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Kaya Press is an independent non-profit publisher of writers of the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora. It was founded in 1994 by the postmodern Korean writer Soo Kyung Kim and initially based in New York, Kaya Press is currently housed in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. The press is dedicated to the publication of new and innovative fiction, experimental poetry, critical essays, noir fiction, film memoir, avant-garde art, performance pieces, and the recovery of important and overlooked work (e.g. "lost novels") from the Pacific Rim and the API diaspora, describing itself as "a group of dedicated writers, artists, readers, and lovers of books working together to publish the most challenging, thoughtful, and provocative literature being produced throughout the Asian and Pacific Island diasporas."

The current publisher and editor of Kaya Press is Sunyoung Lee. The current managing editor is Neelanjana Banerjee. The current board of directors includes Jean Ho, Huy Hong, Adria Imada, Juliana S. Koo, Sunyoung Lee, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Chez Bryan Ong, and Patricia Wakida. The editorial committee consists of: Lisa Chen, Neelanjana Banerjee, Sunyoung Lee, Warren Liu, Gerald Maa, and Sesshu Foster.

The press's name, Kaya, refers primarily to the tribal confederation of six Korean city-states that existed from the middle of the first until the sixth century CE that is remembered as a utopia of learning, music, and the arts due to its trade and communication with China, Japan, and India. However, the press chose its name because the word “kaya” is also found in many different languages; for example, in Sanskrit, “kaya” means “body”; in Japanese, “kaya” often refers to a type of yew tree that withstands harsh conditions; in Tagalog, it means “to be able”; and in Turkish it means “rock.” In Zulu, “kaya” means “home.” Kaya Press's publishing vision, like its name, explores the multiple connections, chance or otherwise, between cultures.