Theater Mu invites applicants for Community Monologues
2022-03-31 | MN
A class for youth of color (age 18 and older) will be held March 31 through May 1, Monday and Thursday evenings. Playwright and Theater Mu actor Eric Sharp will instruct.
Participants will memorize and rehearse a single two- to four-minute monologue, with additional material if time allows. The class will be held via Zoom and will culminate in a semi-public Zoom showcase. Acting experience is preferred, and participants are expected to work on their monologues outside of class. Enrollment is limited to 10 students, and contingent on instructor approval. For application instructions, see the website: www.theatermu.org/mti.

First Adoptee Literary Festival to be offered virtually
2022-04-09 08:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
The first Adoptee Literary Festival will be held virtually on Saturday, April 9, 8 a.m. through 10 p.m. (CDT). The purpose of the festival is to highlight writing by adoptees from the perspective of their own experience.
It will feature numerous Korean adoptee writers such as Nicole Chung, author of the memoir All You Could Ever Know, Matthew Salesses, novelist and author of Disappear Doppelganger Disappear. It will also feature poet Lee Herrick, creative writing professor and author of several poetry collections including Scar and Flower (2018), and journalist/activist Stephanie Drenka, both Korean adoptees. The festival will feature the work of many writers who identify as adopted and include panels on novels, memoirs, journalism and literature for young adults.
The sponsorship of PEN America is making it possible for the festival to be free and open to the public. Registration is and more information is at: adopteelitfest.com

We Are Meant to Rise essayists virtual panel
2022-04-14 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Chicago) | MN
Minnesota writers of the essay and poetry collection We Are Meant to Rise will speak in a virtual panel Thursday, April 14, noon to 1:30.
We Are Meant to Rise tells the story, from the point of view of Minnesotan writers of color, of the racial reckoning that began in Minnesota with the murder of African American George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer. Panelists will be co-editor and contributor David Mura, with contributors Pamela Fletcher-Bush, Shannon Gibney, Ricardo Levins Morales, Melissa Olson, and Diane Wilson.
This event is sponsored by the School of Liberal Arts and Cultures at Minneapolis College. For more information visit: https://calendar.minneapolis.edu/event/we-are-meant-to-rise-reading-and-panel-discussion/. For registration see the link below.

@UndocuGW/NAKASEC hold immigration reform virtual forum
2022-04-19 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
The National Korean American Service and Educational Consortium (NAKASEC) and the advocacy group @UndocuGW will hold a virtual conversation on immigration status, migration, and organizing within Asian American communities. Both groups have been lobbying on immigration reform issues.
This free event will take place on Zoom (link below) at 5 p.m. CDT (6 p.m. EDT). Registration is required.

API Day at the Minnesota Capitol set
2022-04-22 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
Democracy in the Time of COVID is the theme of a free virtual rally event for API Day at the Capitol, to be held April 20,
The virtual rally will include state government leaders and community leaders. Details such as times for various events, speakers and registration will be announced on the Council’s Facebook page at the attached calendar link.

We Are Meant to Rise writers discuss their book at in-person event
2022-04-24 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Chicago) | MN
Minnesota writers of the essay and poetry collection We Are Meant to Rise will speak in an in-person panel Sunday, April 24, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Common Ground Meditation Center, located at 2700 E. 26th St., Minneapolis. Panelists will include Minnesota Korean American poet and writer Sun Yung Shin, with co-contributors Arleta M. Little, Shannon Gibney, Ricardo Levins Morales and Mona Susan Power.
We Are Meant to Rise tells the story, from the point of view of Minnesotan writers of color, of the racial reckoning that began in Minnesota with the murder of African American George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer. For more information on this event, see the below link.

