Korean Quarterly

Theater Mu to broadcast play Today is My Birthday online
2021-02-06 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Theater Mu will produce the play Today Is My Birthday by Soon He Stanton February 6 through 21 in a live broadcast format.
Today Is My Birthday is about loneliness in the age of connection captured in a story about an would-be writer in Hawaii who stumbles into a gig as an actor on a shock-jock radio dating show. With a mixture of phone calls, voice mails, and radio spots, the play describes the predicament of a person with 1,000 friends on Facebook, but no one to have dinner with.
Mu is offering pay-as-you-are pricing for its 2020-21 season. The standard ticket price is $35. Audience members can pay less if they need to – as little as $5 per ticket.
The preview show will be 7 p.m. (CST) Friday, February 5. Opening night is 7 p.m. Saturday, February 6, and the remaining shows will be broadcast 2 p.m. on two Sundays, February 7 and 14; and 7 p.m. daily Wednesday, February 10 through Saturday, February 13.
Susan Soon He Stanton is a playwright, screenwriter, and TV writer from Aiea, Hawaii. Lily Tung Crystal is an actor, director, and artistic director of Theater Mu.

Theater Mu to broadcast Today is My Birthday online
2021-02-07 14:00 - 15:30

Theater Mu to live-stream play Today is My Birthday
2021-02-10 19:00 - 20:30, 2021-02-11 19:00 - 20:30, 2021-02-13 19:00 - 20:30

Theater Mu to live-stream the play Today is My Birthday
2021-02-12 19:00 - 20:30

Theater Mu to live broadcast play Today is My Birthday
2021-02-14 14:00 - 15:30

CAAL sponsors free webinar on Legislative Priorities for AAPI community
2021-02-17 16:00 - 17:00
A free webinar will be held on legislative priorities by the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL) on policy and legislative topics of interest to Asian Minnesotans.
The webinar will be held Wednesday, February 17, 4 to 5 p.m., to discuss the most important legislative actions that will expand opportunities for Black, indigenous, Asian and Latinex communities in Minnesota.
CAAL staff and partners will speak at the webinar to provide a high-level overview of the organization’s legislative priorities, take questions and gather comments from participants.
The Coalition for Asian American Leaders is a network of Asian American community leaders in Minnesota engaged in providing events and activities to advance the legislative and policy agenda for Asian Minnesotans. To register, see the CAAL website (www.caalmn.org) and scroll down on the front page of the website to the events, to see description and registration information, or use CAAL’s Events page link below.

CAAL to hold free webinar on resources for immigrants
2021-02-25 15:30 - 16:15
A free webinar will be held February 25 to premiere a new web tool for immigrant community resources. The session is sponsored by the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL).
The Immigration Community Resource Map is a visual mapping tool to help find community resources that provide critical services to the immigrant and refugee communities.
The new digital map identifies locations that provide immigration legal, educational, and advocacy services in Minnesota. Last year, CAAL released a report about the experiences of Asian immigrants in Minnesota, and concluded there was a need for a directory of service providers that work with immigrant and refugee communities. CAAL partnered with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota to develop this interactive map for Asian Minnesotan communities. At the event, CAAL leaders will give an overview of the project and provide participants a tutorial of the mapping tool.
CAAL is a network of Asian American community leaders in Minnesota engaged in providing events and activities to advance the legislative and policy agenda, and advance culturally-appropriate services for Asian Minnesotans. To register, see the CAAL website (www.caalmn.org) and scroll down on the front page of the website to the events, and click on the event to reach the registration page, or use the CAAL events page link below.

