From the Fishouse
Thank you to Matt O’Donnell for inviting me to join From the Fishouse, a fabulous audio archive of emerging and established poets! There are so many poets in this archive whose work I adore.
Essay Forthcoming in Metropolitan Universities
Many thanks to Kristan Venegas and Alexander Jun, editors, for accepting my essay, “Voices of Authority: A Writing Curriculum for Inner-City College Access Programs,” which is based on my work and research as the founding director of the SummerTIME Writing Program in Los Angeles, for a special issue of Metropolitan Universities Journal. Since inception 3 years ago in 2005, the SummerTIME Writing Program has helped 210 inner-city Los Angeles high school graduates make the transition to college by strengthening their college-level writing skills. I’m proud of the program and its students, teachers, and staff — all of which were featured in the LA Times and Inside Higher Ed.
Semifinalist for Tupelo Press 2008 Snowbound Chapbook
Congratulations to Stacey Waite, a fellow alum from the University of Pittsburgh’s MFA Program, for winning the Tupelo Press’s 2008 Snowbound Chapbook Award! Though my chapbook, _Mongrel Angels_, was a semifinalist, I’m thrilled that a fellow friend and poet whom I admire won. I’ve revised and renamed the chapbook _Song of a Mirror_ and am pleased with its reincarnation.
Poems Forthcoming in Blackbird
Thank you very much to the editors at Blackbird, VCU’s wonderful online magazine, for accepting two poems — “The Beetle” and “Letter to N–” — for their November 1st issue!
Current Summer Projects
Here’s a rundown of current projects in the works that should take me to the end of summer:
1. Poetry/visual art collaboration with Jane Jin Kaisen, Fulbright Fellow and visual artist, for an interdisciplinary project tentatively titled, “Before and After,” involving film, poetry, performance, and Korean puppetry. Shot all over North America and in Seoul, the project once completed will open in a gallery in Chelsea, New York. More details to come.
2. Completed chapbook that I’ve recently revised and retitled but which, in its previous incarnation, was a 2008 semifinalist for the Tupelo Snowbound Chapbook Contest. Congratulations to Stacey Waite (a fellow Pitt alum) for winning the contest!
3. Research trip as part of Nodutdol’s Korea Exposure & Education Program (KEEP). I’m blessed by the KEEP 2008 Planning Team’s generosities, especially for their preparation of the hakseup. This research trip will facilitate further develop of a collection of creative nonfiction essays that I’m presently writing.
Author Interview in Galatea Resurrects
I’m grateful to Thomas Fink for interviewing me in Galatea Resurrects #10 (a poetic engagement) about Paper Pavilion and to Eileen Tabios for editing such a wonderful online critical experience!
Poems in The Korea Daily/Joong Ang Ilbo
My gratitude to Sukie Park, journalist, at The Korea Daily/Joong Ang Ilbo for translating a poem into Korean from Paper Pavilion and for our author interview, which were both published in the July 2, 2008 issue! Thanks!!
Nodutdol Reading at AAWW
Many thanks to Ken Chen, director of the Asian American Writers Workshop, for hosting and Nodutdol for sponsoring a reading of memoir and poetry with Lee Herrick (author of This Many Miles from Desire), Kim Sunee (author of Trail of Crumbs), and me on July 1, 2008 in New York City! Since I will be moving soon to the Twin Cities, I’m going to miss origami cranes, Woorijip next door, and all the wonderful folks at AAWW and Nodutdol! (Left to right: Lee Herrick, Kim Sunee, me, and Sukjong Hong who is the 2008 KEEP coordinator.)