North by North Film Festival to be held in Duluth
2022-04-27 | MN
Asian American films and films about Midwestern people and topics are some of the selection of offerings for the 2022 North by North International Film Festival, to be held April 27 through May 1, in Duluth.
Badges for $75 are on sale through the month of April for the festival on its website (see link). Badges include unlimited access to screenings, mixers, and panels during the festival. Films will be screened at Zeitgeist Arts, 222 E. Superior St., Duluth.
Festival categories (with sponsoring organizations) include: Indigenous Filmmakers (American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO)), Black Fimmakers (Duluth Branch NAACP) Asian Filmmakers (Twin Ports Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Collective (TPAC)). Other categories include: narrative shorts and features; documentary shorts and features; local shorts and features; Midwest shorts and features; horror shorts and features; animation, music videos, and family films. Film listings, synopses, dates and times are listed on the website.

Poets to speak on poetry's role in social movements
2022-04-30 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
Minnesota poets who contributed to the essay and poetry collection We Are Meant to Rise will speak in a virtual panel Saturday, April 30, noon to 3 p.m.(CDT).
Entitled We Are Meant to Rise: The Poetry of Social Movements, the poets will be asked to discuss how poetry contributes to how social movements form, mature, and are understood in history. Panelists will include co-contributors Sun Yung Shin, Douglas Kearney, Arleta Little, Michael Torres, Kevin Yang. The discussion will be led by moderator Danez Smith.
We Are Meant to Rise tells the story, from the point of view of Minnesotan writers of color, of the racial reckoning that began in Minnesota with the murder of African American George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer.
The virtual reading and roundtable discussion will close out Poetry Month, and is sponsored by TruArtSpeaks, an arts and culture organization in St. Paul with a focus on youth and young adult artists. For information on how to register, see the TrueArtSpeaks website at the link below.

Minnesotan Korean adoptee artist Megan Rye to speak
2022-05-02 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | MN
A virtual event, My Referral Photo: Whole Life in Korea, will be held Monday, May 2, 7 p.m. CDT, with Minnesota Korean adoptee artist Megan Rye, whose exhibition of 100 portrait paintings depicting children’s adoption referral photos is at currently at the Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis.
The event is part of an ongoing series called Let’s Meet at SEOUL, an outreach to link Korean adoptees in the community by Korean Adoptee Ministries.
Rye will describe this first adoption-related project she has done as an artist and the life experiences that inspired it. Growing up in Minnesota, Rye started art lessons as a child, went to Rhode Island School of Design as an undergraduate and returned to Minnesota and received a Master’s of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota.

Participants are to invited to bring their own referral photo and to share their own adoption stories. The exhibit Foundling: 100 Days will be at the Weisman Art Museum until May 22, 2022

The Zoom meeting is in the below link, and the ID for the meeting is: 885 3956 5487

Children's Day outdoor event in Roseville
2022-05-07 11:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
Children and their families are invited to a Korean Children’s Day event, sponsored by Korean Adoptees’ Ministry Center (KAM Center) to be held Saturday, May 7, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will include snacks, Korean food, games and activities, goody bags, books and prizes. Lee’s Taekwondo students will do a demonstration of Korean martial arts.
The event will be held at Central Park in Roseville at the Foundation Picnic Shelter. (Street address: 2495 Victoria St. N., Roseville, MN 55113).
Children’s Day is a traditional holiday every May in Korea. Advance registration is online at the link: $20 per family; $10 per person. Onsite registration at the event is $30 per family or $10 per person in cash or check only. Email for event information, or to volunteer: ka******@***il.com

Architect Grace Kim to speak at Twin Cities Cohousing Network event
2022-05-11 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
A special live engagement via Zoom with architect Grace Kim, principal of Schemata Workshop in Seattle will be held Wednesday, May 11, 7 p.m. CDT.
Kim specializes in design of cohousing communities and other types of multi-family buildings, which require a human-centric approach. Kim co-founded Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing, a mixed-use project where she lives and where her business is also located.
Kim is a leader in the cohousing movement nationally, and will also be speaking at the Cohousing Association of the U.S. general conference to be held August 26 through 28 in Madison, Wisconsin.
The local event is the first in a series of Meet the Professional speakers to be presented by the Twin Cities Cohousing Network.
The free session is of interest to the general public as well as professionals in the field. The event is limited to 100 registrants.

