The Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California will launch the Asian Pacific American Book Festival, the first festival of its kind focusing on the literary contributions of writers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, on Saturday, May 12 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The festival will be part of Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month. Some of the confirmed panelists include Newbery Award winner Cynthia Kadohata, Asian American Writers Workshop executive director Quang Bao, Los Angeles Times Book Review editor David Ulin, poet Victoria Chang, and pioneering Latino activist and author Luis J. Rodriguez.

“The Asian Pacific American Legal Center’s mission is to advocate for issues involving our various ethnic communities and what could be more illuminating than to spread, share, and examine our stories,” said Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director, Asian Pacific American Legal Center. “Through the celebration of these stories, we can help to transform the lives of not only Asian Pacific Americans, but also our larger world. Democracy begins with ideas and these ideas are expressed through words, either spoken or written.”