Each summer, after the dust settles from graduations and reunions, Fordham’s Rose Hill campus welcomes the Kundiman Retreat, contemplative programming that brings established Asian-American poets and writers together with students for master classes.
Now Kundiman, a nonprofit dedicated to the development of Asian-American literature, has signed a three-year agreement with Fordham College at Rose Hill that will bring internships, a course on The Writer’s Life, and more student-centered programming to campus.
Kundiman will arrange for six visits per year by Asian-American writers to share work, speak on Asian-American literature, and various aspects of literary nonprofit management. They will also develop a course on Asian-American literature in collaboration with the English department. The Writer’s Life course will help students learn about literary nonprofits, career, and funding opportunities for writers, as well as introduce students to the “wide ecology of literary culture in New York.”
Nine internship opportunities will also be developed that will allow students to receive hands-on instruction in communications, development, programs, editing and research. Kundiman will also host an annual community–based social justice project that will actively involve Fordham students.
Kundiman was co-founded by Sarah Gambito, associate professor of English at Fordham and director of creative writing.
“This partnership enhances the University’s reputation as a key participant in the vibrant New York literary scene and as a stronghold for multicultural cosmopolitanism and Asian-American letters,” Gambito said.
The University has also agreed to continue to host the annual five-day conference.
The retreat, which brings nationally renowned Asian-American poets to campus, provides a safe and instructive environment to address the unique challenges faced by emerging Asian-American writers. Kundiman fellows have published work in The New Yorker, The Best American Poetry, Best New Poets, and Poetry.
Since its inception in 2004, the annual poetry retreat has provided more than 200 emerging poets with a distinguished faculty and writing environment. Its public readings have brought the work of emerging and established Asian-American poets and writers to new audiences.
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