HANA Center Health Fair offers low cost screenings
2022-05-21 12:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | 5140 North California Avenue, Chicago, IL, 5140 North California Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625, United States
Free health screenings will be available by appointment at the HANA Center’s 43rd Annual Korean American Health Fair, Saturday, May 21, noon to 5 p.m.
The health fair will take place at the Swedish Hospital Galter Medical Pavilion, located at 5140 N. California Ave., Chicago).
The last HANA Center health fair took place in 2019; at that event, 125 people received critical healthcare.
The Health Fair connects community members with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals to provide health screenings and preventative care at low cost, regardless of insurance coverage or immigration status. The Health Fair will offer tests such as mammogram, EKG, urinalysis, pap smear, and others.
Appointments are required. Call the HANA Center at 773-583-5501 to make an appointment. Hospital parking is available free of charge. For more information, contact Rachel Cha at 773-583-5501 or rc**@********er.org.

Author Marie Lee to read at Stillwater event
2022-06-15 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | MN
Novelist Marie Myung-Ok Lee will read from her recently-launched book The Evening Hero at the Zephyr Theater, Stillwater, on Wednesday, June 15.
The event is sponsored by the Stillwater bookstore Valley Bookseller and one of a series of author events called Literature Lovers’ Night Out.
Lee’s novel tells the story of a Minnesota doctor who loses his job when his rural hospital closes, forcing his early retirement and wreaking havoc on his patients’ lives. Finding his way again after a consuming medical career in which he found purpose involves making peace with his traumatic past as a survivor of a childhood lived during wartime.
In addition to Lee, three other authors will read: Dana Bahr (The Houseboat); Joshua Moehling (And There He Kept Her); and Kathleen West (Home or Away).
The event starts at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30) and runs until 8:30. A $15 admission includes a $5 coupon to use at the event. Zephyr Theater is located at 601 Main Street, Stillwater. The event is limited to 100 and reservations are required (see link).

Campaign kick-off event for Susie Strom, Korean American candidate for Minnesota House
2022-06-23 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Sucker Lake Regional Park, 4500 Rice Street, Vadnais Heights, MN, 55127, United States
Susie Strom, candidate for Minnesota House District 36A, will have an outdoor campaign kick-off event on Thursday, June 23, 5:30 p.m. at Sucker Lake Regional Park, 4500 Rice Street, Vadnais Heights.
Strom, a Korean adoptee from the Twin Cities, is celebrating her Korean heritage with some Korean drumming and dancing performances, and Korean games at this family-friendly event. Asian-inspired food from the “Got Rice” food truck will be available for purchase.
The candidate is running in a district that includes Centerville, Circle Pines, Lino Lakes, North Oaks, and parts of White Bear Township, and has received the endorsement of the Democratic Farmer-Labor (DFL) party.
To donate to the campaign, learn more about Strom’s candidacy, please see the website at: stromformn.com. Tickets for the event are at the link.

Registration open for KAAN conference, June 24-26, Denver
2022-06-24 - 2022-06-26 | MN
Registration is open for the 2022 in-person conference of the Korean American Adoptee Network (KAAN) to be held June 24 to 26, in Denver, Colorado. The deadline for reduced registration is June 1.
KAAN is a conference about all aspects of adoption from Korea, and includes adult adoptees and their families, adoptee children and their siblings and parents, birth parents, adoption professionals and anyone who has been affected by adoption.
The annual conference includes keynote speakers, films, presentations, performances, exhibits, support forums. The conference features programs for youth 8 to 17, and an adult adoptees-only track.
For more information, including conference registration costs, and hotel information, see the website at the link.