Virtual session to feature artist Eun Kyung Suh on her recent textile exhibit Shelter
2021-02-26 13:00 - 14:30
Minnesota textile artist Eun-Kyung Suh will discuss her current exhibit Shelter with Liz Miller. The two are co-recipient of a McKnight Fiber Artist grant of works now exhibited at the Textile Center in Minneapolis. The virtual discussion will be held Friday, February 26, 1 to 2:30 p.m. (CST), facilitated by curator/scholar Glenn Adamson.
In Shelter, geometric vessel-like forms are spread across walls and over fences and barriers. As part of the project, Suh collected discarded fabric from garage, estate and moving sales in rural Minnesota. The fragments are imbedded in the vessels which are positioned in a map-like trail. The exhibit describes our persistence to find and establish shelter.
In Liz Miller’s Falling Loss, the artist suspends multi-layered, loosely-draped silk panels containing laser-cut shapes, suggestive of aerial photos. There are fallen silk cutouts in a pile, are the backdrop of waxing and waning projections of names from obituaries. The exhibit evokes the unprecedented loss of loved ones that happened in 2020.
Facilitator Glenn Adamson is a renowned curator, critic, college professor and the author of numerous books on craft and critical thinking, including Fewer Better Things: The Hidden Wisdom of Objects (2018). The conversation will present their work in fiber and textiles within the context of contemporary art.
Shelter and Falling Loss are on exhibit at the Textile Center, Minneapolis January 12 through Saturday, March 13.
To register for the free Zoom session, see the link below.
The Textile Center is located on 3000 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis. For info on its exhibit hours and other offerings: info@textilecentermn.org

10-week virtual Korean drumming class, Pungmul Gajok, registration deadline
2021-03-07
March 7 is the registration deadline for a new program offering by JangMi Arts, a Korean traditional performing arts school in Minnesota and Wisconsin, in cooperation with Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago (KPAC). It will be a 10-week virtual course in Korean drumming called Pungmul Gajok (Drumming Family).
The program, to run weekly on Saturdays from March 13 through May 22, will connect Korean adoptee students with culturally Korean music and percussion instructors. Adult adoptees and their families, Korean adoptee children with their siblings, friends, neighbors and community members are invited to experience Korean culture through its arts. Registration deadline is March 7. For schedule, calendar, fee information and registration see the website: www.jangmiarts.com

Feminist Case for Ending the Korean War virtual event
2021-03-18 19:00 - 20:00
A virtual event The Feminist Case for Ending the Korean War will be held March 18 at 7 p.m. CST, to rally support for peacemakers’ efforts to push the Biden administration to take a peace-first approach to progress on diplomatic goals with North Korea. Goals include denuclearization and progress on human rights reforms.
Speakers will include the authors of the recent report Path to Peace: The Case for a Peace Agreement to End the Korean War by the transnational feminist campaign Korea Peace Now. The report describes how feminist leadership is crucial for the peace process to be successful and sustainable.

Virtual live reading of A Comedy of Errors
2021-03-18 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-03-19 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-03-20 19:00 - 20:00
Shakespeare’s play A Comedy of Errors will get a live reading in three sessions in March by Twin Cities actors, including Sun Mee Chomet, in a production by Ten Thousand Things theater.
The readings will be held March 18, 19, and 20 at 7 p.m. each evening. In addition to Minnesotan Korean American actor Sun Mee Chomet, other readers include Sarah Agnew, Jasmine Bracey, Crisina Florencia Castro, Mo Perry, and Sally Wingert. The production is directed by Risa Brainin, with music and sound by Peter Vitale.
This comedy explores the richness of finding love in unexpected places and the challenges of immigrating to new lands. Filled with zany confusion, the play asks questions relevant for today: How do any of us really know who we are—or what day it is, for that matter?
Ten Thousand Things is a theater company that brings the talents of people of all backgrounds and life experiences to the stage. This production is free, but reservations are required at the link below.

