Excited to host AAPI Book Month for the second year in a row! There will also be giveaways all throughout the month of May 2021 on Twitter and Instagram to celebrate Asian & Pacific Islander American Heritage Month!

Asian Author Alliance is happy to announce AAPI Book Month 2021. The month of virtual events will take place in May 2021 during AAPI Heritage Month. This will be the second annual AAPI Book Month. The first was the brainchild of Vicious Spirits author Kat Cho as a way to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander heritage after many authors were forced to cancel in-person events due to quarantine and stay-at-home directives in 2020.

“The first AAPI Book Month was put together pretty last minute, but everyone rallied together to design and participate in panels meant to celebrate AAPI identity and show the huge diversity underneath the AAPI umbrella,” said Cho.

Last year’s event had bestselling and award-winning authors participating in panels such as The Asian Diaspora Experience, Mixed Race AAPI Identity, and Filipinx Authors & Stories. This year’s AAPI Book Month team includes Van Hoang, author of Girl Giant and the Monkey King, with Gail Villanueva, author of My Fate According to the Butterfly, returning as tech and web admin.

AAPI Book Month 2021 is utilizing the virtual panel format–through YouTube Livestreams and Instagram Live–that have grown in popularity since the beginning of the pandemic as a way for authors to connect with readers. The group of Asian and PI authors are excited to use platforms that provide more accessibility than ever before. “The pandemic has been tough in a lot of ways,
but it’s really brought so many of us together and allowed us to connect in ways that weren’t possible before,” said Hoang. “We’re able to reach readers and authors who we might not have had the chance to otherwise.”

In light of the discussion surrounding the unsettling rise of Anti-AAPI racism in the last year, the group felt that it was important to celebrate the AAPI identity and experience. “It’s important for us to draw attention to the reality of anti-AAPI racism that threatens our communities. But it’s just as important to allow ourselves to celebrate our identity and the stories born from it,” said Cho. “Reading creates empathy, so I hope that through these virtual panels, readers will discover a few new AAPI voices and books to read.”

Most of the virtual panels for AAPI Book Month will be hosted on Asian Author Alliance’s YouTube channel. You can find the full schedule of events at AsianAuthorAlliance.com. Check out the full list of participants!