LA Benefit concert will support WomenCrossDMZ
2022-08-06 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | MN
The Los Angeles Korean American Musicians’ Association (LAKMA) will hold a benefit concert for WomenCrossDMZ entitled Peace Concert: Unified in Friendship and Harmony, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
The concert, to be held August 6, will feature performances by the LAKMA Symphony Orchestra and Chorale. The evening will also include a sceening of clips from the film documentary Crossings, by Deann Borshay Liem (who also produced/directed Geographies of Kinship and Memories of Forgotten War). Crossings chronicles the 2015 crossing by an international group of women activists from North Korea to South Korea, in an action to bring attention to the need for peace and reconciliation between North and South Korea.
WomenCrossDMZ is an organization that supports a global women’s mobilization for peace on the Korean peninsula, including a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War. More information on Women Cross DMZ is available at: www.womencrossdmz.org.
For more information on the concert contact https://thelakma.org/.

2022 Chicago Drum Festival set
2022-08-13 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | Roosevelt University, 430 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60605, United States
The Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago (KPAC) will hold its 2022 Chicago Drum Festival, a concert featuring diverse world-drumming teams based in the Chicago area.
The concert will feature Ayodele Drum and Dance, Tsukasa Taiko, Chicago Samba, and the KPAC, representing African, Japanese, Brazilian, and Korean traditions, respectively.
Tickets are through Eventbrite and can found at the link.
KPAC is the leading Korean cultural arts group in metropolitan Chicago, reaching an audience of 25,000 annually. Formerly known as Global Pungmul Institute, KPAC provides authentic Korean music education to Chicago area students, hosts guest artists, and provides Korean percussion and traditional music performances for Chicago audiences. The festival will be held at Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University, located at 430 South Michigan Ave., Chicago. More information about KPAC offerings is at: www.soribeat.org.

Theater Mu to hold birthday bash
2022-08-21 13:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | 2325 Endicott Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, 2325 Endicott Street, St. Paul, MN, 55114, United States
Theater Mu, established in 1992, is celebrating its 30-year anniversary with a 1990s-themed birthday bash August 21 at Urban Growler Brewery in St. Paul.
The fundraising event will include family-friendly activities including carnival games, a restaurant raffle, and a food truck. There will be a short program to reflect on past accomplishments, envisioning for the future, and kicking off the 2022-2023 season.
The event will be held Sunday, August 21, 1 to 5 p.m., with an outdoor fun fair and prizes at the Urban Growler Brewing, 2325 Endicott St., St. Paul. Tickets are $60 (or less with Theater Mu’s “pay as you are” pricing policy). Tickets include two drink vouchers, one entrée voucher for the food truck, and a five-game punch card for the fun fair. See the website for more information: https://www.theatermu.org/mus-30th-birthday-bash

Self-Care 101 for Transracial Adoptees to be held at Hana Center, Chicago
2022-10-15 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago) | Hana Center, 4300 North California Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60618, United States
Author and educator Soojin Pate will facilitate an interactive workshop on self-care for transracial adoptees, Self-Care 101, at the Hana Center of Chicago, 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 15.
Registration is free, capacity is limited to 30, and this session is intended for transracial adoptees. It is presented in partnership with Hana Center by the Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KaTCH).
Pate, a consultant dedicated to centering the lives and experiences of historically marginalized peoples, teaches courses on race and ethnic studies in the Twin Cities area.
The workshop will provide a safe space in which transracial and transnational adoptees can discuss how the “isms” racism, sexism, colonialism they encounter in society can affect them as people of color, and how to combat the the harmful messages they receive from society, family, and even from themselves.
Korean Adoptees of Chicago offers regular public events which are promoted on its Facebook page.
Pate was named Educator of the Year and Ally of the Year by Macalester College. She is the author of From Orphan to Adoptee: U.S. Empire and Genealogies of Korean Adoption (University of Minnesota Press), co-host of the Antiracist Parenting Podcast, and host of the podcast Decolonize Yourself.

Crazy Broke Asians, a line-up of six bands, to play at the Cedar Cultural Center
2022-10-21 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Chicago) | Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, United States
Crazy Broke Asians is a line-up of six music groups combined into a one night of entertainment celebrating Asian excellence in the Twin Cities. Featured performers include headliner Kiss the Tiger, Diane, MAYDA, D’Lourdes, Vulgar Tongue and TEKK NIKK. The event will be Friday, October 21 at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis.
An introductory video made by Meghan Kreidler (lead vocalist of Kiss the Tiger) introduces the bands that are the line-up at this event. The Cedar Cultural Center is partnering with radio station 89.3 (The Current) and Theater Mu, an Asian American performing company in the Twin Cities. Tickets are $15 in advance; $20 on the day of the show.

