Musings
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Who Has a Right to AANHPI Heritage Month?
This article was originally posted on May 30th, 2024 at Joy Sauce. Read the original article here. Every May, I am forced to consider who has the right to cultural heritage. Narratives of what it looks like to grow up Asian—passed-down food traditions, celebrating immigrant parents—permeate the celebrations of AANHPI Heritage Month. But that’s not…
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Building Traditions as an Adoptee
A love letter to new traditions and “inauthentic” cuisine. Living abroad during the holiday season is a true test of homesickness. I’ve spent many Thanksgivings and Christmases away from home, video calling late in the evening to tune into my family’s Thanksgiving festivities. The first time I was abroad for the holidays, I had to…
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The Politics of Children: Adoptee Thoughts on Palestine
This year’s Proclamation of National Adoption Month begins, “Children are the kite strings that hold our Nation’s ambitions aloft, and every one of them deserves to grow up in a safe and loving home.” That was this year’s trite introduction—likely written by a Biden staffer—to the laundry list of legislation the Biden Administration has enacted…
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Not A “Messy Woman,” We’re Just Trying Our Best: Memoirs by Women
This summer was for memoirs by the likes of Dolly Alderton, Baek Sehee, and Jennette McCurdy. What can we learn from other women’s vulnerability, and how can our relationships with women change us? Back in May, I surprised my life partner, Camila, with a visit to Chicago. My other partner, Ike, picked me up from…
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Your Metamorphosis by Kim Ewhan (너의 변신, 김이환)
Your Metamorphosis is an extraordinary short story that challenges the boundaries of the bodily. Through his gripping science fiction, author Kim Ewhan places us teetering on the edge of medical speculation, pushing us to consider the corporeal consequences of human identity. When presented with the opportunity to surgically achieve the perfect body, how far can…
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The Best Books I Read in 2022
2022 felt like three separate eras packed into one year. Season one started off modestly–I was still crashing with my parents in my hometown as I waited patiently for my big move (which I didn’t know would only be the first of the year). My first destination was Chicago, where I moved in with my…
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Reflections on 2022
Happy New Year! Every year on January 1st, I receive a letter from my past self. Per the recommendation of Safi, I use a service called FutureMe that sends emails to your inbox in the future. This year’s letter naturally came from January 2022 Me—a version of me still waiting to hear back from job…
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What is Literature?
Half of my grad school experience, so far, has been about asking better questions. In seminar, we tackled this huge question—what is literature? Maybe if I were to ask you this question verbatim, you would answer something like “literature is a story with a beginning, middle, or end,” or maybe you would start telling me…
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On Being a City Person
City living isn’t always as vapid as we make it out to be Tourists. We all gripe about them until it’s our turn to admit that we would actually appreciate a photo of ourselves in front of an attraction. Taking a photo in front of the Statue of Liberty or Big Ben differentiates the experience…
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The Best Books I Read in 2021
2021 was a year of transition—I moved back to America after almost three years living in Korea, I threw myself into language study, and I tried to avoid feeling stagnant as I moved back in with my parents and worked from home. I can remember most of my year from what books I was reading…
Got any book recommendations?
Only Naengmyeon 