140 Lbs - How Beauty Killed My Mother to be broadcast online by Theater Mu
2021-03-26
140 Lbs -How Beauty Killed My Mother by Susan Lieu will be staged in an online live broadcast by Theater Mu on March 26. The play describes intergenerational trauma, ; parent-child relationships; body insecurity and shame; repression and healing from personal loss; lack of accountability in the medical system; Vietnamese folkloric practice of spirit channeling.
The solo theater work, performed by the playwright, describes how Susan’s mother dies during a medical procedure, and how 19 years later on her wedding day, Susan’s mother’s seat sits empty and Susan realizes she can no longer ignore her longing to know who her mother reallyw was. Sifting through thousands of deposition pages and reaching out to the killer’s family, Susan uncovers the painful truth of her mother, herself, and the impossible ideal of Vietnamese feminine beauty.
Note: Theater Mu is offering “pay as you are” pricing to make community stories as accessible as possible. $35 is ticket value; if an audience member needs to pay less, they may do so by choosing as little as $5/ticket. See the website for information about tickets.

National Vigil for the Victims of the Atlanta Shooting
2021-03-26 18:30 - 19:30
A national vigil to remember the victims of the Atlanta shooting will be held Friday, March 26, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. CST (7:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET). The event #StopAsianHate National Day of Action and Healing, will be held at the Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta, and livestreamed. To RSVP for this event, go to www.326vigil.org.
The physical location of the vigil is the KA Association of Greater Atlanta, 5900 Brook Hollow Parkway, Norcross, GA 30071

Author talk on second edition of anthology of adoptee stories
2021-03-27 20:00 - 21:00
Two Minnesota editors of an anthology of adoptee stories will read and discuss their adoption journey stories in a virtual event sponsored by the Minnesota service and educational organization Adoptee Hub.
Author/activists Jane Trenka and Sun Yung Shin will read excerpts from this second edition of essays, fiction, poetry and art from the perspective of transracial adoptees. Following the reading, the two will take questions from the Zoom audience.
The event will be held Saturday, March 27 at 8 p.m. CST. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required (see link below) There will be a book giveaway to a limited number of attendees.

Minnesota's Stop Asian Hate Commemoration Rally at State Capitol
2021-03-28 17:00 - 20:00
A rally to speak out against hate crimes targeting Asian Americans will be held Sunday, March 28 at 5 to 8 p.m. at the Minnesota State Capitol.

The event is for Asian Americans and allies to remember the victims of the Atlanta shooting and to demonstrate solidarity and support for one another with performances, speeches, pledges and a candlelight vigil.

Wax candles are not permitted at rallies. Instead, the organizers have suggested bringing an LED candle or using a smart phone candle app. Organizers will also provide some LED lights. Organizers have also suggested bringing signs. An arts-and-crafts table will also be provided to make signs there. There will be escorts for participants back to their cars, if needed.

The rally is co-sponsored by 27 Asian American community, arts and religious organizations in Minnesota, with funding from the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, and Asian Plaza.

OurHistory discussion group to hold monthly Zoom meeting
2021-04-11 15:00 - 16:00
Adoptee Bridge will hold its monthly OurHistory discussion group that meets via Zoom on Sunday, April 11, 3 p.m. CST. The group discusses not only history, but current events of interest to Korean Americans; the group has become particularly important in light of recent events around the March 16 mass murder of eight Asian Americans in Atlanta, Georgia.
The purpose of the discussion group is to allow transracial adoptees to meet in a safe space to explore matters of interest to them. This group is not therapy, rather it is a peer-led discussion group.
AdopteeBridge is able to refer transracial adoptees to appropriate counselors upon request. The group is free, but requires pre-registration. Please see the link for more information.

ROAR Story Slam to feature six Korean American stories
2021-04-30 18:00 - 19:30
The organization KoreanAmericanStory will hold its annual story slam in a virtual format on Friday, April 30, 6 to 7:30 p.m. CST (7 to 8:30 p.m. EST) on the organization’s website.
KoreanAmericanStory.org’s Story Slam is an annual competition where six contestants showcase their oral storytelling about their Korean American experience in front of a live audience for a chance to win a cash prize of up to $1,000. All finalists also receive free virtual storytelling coaching, free LG Tone free earbuds, and a free circle light for their virtual performance.
The past two story slams have been live; this year’s is completely virtual, and speakers will be asked to use the theme “My Taboo.” All stories are true life experiences, as the storytellers remember them.
KoreanAmericanStory is an organization that collects and preserves stories of Korean Americans in written, audio-only (podcast) and video archive formats.
Submissions of stories are now closed. Further information for the live event can be found at: https://koreanamericanstory.org/roar-story-slam/ for more information.

