Category: Arts & Culture

The Magical Language of Others is a powerful and aching memoir, a tale of deep bonds to family, place, and language.

After living in America for over a decade, Eun Ji Koh’s parents return to South Korea for work, leaving fifteen-year-old Eun Ji and her brother behind in California. Overnight, Eun Ji finds herself abandoned and adrift in a world made strange by her mother’s absence. Her mother writes letters, in Korean, over the years seeking forgiveness and love―letters Eun Ji cannot fully understand until she finds them years later hidden in a box.

In this incandescent memoir, E. J. Koh fearlessly grapples with forgiveness, reconciliation, legacy, and intergenerational trauma. Join us for an in-depth conversation with E. J. Koh about her memoir, poetry, and translation.

“Koh’s book is a tremendous gift. We’re so fortunate to have this literary reckoning from a tremendously talented writer. The Magical Language of Others is a wonder.”
—The San Francisco Chronicle

“A haunting, gorgeous narrative…lushly told. Brilliant.”
—The Star Tribune

 

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

To order The Magical Language of Others, please visit:
 https://tinhouse.com/book/the-magical-language-of-others/

 

The Magical Language of Others with E.J. Koh

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 | 6 PM (EST)

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

E. J. Koh is the author of the memoir The Magical Language of Others and the poetry collection A Lesser Love. She is the winner of the Pleiades Press Editors Prize, and her poems, translations, and stories have appeared in Boston Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, and World Literature Today, among others. She earned her MFA in Literary Translation and Creative Writing from Columbia University, and is completing the PhD program at the University of Washington in Seattle. She is a recipient of The MacDowell Colony and Kundiman fellowships.

 

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One Left is a provocative, extensively researched novel constructed from the testimonies of dozens of “comfort women.” Kim Soom tells the story of a woman who was kidnapped at the age of thirteen while gathering snails for her starving family. The horrors of her life as a sex slave follow her back to Korea, where she lives in isolation gripped by the fear that her past will be discovered. Yet, when she learns that the last known comfort woman is dying, she decides to tell her there will still be “one left” after her passing, and embarks on a painful journey.

The first Korean novel devoted to the subject of comfort women, One Left rekindled conversations about the violent legacies of Japanese colonialism when it was published in Korea in 2016. It is also the first novel of Kim to be translated into English.

In this episode of video series Author Talks, Kim Soom discusses her career and award-winning novels.

“[An] exceptional novel [that] captures the agonizing legacy of a dark chapter from the recent past.”―Booklist

“It may seem cliché to state that a novel is necessary. But this one really is.”―Asian Review of Books

 

To order One Left, please visit:
 https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295747668/one-left/

 

Author Talks: Kim Soom

Premieres: Thursday, January 7, 2021

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

About the Author:

Kim Soom has published thirteen novels and six short story collections. She has received the Yi Sang Literary Award, Hyundae Literary Award, Daesan Literary Award, Heo Gyun Literary Award, and the Tong-In Literature Prize. One Left is her first novel translated into English.

 

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In K-pop Confidential, the YA novel from journalist Stephan Lee, a Korean-American girl plunges into the complex world of an idol factory and K-pop trainees in South Korea while staying true to herself in the process.

Join us for a lively conversation with Stephan Lee about his debut novel and everything K-pop, including its ever-increasing popularity in the U.S., the challenges the K-pop trainees face, and the issues Korean Americans grapple with as they find their own heritage.

 

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

To order K-pop Confidential, visit
 https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/books/k-pop-confidential-9781338639933.html

K-Pop Confidential Excerpt

 

K-pop Confidential with Stephan Lee

Thursday, December 10, 2020 | 6 PM (EST)

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Stephan Lee is a YA enthusiast, ardent K-pop fan, and journalist. He currently works as Senior Editor at Bustle after a five-year stretch covering books and movies at Entertainment Weekly. At EW, he traveled to Seoul for three weeks to write a feature about Korean entertainment’s world domination, interviewing K-pop idols Ailee, Tablo, and Tiffany Young of Girls Generation. He earned an MFA in Creative Writing at The New School.

 

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When David Yoon’s debut novel Frankly In Love hit shelves last year, it was an instant New York Times bestseller and a William C. Morris Award finalist. With his sophomore novel Super Fake Love Song, David Yoon offers another contemporary YA must-read where a case of mistaken identity kicks off a string of (fake) events that just may lead to (real) love.

Join us for an in-depth conversation with David Yoon as he discusses his career and highly-anticipated second novel.

“Yoon captures the humor, the heart, and the universal anxieties—and possibilities—of trying on new identities in high school . . . A clever, hilarious, and empathetic look at diverse teens exploring authenticity, identities, and code-switching.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Yoon’s fresh and nuanced approach to Frank’s struggle to navigate cultural tensions amplifies both the vulnerabilities and the strengths that can come with being a child of immigrants. As Frank learns to balance his parents’ desires with his own, Yoon underscores the value of honoring both who you are and where you come from.” – TIME

 

Sign up here to receive the viewing link

 

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

To pre-order signed copies of Super Fake Love Song, please visit:
 http://www.thelitbar.com/superfakelovesong

 

A Conversation with David Yoon

Wednesday, November 18, 2020 | 6 PM EST

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

David Yoon grew up in Orange County, California, and now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, novelist Nicola Yoon, and their daughter. He drew the illustrations for Nicola’s #1 New York Times bestseller Everything, Everything. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Frankly in Love, which was a William C. Morris Award finalist and an Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature Honor book.

 

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