Asian American Literature Festival that was canceled by the Smithsonian in 2023 to be revived

NEW YORK (AP) — A festival celebrating Asian American literary works that was suddenly canceled last year by the Smithsonian Institution is getting resurrected. Organizers announced Thursday the Asian American Literature Festival is making a return. It will take place Sept. 14-22. And instead of only being in Washington, D.C., the in-person and virtual events will be spread out nationwide. A biannual event since 2017, the festival brings together writers, publishers and others across the Asian diaspora. But last year, Smithsonian officials called off the event a month before for “administrative/logistical reasons.” Writers and literary organizations set to converge say they were blindsided by the decision and left with financial losses.