"What We Hunger For" virtual book launch
2021-05-04 19:00 - 20:00
A virtual book launch will be held Tuesday, May 4, 7 p.m. CST for a new collection What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories about Food and Family, edited by Minnesota poet and author Sun Yung Shin.
Through 14 contributors, this book relates, in individual stories, how newcomers to Minnesota bring their own culinary traditions and may re-create food memories at home, introduce new friends and neighbors to their favorite dishes, and explore comforting flavors and experiences of hospitality at local restaurants, community gatherings, and spiritual ceremonies.
It also explores the broader context of how food can unify, heal, and bring people together across generations and cultures. It is published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Shin is a multi-award winning poet and author of the bestselling anthology A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota. Her most recent poetry collection is The Wet Hex (April 2022).
The launch will be streamed on the Via the Minnesota Historical Society Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and also archived as a recording on both platforms.

Adoptee Hub holds workshop on letter writing
2021-05-08 13:00 - 14:00
Adoptee Hub will hold a virtual writing workshop led by adoptee and author Mei Hwang, who wrote 100,000 Cranes for My Mother, Saturday, May 8, at 1 p.m. (CST). The workshop will be a letter-writing exercise for transracial adoptees, or any adoptees, who will address the letter to their birthmothers. Hwang will address the range of emotions, from grief to relief, that participants feel while engaging in this exercise in a safe and supportive environment. Due to the sensitivity of the subject matter, this workshop is open to adoptees only.
Hwang is a professional educator and counselor who conducts workshops in expressive arts, healthcare and education, and educates organizations in cultural competency and diversity development. She also conducts individual, group, and family private coaching.
The workshop will be online via Zoom. A link will be sent out to registrants in advance of the event. Register at the link below.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Film Festival opens May 13 in hybrid format
2021-05-13
The MSP Film Society presents the 40th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival May 13-23, sponsored by the MSP Film Society. The MSPIFF is one of the largest and longest-running film festivals in the U.S. The festival will showcase more than 150 films representing more than 100 cultures. This year, MSPIFF40 will be a hybrid festival, with films and panels screening online, plus special in-person outdoor screenings in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
For more information and tickets, visit the website: MSPfilm.org

Adoptee Bridge to hold Twin Cities retreat for adult transracial adoptees
2021-05-14 - 2021-05-16
Adoptee Bridge, a Twin Cities area social and outreach organization serving transracial adoptees, will hold a retreat for adult (age 21-plus) transracial adoptees, to be held Friday, May 14 through Sunday, May 16, in Shoreview (MN).
The OurHistory Retreat, named for the Adoptee Bridge’s monthly Zoom peer-led discussion group, will be focused on the theme of Healing Connections. Guest speakers will be writer/activist Shannon Gibney, music therapist Hillary Fredenburg, and Lindsey from Embody Yoga.
Cost is $100 for the full schedule plus meals and hotel. The retreat will be held at the Best Western Plus-St. Paul North, located in Shoreview. See link for further information on costs, times, topics and schedule.

Conversation about immigration, food, and "What We Hunger For"
2021-05-20 19:00 - 20:00
A free virtual conversation event about food and immigration will be held Thursday, May 20 as part of a series of conversations with writers across genres, discussing the experience of migration, leaving one’s home, and building a new one.
The event, Perspectives: Writers on Migration – What We Hunger For is hosted by the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, and will feature Sun Yung Shin, editor of the new anthology What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories About Food and Family, with two of the anthology contributors Roy G. Guzmán and Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay. The panel will discuss the complexities, humor and joy related to relationships to food, cooking, and eating.
Sun Yung Shin is a poet/author and racial justice activist. She is also the editor of the anthology A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota.
The event is free, but registration is required by Wednesday, May 19. Zoom Meeting Link will be sent after registration.

