Join the Inaugural Katherine Min Fellowship Celebration on March 30
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Katherine Min at MacDowell in 1995, photo by Joanna Eldredge Morrissey
The Inaugural Katherine Min Fellowship Celebration will feature live readings and a memorial presented by MacDowell, the oldest artists’ residency program in the United States, to commemorate the life and work of Anchor author Katherine Min. Writers Victoria Chang, Cathy Park Hong, Marie Myung-Ok Lee, and Min’s daughter, Kayla Min Andrews, will be among the speakers at this free event, which takes place virtually on Tuesday, March 30 at 8:00 pm (ET) via Zoom. All donations made to the Katherine Min Fellowship at MacDowell will support future MacDowell residencies for Asian American writers. To register, click here. Penguin Random House is a longtime supporter of the MacDowell benefit.
This event will begin with readings from poet, writer, and the first recipient of the Katherine Min Fellowship, Victoria Chang; poet, writer, and longtime friend of Min’s, Cathy Park Hong; as well as Min’s daughter, Kayla Min Andrews, who will read a selection from her mother’s work. Novelist Marie Myung-Ok Lee will lead a commemoration of Min’s life and creative legacy. MacDowell Admissions Director Courtney Bethel, who met Min during one of her first residencies at MacDowell when Bethel was working in the MacDowell kitchen, will serve as host.
A writer and educator, Min held eight residencies at MacDowell between 1995 and 2013. During her 2001 residency, she finished the first draft of her 2008 novel Secondhand World, which was a finalist for the PEN/Bingham Prize. Along with the uninterrupted time to write, Min loved MacDowell for its picnic basket lunches, friendly pool games, late night dance parties, and the opportunity to meet and share work with other artists. She cherished the lifelong friendships she made at MacDowell and was a beloved member of the MacDowell community.
After Min died in 2019, her family and friends – in an effort led by her brother, Kollin Min – set out to celebrate her life and honor her creative legacy with the establishment of the Katherine Min Fellowship at MacDowell. The endowment of this Fellowship will allow MacDowell to continue to elevate Asian American voices and to strengthen relationships to the Asian American writers community.
“Mom always came home from MacDowell glowing,” said Kayla Min Andrews. “She said she did her best work there, and loved getting to know the other Fellows. The Katherine Min Fellowship is an enduring way for her to give that gift to other Asian American writers.”
“MacDowell is a rare magical refuge that has enabled Katherine, myself, and others to devote ourselves fully to our work,” said Cathy Park Hong. “Her wish to guarantee this opportunity to future Asian American writers reflects the warmth and heart I knew from her friendship and mentorship. Her family’s work to establish this Fellowship memorializes her care and generosity toward writers in our community.”
Founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and pianist Marian MacDowell, his wife, MacDowell nurtures the arts by awarding Fellowships to artists of exceptional talent, providing time, space, and an inspiring environment in which they can do creative work. The sole criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence, which MacDowell defines in a pluralistic and inclusive way.