Wednesday April 27 -- NYC

Inclusion, Exclusion & In-Between: Race & Citizenship

Authors Helen Jun (Race for Citizenship: Black Orientalism and Asian Uplift from Pre-Emancipation to Neoliberal America) and Leslie Bow (Partly Colored) will present their latest books and discuss issues of race and citizenship. More info here.

6 to 8 pm

A/P/A Institute

41-51 E 11th St, New York

RSVP here

Thursday April 28 --Raleigh

Mondega Album Release Party

Come celebrate the release of rapper Mondega's new album Food, Clothing & Love. With S. Gold, Ashley Mar Shell, Sonit, Chendo, and guest B-boys. Everyone will receive a free copy of Mondega's new CD. More info here.

10 pm

The Artisan Lounge

410 Glenwood, Suite 350, Raleigh NC

$5

Thursday April 28 through Saturday May 7 -- Los Angeles

27th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

This festival will feature hundreds of films, seminars & panels, appearances, and filmmaker awards. Full info, schedule, and tickets here.

Saturday April 30 -- New York

Holla for Japan: A Benefit Concert

Home for the Holla'Days presents "Holla for Japan", a benefit concert with 100% of proceeds going towards International Rescue Committee. With musicians Magnetic North, Taiyo Na, Vudoo Soul, Sam Kang, Alfa, the HOME:WORD House Band, and hosted by comedian Sheng Wang.

8 to10 pm

The Bitter End

147 Bleecker St, New York

$15 Students / $20 General

All Ages

Negative Space: Nathacha Appanah, Youmna Chlala, & Ranbir Sidhu

From the Indian Ocean to the American west, three fiction writers tell stories of the dispossessed. Like many characters in post-colonial literature, their protagonists have been cut off from motherlands by war, prison, and migration. But the terrain of dislocation these writers explore -- spanning the island of Mauritius, an imagined concentration camp for Arab Americans, and the pathways between 1980s  California and a war-torn Punjab -- is startlingly new. More info here.

7 to 10 pm

The Asian American Writers' Workshop

110-112 West 27th Street, 6th Floor

$5 suggested donation

Saturday April 30 -- San Francisco

Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC) Artist Preview

The AHSC Artist Preview Show offers a sneak peak at some of the talent that will perform at this year's 7th Annual festival. Featuring Joyo Velarde, The Like Mes, De La Femme, and Cynthia Lin. Admission includes free appetizers and wine tasting. More info here.

6 to 9 pm

Minna Gallery

111 Minna, San Francisco

$15; tickets here

International Lao New Year Festival

Hosted by the Center for Lao Studies, Lao Heritage Foundation, and Laotian American National Alliance, this is one of the largest Southeast Asian American cultural festival in the country. More info and lineup here.

10 am to 5 pm

United Nations Plaza, San Francisco

FREE

Saturday April 30 -- Los Angeles

Angry Asian Man 10th Anniversary Party

Super-blogger Angry Asian Man aka Phil Yu is celebrating 10 years! Celebrate with the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. With performances by the Shanghai Restoration Project and DJ O-Dub. The Mighty Boba Truck will also be parked outside. 

10 pm

Siren Studios

1050 North Orange Drive, Los Angeles

$15 (free for film festival badge holders); tickets here

Saturday April 30 to Sunday May 1 -- Los Angeles

C3: Conference for Creative Content

The inaugural C3 Conference will explore the growing influence and success of Asian Americans within New Media and the changing nature of entertainment media. With screenings, panels, and special events. More info, schedule, and tickets here.

Monday May 2 -- Seattle

Vincent Who? Screening & Discussion

Vincent Who? is a documentary that examines the 1982 hate crime murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit by two white autoworkers, which galvanized Asian Americans to form a unified movement, and the incident's influence on Asian American empowerment today. Producer Curtis Chin will be in attendance for a post-film discussion.

7 pm

Asian Counseling & Referral Service

3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, Seattle

$5 suggested donation, RSVP here

Monday May 2 and Tuesday May 3 -- Sacramento

California Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit

This policy summit will feature skills-building workshops that incorporate real community problems to help participants grow into stronger advocates, organizers, and leaders.  Workshops are organized into tracks that will explore policy issues on the local, state, and federal levels, including civil rights, education, health & human services, and housing & community development. Participants will immediately jump into advocacy by participating in legislative visits. Organized by the California Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit, Asian American Education Institute, Asian Pacific Islander California Action Network, and the California State Commission on Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs. More info, registration, and scholarships here.

8 am to 5 pm

Sacramento Convention Center

1400 J St, Sacramento

$80-160; registration here

                                                              Opportunities

Seeking Applicants for Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP)-- New York

The Coalition for Asian American Childrean and Families (CACF), the nation’s only pan-Asian children’s advocacy organization, is recruiting students to apply for the 2011-2012 cohort of their youth leadership group, Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP). ASAP aims to strengthen leadership and advocacy skills among NYC’s Asian Pacific American high school students with the goal of creating a college and career-ready culture for our community. ASAP begins with a 6-day Summer Institute (August 2011) and takes place during the school year once a week, and is open to all NYC public high school students of Asian descent. More info and application here. Applications  due May 13, 2011 by 5pm.