International Korean Adoptee Association hosts virtual age-breakout groups
2021-05-28
On Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6, a free series of virtual age-breakout sessions will be held to facilitate discussion among a global group of intercountry adoptees. The event is co-hosted by the coalition group International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA) and Also-Known-As (AKA), a U.S.-based founding member of the IKAA network.
During previous (in-person) annual IKAA adoptee gatherings, one of the most meaningful events has been the Age Breakout Sessions, which allow adoptees from around the world to connect and share their experiences. The pandemic has provided an opportunity to host these sessions virtually.
This event is open to all intercountry adult adoptees. Registration closes Friday, May 28.
The event honors the growing community of intercountry adoptees seeking connection with other adoptees. It is also in recognition of the 25hth anniversary of Also-Known-As. The anniversary, themed “Celebrating the Global Adoptee Community” is an acknowledgement that the Also-Known-As community is also global, although it is based in New York.
While the majority of adoptees in the IKAA network are of Korean origin, international adoptees share similar experiences, milestones and challenges . The event will provide an opportunity for adoptees to share common experiences with other adoptees in their age group.

Virtual Korean History and Culture workshop to be held
2021-06-28 15:00 - 2021-06-30 18:00
The Sejong Cultural Society will hold a virtual Korean History and Culture Workshop, from Monday to Wednesday, June 28, 29, and 30, 3 to 6 p.m. CST.
Lectures include Korean history, democratization, the economic development of South Korea, Korean American immigration and community development history, including the LA Riots of 1992 and aftermath. It will also include a review of Korean traditional music and arts.
A detailed program schedule is available on the Sejong Cultural Society website. The Sejong Cultural Society, located in Chicago, offers annual music, essay writing, and traditional poetry writing contests. It also offers classes to enhance teachers’ ability to teach about Korean arts and history in the U.S.
The Korean history and culture classes are free for K-12 and college-level educators and administrators. For more information about sponsorship for educators, refer to the website (www.sejongculturalsociety.org) or email sejong@sejongculturalsociety.org.

Mina Cheon artist talk
2021-06-30 17:30 - 18:30
Art activist Mina Cheon, who creates visual art around the theme of Korean reunification, will speak in a virtual event sponsored by the Korea Society. The event will be held June 30, 5:30 CST (6:30 EST). Her work includes painting, sculpture, video, installation, and performance to portray the precarious relationship and turbulent history of North and South Korea. Her solo exhibition at The Korea Society showcases her most recent painting series of Unification Flags.
Mina Cheon will discuss her art and career; with a special introduction by Ethan Cohen, director of Ethan Cohen Gallery, New York.

Virtual course on Korean poetry, and comparative Japanese and Chinese poetry offered
2021-07-06 15:00 - 17:00
A poetry writing and teaching course, Virtual Sijo Workshop: Comparing Verses from Korea, China, and Japan, will be offered by the Sejong Cultural Society, on three Tuesdays – July 6, 13 and 20, 3 to 5 p.m. CST.
Participants will learn about the Korean traditional poetry form, the sijo, Korean traditional literature, Chinese jueju, and Japanese haiku. The webinar will additionally discuss how to teach sijo in a school setting and how to edit and improve sijo. Participants will be invited to write their own sijo and discuss lesson plans for sijo.
A stipend of $100 is available for current K-12 teachers in the U.S. upon completion of both the sijo and related Korean history webinars and all related homework assignments. Current educators are also eligible for free reference books upon completion of the courses. Other applicable certifications are available; see website: sejongculturalsociety.org
A detailed program schedule is available on the Sejong Cultural Society website. The Sejong Cultural Society, located in Chicago, offers annual music, essay writing, and traditional poetry writing contests. It also offers classes to enhance teachers’ ability to teach about Korean arts and history in the U.S.
