Literature
Djuna: Counterweight with translator Anton Hur
Tuesday, November 7, 2023 | 6:30 PM
An “antic, madcap noir with flair" (Wired) and “fast-paced cyberpunk story” (The New York Times Book Review) from one of South Korea's most revered science fiction writers, whose identity remains unknown “An efficient, fast-paced cyberpunk story . . . The novel’s speculations about human agency resonate in the current moment, when American tech C.E.O.s oscillate between issuing sonorous warnings about the existential risks of the A.I. systems they’re developing and…
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Author Talks: Yu Miri
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 | 5:00 PM
Author photo courtesy of Tilted Axis Press In 2020, beloved Zainichi Korean writer Yu Miri and prize-winning translator Morgan Giles won the National Book Award in Translated Literature for Tokyo Ueno Station, a deeply emotional and unflinchingly bold novel that highlighted the socioeconomic injustices and devastating human cost of modernization. “Artful and kinetic...This has a power of its own.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY "Yu’s passion for rescuing history from violence is palpable…
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Korean and English Bilingual Poetry Reading
Friday, October 6, 2023 | 6:30 PM
Three poets. Three translators. One conversation. We invite you to join us for an evening of bilingual poetry readings. Three poets - Moon Bo Young, Kim Liyoun, Kim Sono - along with three translators - Soje, Eunice Lee, Jenny Jisun Kim - explore the power of language to connect us with one another. Not as well known to many audiences, Korean poetry contains a rich and vibrant tradition that is…
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From DMZ Colony to Phantom Pain Wings: An Evening with Kim Hyesoon and Don Mee Choi
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 | 7:30 PM
This evening is devoted to the incendiary magic that arises when one brilliant poet translates another. For over a decade, poet Don Mee Choi (National Book Award winner, Guggenheim and MacArthur fellow) (l) Kim Hyesoon © Jung Melmel; (r) Don Mee Choi © Dirk Skiba This evening is devoted to the incendiary magic that arises when one brilliant poet translates another. For over a decade, poet Don Mee Choi (National…
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Behind the Scenes: Writing a Picture Book
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 | 6:30 PM
Join two Korean-American picture book writers as they discuss the many different layers of consideration, introspection, and deliberation that go into conceiving and writing picture books, and the importance of humor and diversity in children's literature. For many young readers, being able to see themselves reflected in the books they read is a profound experience. Seeing and reading accurate representations of one's own identity and culture provide a sense of…
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Angie Kim: Happiness Falls with Susan Choi
Friday, September 8, 2023 | 6:00 PM
“I read Happiness Falls in a single day. I can’t remember a book with more layers—this is a nuanced story about bias, language, ableism, racism, and family dynamics—but above all else this is a story with so many twists and turns I was riveted through the last page.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they…
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Dress History of Korea
Thursday, July 13, 2023 | 6:00 PM
Bringing together a wealth of primary sources and with contributions from leading experts, Dress History of Korea presents the most recent approaches to the interpretation of dress and fashion of Korea. Through close analysis of visual, written, and material sources—some newly excavated or recently re-discovered in global museums—the book reveals how dress and adornment evolved from the period of state formation to the modern era. As in other cultures, modern…
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Author Talks: Cheon Myeong-kwan
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 | 5:00 PM
Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and the winner of a PEN/Heim Grant, Cursed Bunny is the wildly original debut story collection from Bora Chung Whale is a rollercoaster adventure through Korean history and culture, a magical and grotesque epic...The plot twists and turns and hurtles along in a way that makes you pleasantly dizzy; the imagery and language in the book are also so rich, with the innocence and…
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Make Break Remix: The Rise of K-style with Fiona Bae
Thursday, May 25, 2023 | 6:30 PM
K-pop, K-fashion, K-drama, K-beauty: over the past decade, K-style has exploded onto the global scene. What is behind this phenomenon? Where does K-style go from here? In Make, Break, Remix: The Rise of K-style, author and communications consultant Fiona Bae makes no attempt to define or categorize the movement, instead celebrating the eclectic and multifaceted nature of K-style and its home city of Seoul. Photo by less_TAEKYUN KIM K-pop, K-fashion,…
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FLAWLESS
Tuesday, May 23, 2023 | 6:30 PM
Seoul, South Korea makes Beverly Hills look like a one-stoplight town when it comes to the beauty rat race, and it’s getting more intense every year. Elise Hu spent four years in South Korea as NPR’s bureau chief, and during her tenure there, the K-beauty industry tripled to become a $10 billion industry. South Korea is home to more than 7,500 cosmetic and skincare manufacturers, and K-beauty has staked its…
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