I’m headed to a new artist residency program out in the forests in Washington state, the Rockland Woods Residency. I sort of can’t believe all the amazing artists I’ll be in community with. I’ll try and feature them each while I’m there. I hope to make some video work about desire and landscape, write some alchemy poems, and make friends. I think it’s going to be good for my soul!
Interview with Artblog Radio about Peace Light
I was honored to share about Peace Light’s history and genesis with Imani Roach from Artblog Radio last week. You can listen here. We talked about where the concept came from, audience, collaboration, and what it means to be alive and an artist in the world.
PEACE LIGHT from May 3-June 3 in Philadelphia
I’m crazy excited to share that my new work, PEACE LIGHT, will be featured in Philadelphia from May 3-June 3 as part of Asian Arts Initiative’s 25th Anniversary exhibition series, (ex)CHANGE.
Motivated by urgent issues of Korea’s well-being and a desire to bridge what happens on the Korean Peninsula and our lives here, PEACE LIGHT features an installation of paper lanterns designed by Kai-wei Hsu covered in my writing. A large weather balloon will float overhead, against which I’ll project a video piece dedicated to crossing impossible spaces, connection, and peace. In collaboration with Philadelphia-based choreographer and dancer Jungwoong Kim, the installation will be incorporated into a site-specific performance piece.
For opening weekend, we’ll be hosting two live performances on Thursday May 3rd at 7pm and Sunday May 6th at noon, both located at 448 N. 10th Street on the second floor. Performances are wheelchair accessible, and free and open to the public.
The lantern texts feature my own writing with excerpts from Leo Hwang, Erinrose Mager, Asialee Drews, Chiwan Choi, Janice Lee, Sun Yung Shin, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, Bekhyon Yim, and Lee Herrick. These fellow Korean writers and friends responded thoughtfully to a survey I had sent them asking about longing, crossings, and peace. Their friendship and support fills my heart with a perfect kinship light.
I’m grateful to Asian Arts Initiative for this amazing opportunity, and to the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage (PCAH) for financing this series. My life has been utterly changed by PCAH’s immense support over the years. I’m immeasurably thankful!
Asian Arts Initiative’s 25th Anniversary Celebration!
Wonderful news! I was commissioned by the Asian Arts Initiative for an installation piece as part of their 25th Anniversary exhibition series, (ex)CHANGE: History Place Presence. I am honored to get to work with builder and designer Kai Wei Hsu and dance artist JungWoong Kim in realizing this installation, and can’t wait to have it go live in May!
I”ll be in Philadelphia the last week of March finalizing some of the material aspects of the installation, making video work, and capturing sound for a sound score.
The Asian Arts Initiative has been a very special place to me. I’ll never forget that Gayle Isa, the Executive Director, fostered my interest in performance–even inviting me to participate in a performance arts exchange and series many years ago. AAI is a rare place. It’ll good to be back home with them!
Post 4: Absent Light, Resilience
My final post is now live at the Poetry Foundation. It was an incredible pleasure to get to do this small series. When have I ever been asked to write at length, luxuriously, about something I adore? And to have an audience for it? It was a privilege, truly. I’m immensely grateful to Michael Slosek, who shepherded my posts.
Post 3: Imaginations of Light
My third post for Harriet the Blog is live at the Poetry Foundation!
Post 2 at Poetry Foundation: Light is a Complex Medium
My second post at the Poetry Foundation for Harriet the Blog is live today. Titled, “Light is a Complex Medium,” I write about Michele Kishita, James Turrell, Josef Albers, Claude Monet, and the emotional resonances of light and color.
A Poetics of Light: Post 1 is Live
Hi All! My very first post as the featured blogger is up at the Poetry Foundation today. I write a little about what light means to me, my practice, and sketch out what I hope to discuss through this series. Please take a peek if you can. 🙂
I blog for the Poetry Foundation this December
I’m super excited to share that I’m the featured blogger at the Poetry Foundation’s blog, Harriet, for the month of December. I’ll be writing about a Poetics of Light, some visual artists, philosophers, and writers that I adore, as well as various landscapes. Yay!
The Poetry Foundation has been incredibly generous and reached out to me several times this year for various opportunities and partnerships. I’m stunned and gratified by their support! When I first started writing seriously almost 20 years ago, I never imagined I’d garner any kind of critical attention or broader audience. It was just something I had to do out of necessity–explore the world and express myself in this way. I feel honored to get to cap this tumultuous year (and beautiful!!) year writing about my most favorite things. I hope you check it out and that some of what I share sparks your thoughts, too!
Li-Young Lee can carry me home
So I have to fangirl out a bit. I MET LI-YOUNG LEE TONIGHT and he is every bit as magical as I suspected. He gave the most intense reading and I had to follow him. I could barely even. This man’s poems were the green light to me that I could also be a poet. The intensity of his lyric expression told me that I didn’t have to perform a certain script for pain or survival. And after I shared my work, he told me it was beautiful. I hope I get to see him again. I gave him a copy of my new book, because it was LI-YOUNG LEE.
silentbroadcast 