by Carol Van Den Hende
Happy Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month!
As a Chinese American author, I was excited to be invited to speak on multiple panels for AAPI Month. Each panel started by exploring what might seem different, from customs and holidays to foods.
But ultimately, I felt most comfortable when each panel concluded that what’s most powerful are the things that bind us together – our shared experiences, emotions and humanness.
This is what I aim to convey in my fiction – our connectedness and the capacity to love no matter what.
I’m proud that my upcoming novel, ALWAYS ORCHID, shines a light on interracial relationships and disability awareness. It’s just been shortlisted for the Hawthorne Prize and included in this list of fiction by Asian American authors: