Asian American Literature Festival Abruptly Cancelled without Explanation

Speaking Out of Place · Jul 27, 2023 · 24m

This August, the Asian American Literary Festival was to take place in Washington, DC.. The event had already garnered substantial investments and expectations from both national and international groups and states. Thus there was considerable shock and outrage when Acting Director Yao-Fen You abruptly cancelled the entire festival, without a word of explanation.

The Washington Post and other sources have hinted that it might be because of potentially controversial content. The Post wrote: "According to emails shared with The Post, You notified Lawrence-Minh Bui Davis, the festival’s director…