Hanji class in Korean paper ornament craft to be held
2022-11-05 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Marine Mills Folk School, 550 Pine St., Marine-on-St. Croix, MN, 55047, United States
The Hanji Crew, a Twin Cities craft group, will offer a class on making hanji holiday ornaments in a class to be held Saturday, November 5, 1 to 4 p.m. at the Marine Mills Folk School, located in Marine-on-St. Croix.
No experience is necessary for the class, which teaches the Korean art of making traditional crafts from hanji, a durable traditional paper made of mulberry bark. The class is targeted to adults, but crafty teens and tweens (ages 10 and older) may also participate with a separate registration. Participants may make their own ornaments or use Hanji Crew’s stencils.
The Marine Mills Folk School is an experiential learning center in Minnesota’s St. Croix Valley, teaching classes in fiber arts, woodworking and other arts and crafts pursuits.
The Hanji Crew makes and sells its own paper crafts through sales in the Twin Cities area, and donates the proceeds to organizations benefitting Korean adoptees. The Crew are two mothers of Korean adoptees who established the group and developed their proficiency in hanji art.
The paper can be used to make a range of items, from tiny ornaments and to large boxes and handbags. For more information and photos of hanji crafts, see the webpage at www.thehanjicrew.com or the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/thehanjicrew/

Korean Culture Festival at MOA November 6
2022-11-06 13:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
Korean music, percussion and dance groups from the Twin Cities and Chicago will perform for a free Korean Culture Festival to be held at the Mall of America, Bloomington, on Sunday November 6 from 1 to 5 p.m.
The Korean American Association of Minnesota is sponsoring of the event, which will feature Twin Cities performing groups JangMi Arts, Shinparam Korean Traditional Drum Troupe, MKDC Kpop dance group, and a martial arts demonstration by Lee’s Champion Taekwondo Academy. Chicago performing groups include the Korean Performing Art Institute of Chicago, and the Korean Dance Company of Chicago. There will also be a fashion show by the Korean Student Association from the University of Minnesota.
The event will be held at the Huntington Rotunda event area within the Mall. The Korean American Association of Minnesota, a business, cultural and service organization of the Twin Cities Korean American community website is: www.mnkorea.org

Workshop on self-care for Korean adoptees
2022-11-12 08:00 - 17:30 (America/Chicago) | Hilton Hotel, 3900 American Boulevard West, Bloomington, MN, 55437, United States
Adoptee Hub will hold an all-day Self-Care Workshop on Saturday, November 12, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., for Korean adoptees, age 18 and older.
The workshop will include Korean cultural elements, including a traditional tea ceremony and basic Korean language learning. It will also include discussion on understanding adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) a conversation on birth family searching, and a yoga session.
Participants are encouraged to come prepared to discuss, share experiences and challenges, be curious, and ready to build resilience and self-awareness. All discussion is confidential and will be conducted in a safe, nonjudgmental space.
Participants will receive a self-care package at the end of the day. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included. Adoptee Hub has made reservations at Hoban Uptown for a dinner (participants will pay separately for this).
Workshop will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Bloomington. Reservations for the workshop are limited to 30 participants; see the Adoptee Hub website for more information.

Korean adoptee visual artists call for submissions due November 20
2022-11-20 | MN
The Facebook group Korean Adoptees Diaspora Art and Culture (KADU) is calling for submissions for an exhibition entitled Motherland. Submissions are due November 20, and the curated exhibition will be held April 19 through May 2 at the Maru Art Center, in the Insadong neighborhood of Seoul.
Submissions are limited to two-dimensional artwork (photography, video, illustration, animation and painting) and must reflect the theme of “motherland.” Participating artists must be Korean adoptees or second-generation children of Korean adoptees. Artists will need to submit their works on digital files, and apply by email with a bio, CV and artist statement in English to ph*********@***er.com. For more information, see the Facebook site.

