It's Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and we're excited to celebrate AAPI contributions to our nation's history and culture.
Check out our booklists for adults, young adults, and children, join us for our virtual and in-person programs, and more.
Queens Memory: Podcast and Cultural Programs
AAPI Books: Young Adult Fiction & Nonfiction
AAPI Books: Children's Fiction
AAPI Books: Children's Nonfiction
Queens Memory Podcast: "Our Major Minor Voices"
Season 3 of the Queens Memory Podcast features stories from our neighbors of Asian descent living here in Queens, in their own voices.
New episodes premiere every Monday at https://queensmemory.org/podcast, and you can also listen and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and other major podcast platforms.
Each episode will be followed by virtual cultural programs on Tuesdays and in-person listening parties on Thursdays.
Season 3 of the Queens Memory Podcast and its cultural programs have been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
Queens Memory Podcast Cultural Programs (click on each title for more information)
Celebrate Eid with Pakistani Music
Tuesday, May 3, 6pm, Facebook Live (watch the replay)
What Gets Lost in Translation: Episode 4 Listening Party
Thursday, May 5, 6:30pm, Fresh Meadows Library
Experience the Richness and Diversity: Virtual Chinese Music Concert
Tuesday, May 10, 6pm, Facebook Live (watch the replay)
Invisible Homeless: Episode 5 Listening Party
Thursday, May 12, 6pm, Elmhurst Library
Confronting Stereotypes Through Artmaking
Tuesday, May 17, 6pm, Facebook Live (watch the replay)
Seeing Signs: Episode 6 Listening Party
Thursday, May 19, 6pm, Woodside Library
Tibetan Artist Techung Performs Traditional Tibetan Music: Nangma and Töshay
Tuesday, May 24, 6:30pm, Facebook Live
Mother Tongue: Episode 7 Listening Party
Thursday, May 26, 7pm, Elmhurst Library
From Bollywood to Bhangra Beats featuring DJ Rekha: A Live Virtual Presentation
Tuesday, May 31, 5:30pm, Virtual
Looking Ahead: Episode 8 Listening Party
Thursday, June 2, 6pm, Jackson Heights Library
AAPI Booklists
Adult Fiction
The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata by Gina Apostol
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed Masood
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Adult Nonfiction
Eat a Peach by David Chang
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang
Good Talk by Mira Jacob
The Loneliest Americans by Jay Caspian Kang
World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Not Quite Not White by Sharmila Sen
Fairest by Meredith Talusan
Dear Girls by Ali Wong
Rise by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Wang
Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner
Asian American Dreams by Helen Zia
Young Adult Fiction
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
There's Something about Sweetie by Sandhya Menon
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach
Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park
Private Lessons by Cynthia Salaysay
Radha & Jai's Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma
Made in Korea by Sarah Suk
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Young Adult Nonfiction
The American Dream? by Shing Yin Khor
The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
Uprooted by Albert Marrin
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry by Paula Yoo
Children's Fiction
Dream, Annie, Dream by Waka T. Brown
Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
I Am Golden by Eva Chen
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
No Kimchi for Me! by Aram Kim
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
Drawn Together by Minh Lê
A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis
Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
Home is in Between by Mitali Perkins
Omar Rising by Aisha Saeed
Watercress by Andrea Wang
The Dragon Path by Ethan Young
Children's Nonfiction
Awesome Asian Americans: 20 Stars Who Made America Amazing by Phil Amara and Oliver Chin
Seven Voyages: How China's Treasure Fleet Conquered the Sea by Laurence Bergreen
The Rise (and Falls) of Jackie Chan by Kristen Mai Giang
King Sejong Invents an Alphabet by Carol Kim
The Story of Olympic Diver Sammy Lee by Paula Yoo
Playing at the Border: A Story of Yo-Yo Ma by Joanna Ho
Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites by Jamie Michaka & Debbi Michiko Florence
Mother Goose Goes to India by Kabir Sehgal
Between Two Worlds: The Art and Life of Amrita Sher-Gil by Meera Sriram
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
Tu Youyou's Discovery: Finding a Cure for Malaria by Songju Ma Daemicke
Desert Diary: Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire by Michael O. Tunnell
Dear America: The Story of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung
Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom by Teresa Robeson
From the Tops of Trees by Kao Kalia Yang
Cultural Programs
click on each title for more information
Awakening the Japanese American Archives Through Art and Writing
Wednesday, May 4, 7pm, Virtual
A Musical Event Celebrating 75 Years of India’s Independence with Sanjukta Sen
Tuesday, May 10, 11am, Virtual
Hao Bang Ah! Tiger! Puppet Show
Friday, May 13, 4pm, Facebook Live/YouTube Live
Saturday, May 14, 1pm, Virtual
The Real and the Serial in Zhang Leping’s "Wandering Life of Sanmao" (1947-1948)
Saturday, May 14, 8pm, Virtual
Where In the World? Food!
Monday, May 16, 3:30pm, Richmond Hill Library
Monday, May 16, 5:15pm, Facebook Live
Know Your Rights and Bystander Intervention Techniques
Wednesday, May 18, 4pm, Lefferts Library
Mehndi Hands
Thursday, May 19, 3:30pm, Arverne Library
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with Korean Culture and Music
Thursday, May 19, 5pm, Facebook Live
Asian American Writers in Conversation
Thursday, May 19, 6pm, Virtual
Shadow Puppet Performance: “Tiger Tales”
Friday, May 20, 4pm, Facebook Live/YouTube Live
Celebrate Eid: Henna Hand Painting Workshop with Anowara Ahmed
Saturday, May 21, 1pm, Virtual
The Keyaki Tree: Shadow Puppet Theatre
Monday, May 23, 3pm, Virtual
Talking Drums with Brian Adler
Wednesday, May 25, 4pm, Facebook Live/YouTube Live
Mahiwaga: Magical Stories, Dance, and Kulintang Music
Thursday, May 26, 6pm, Facebook Live
Literary Thursdays: Soon Wiley, Author of "When We Fell Apart"
Thursday, May 26, 4pm, Virtual
AAPI Resources
Stop AAPI Hate
Resources and how to report hate incidents.
Stop Asian Hate Toolkit
A toolkit for addressing anti-Asian bias, discrimination, and hate.
Right to Be (formally Hollaback)
A key organization who creates Bystander Intervention Trainings to teach people how to stop harassment.
Asian Mental Health Collective
Mental Health resources for Asian communities worldwide.
Chinese American Planning Council
CPC’s mission is to promote the social and economic empowerment of Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income communities.
Heart of Dinner
A volunteer organization that helps deliver care packages and meals to Asian elders.
Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York
This organization serves as a bridge for Korean immigrants and the wider Asian community to fully integrate into society and overcome any economic, health, and linguistic barriers.
SAYA (South Asian Youth Action)
SAYA aims to foster a strong sense of belonging in youth and provide them with tools to thrive academically, professionally, and personally.
South Asian Council for Social Services
This organization empowers underserved South Asians and other immigrants and integrates them into the civic and economic life of New York.