 10003
Join us for the 19th Annual KAFFNY Film Festival, showcasing an exciting lineup of new cinema from the Asian diaspora. The program features compelling short films, documentaries, and narrative features, including Attachment Project (Feature Doc) and Water Lilies (Feature Narrative), with many screenings followed by Q&A sessions with the directors.

Decolonizing Afghanistan: Countering Imperial Knowledge and Power
2025-11-06 17:00 - 18:30 | NYU Steinhardt (239 Greene St), 239 Greene St, New York, NY, 10003
Edited by Wazhmah Osman and Robert D. Crews, Decolonizing Afghanistan: Countering Imperial Knowledge and Power (Duke University Press, 2025) is the first comprehensive volume to explore the impact of empire on Afghanistan’s past and present. It features cross-disciplinary, ground-up perspectives on colonial projects in Afghanistan and paths to decolonial futures. With a particular focus on the US intervention that began in 2001, the collection marks a decolonial turn in Afghanistan and American studies.

Adoption and Re-Kinning: An Evening with Deann Borshay Liem, Rosemarie Peña, and Silke Hackenesch
2025-11-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Deutsches Haus at NYU, 42 Washington Mews, New York, NY, 10003
Deutsches Haus at NYU, the University of Cologne North America Office, the German Research Foundation (DFG) North America, and the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York present “Adoption and Re-Kinning” as part of the conference “The Legacies of Mixed-Race Children Born of War: Kinship, Belonging and Transnational Adoption after World War II.” The evening will include a film screening of Deann Borshay Liem’s documentary “Geographies of Kinship” and a conversation between Rosemarie Peña and Deann Borshay Liem, which will be moderated by Silke Hackenesch. Welcoming remarks will be provided by Eva Bosbach, Director of the University of Cologne North America Office.

John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life under American Racial Law
2025-11-06 18:30 - 19:30 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) cordially invites you to a special conversation with Beth Lew-Williams, Professor of History and Director of the Program in Asian American Studies at Princeton University, on her new book John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life under American Racial Law.
In this revelatory work, Prof. Lew-Williams uncovers how everyday life for Chinese residents across the American West was shaped by thousands of state and local regulations enacted between the 1850s and the early twentieth century, decades before federal exclusion sealed the border. Often recorded in official documents under generic names like “John Doe Chinaman” or “Mary Chinaman,” Chinese immigrants and their American-born families navigated a dense web of laws governing labor, education, health care, property, business, and family life.

Modern Architecture in Korea: Travels through Terra Incognita
2025-11-06 18:30 - 20:00 | The Korea Society, 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY, 10017
Modern architecture in Korea is characterized by open and dynamic attitudes formed through a unique set of historical circumstances. Through colonial rule, war, and poverty, it was cut off from its older building traditions, emerging only in the latter half of the twentieth century as part of a condensed process of modernization. It is enigmatic in that its build first, think later (if at all) condition has rebuffed holistic narratives of its disjunctive evolution. Long dominated by the construction sector and state bureaucracies, it is now an amalgam of large corporate firms, creative studios, and diverse communities in the culture industry. It is now in crisis for its uncertain response to the challenges of climate change and Korea’s turn to structural low-growth. Neither affirming nor negating traditions and theories, Korean architecture is most interesting when it raises questions and belies unfulfilled ambitions.
This lecture, presented by 2025 Korea Foundation LAB Series, features Pai Hyungmin, a distinguished architect and scholar.

Tim Wu with Lina Khan: The Age of Extraction
2025-11-06 19:00 - 20:00 | NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 476 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10018
The Internet was once celebrated as a democratizing force promising widespread prosperity. In his new book, The Age of Extraction, Tim Wu explores how it has instead fueled the rise of new economic hierarchies and widened the wealth gap and deepened inequality. Wu, who famously coined the term “net neutrality,” charts the ascent of dominant tech platforms, the extraordinary power they wield, and the unprecedented ways they extract wealth, data, and attention from us all—reshaping both our economy and our society.
Wu will be in conversation with Lina Khan, former Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, to discuss how society can reclaim control of our digital lives to build a fairer, more balanced economy.

Book Sale at the Municipal Archives and Library
2025-11-07 - 2025-11-08 | Surrogate’s Courthouse, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY, 10007
On November 7th and 8th, the Municipal Archives and Library will hold a book sale of unique items removed from the collections.
Whether you like history, politics, culture, theater, art, food, or iconic landmarks, there are books for everyone who loves New York City.
Hundreds of books, all at great prices.
Don’t miss your chance to stock up on some unique finds ahead of the holiday season!

Performing Chinatown: Hollywood, Tourism, and the Making of a Chinese American Community
2025-11-07 17:30 - 19:00
In Performing Chinatown: Hollywood, Tourism, and the Making of a Chinese American Community (Stanford University Press, 2024), historian William Gow argues that Chinese Americans in Los Angeles strategically used their performances in both Hollywood films and Chinatown tourist attractions to influence perceptions of race and national identity during the Chinese Exclusion Era.

LEIMAY Constellation Series presents: Spider's Thread
2025-11-08 - 2025-11-09 | CAVE home of LEIMAY, 58 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY
Join us for a performance produced and created by the artist Yusuke Mori as part of the LEIMAY Constellation Series, co-presented with LEIMAY within WEAVE.
Spider’s Thread is a performance, led by dancers Yusuke Mori and Alaisha Sharma, based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s well-known short story. A simple tale based on Buddhist teachings, in which a convict is given a slim passageway from eternal damnation. In this dance-theater piece, the story unfolds through an interwoven tapestry of narration, movement and music.
