Literature
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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 PMThis 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 Book Award winner, Guggenheim and MacArthur fellow) has been translating the fiercely iconoclastic... Read More -
Behind the Scenes: Writing a Picture Book
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 | 6:30 PM- Youtube Video:
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 visibility and relatability. Not only are diverse... Read More -
Angie Kim: Happiness Falls with Susan Choi
Friday, September 8, 2023 | 6:00 PM- Youtube Video:
“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 know about him and one “I read Happiness Falls in a single day. I can’t remember a book with more... Read More -
Dress History of Korea
Thursday, July 13, 2023 | 6:00 PM- Youtube Video:
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 Korean Bringing together a wealth of primary... Read More -
Author Talks: Cheon Myeong-kwan
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 | 5:00 PM- Youtube Video:
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 darkness of a fairy-tale combined with a playful sense of irony.—The International Booker... Read More -
Make Break Remix: The Rise of K-style with Fiona Bae
Thursday, May 25, 2023 | 6:30 PM- Youtube Video:
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, K-drama, K-beauty: over the past decade, K-style has exploded... Read More -
FLAWLESS
Tuesday, May 23, 2023 | 6:30 PM- Youtube Video:
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 claim as the future of skin care. Author photo by Emily Cummings Seoul, South Korea makes Beverly Hills... Read More -
Greek Lessons: Han Kang In Conversation with Katie Kitamura
Friday, May 12, 2023 | 8:00 PMHan Kang’s Booker Prize-winning 2016 novel The Vegetarian solidified her place as a master of the surreal, and is a powerful reminder that what makes surrealist narratives so haunting is the way they illuminate concerns that are real and urgent. Han, one of South Korea’s leading literary voices, joins the Pen America's World Voices Festival for the North American launch of her new novel, Greek Lessons. Following a female protagonist who loses her voice and seeks out learning Greek as a possible remedy, the... Read More -
Kyung-Sook Shin with Jenny Wang Medina
Thursday, April 13, 2023 | 6:30 PM- Youtube Video:
Author photo © Jun-yeon Kim An instant bestseller in Korea and the follow up to the international bestseller, Please Look After Mom, I Went to See My Father by Kyung-Sook Shin centers on a woman’s efforts to reconnect with her aging father, uncovering long-held family secrets. More than just the portrait of a single man, I Went to See My Father opens a window onto humankind, family, loss, and war. With this long-awaited follow-up to Please Look After Mom—flawlessly rendered by award-winning translator... Read More -
Gina Chung: Sea Change
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | 6:30 PM- Youtube Video:
A novel about a woman tossed overboard by heartbreak and loss, who has to find her way back to stable shores with the help of a giant Pacific octopus. Author photo by S. M. Sukardi One of "22 Works of Fiction to Read This Spring"—The New York Times A novel about a woman tossed overboard by heartbreak and loss, who has to find her way back to stable shores with the help of a giant Pacific octopus. Sea Change is an "absolutely stunning debut" novel —Frances Cha, author of If I Had Your Face—by Gina Chung. Ro is... Read More