Free live webcast: Bong Joon Ho: Dissident Cinema author talk
2023-01-17 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
Screenwriter and culture writer Karen Han, author of the monograph Bong Joon Ho: Dissident Cinema will be featured in a live webcast Tuesday, January 17, 6 p.m. EST (5 p.m. CST).
Han will discuss the work of the Academy Award-winning director Joon Ho Bong. Bong has been making films in Korea since the early ‘90s, but is best known in the U.S. for his films Snowpiercer (2013), Okja (2017), and most recently Parasite, which got the Academy Award in 2020 for best picture, best director and best original screenplay.
Han’s book is the first definitive critical and visual survey of Bong’s work. It is illustrated and designed by the film magazine Little White Lies, and surveys Bong’s body of work, including short films and music videos. It includes interviews with Bong’s key collaborators, his rise to fame in the West, and reveals the stories behind his films.
The Korea Society is presenting this webcast. Sign up to be sent the free viewing link.

JangMi Arts holds Seollal event with lunch and performance
2023-01-21 11:00 - 14:30 (America/Chicago) | White Bear Lake High School South Campus, 3551 McKnight Rd. N., White Bear Lake, MN, 55110, United States
A celebration with dance and drum performances, taekwondo demonstrations, kids’ activities and games, holiday market, and a special new year lunch will be held by JangMi Arts on Saturday, January 21. The event will be at the White Bear Lake High School South Campus, in White Bear Lake.
The event is in honor of Lunar New Year (Seollal) and will include special new year games, such as yutnori, and a lunch of rice cake soup (dokkguk), which, in tradition, one must eat to grow a year older in the new year (beef and vegan broth available). The performance and activities are free; the lunch (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) is $15, with proceeds benefitting the Korean performing arts programs of JangMi Arts.
The free performance by JangMi Arts students and students of Lee’s Champion Taekwondo will be held 1 to 2:30 p.m.; reservations for free tickets requested. Reservations available at the attached link. (Donations can be made on Venmo to: Korean Arts@JangmiArts)

Chicago Korean adoptees celebrate Lunar New Year (Seollal)
2023-01-21 16:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Hana Center, 4300 North California Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60618, United States
The Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KAtCH) will ring in the Year of the Rabbit at its Lunar New Year (Seollal) celebration 2023 to be held at the HANA Center in Chicago on Saturday, January 21.

The event will include food and celebratory activities around observance of Lunar New Year in Korea. There will be a special session for kids by Yaejin Shin, student mentor, who will lead children in learning Korean phrases and cultural activities, including how to use the Korean hand drum (sogo).

Korean Adoptee Ministries to hold new year (seollal) event
2023-01-28 16:30 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | Korean Presbyterian Church, 5840 Humboldt Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN, 55430, United States
Korean Adoptee Ministries will hold a 2023 Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, January 28, 2023, 4:30 to 6:30 at Korean Presbyterian Church of Minnesota, 5840 Humboldt Avenue North, Minneapolis 55430
The event is the first after a pandemic break of three years. It will feature Korean food, Korean traditional games, and a sebae (bow to the elders). Pre-registration is required, and is limited to 20 families.
The Korean Adoptees Ministry (KAM) Center is a Christian non-profit organizations that provides support and services for, and dialogue with Korean adoptees and their families.

Author Heinz Insu Fenkl to speak about novel Skull Water at Korea Society online event
2023-02-07 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | MN
Heinz Insu Fenkl, author of the just-published novel Skull Water, will speak in a free live event sponsored by the Korea Society, to be held February 7, 5:30 p.m. CST (6:30 EST).
Fenkl’s novel is based in his life experiences as a half-German, half-Korean kid growing up in 1970s Korea, dealing with identity and displacement, and his Korean family, especially his Big Uncle, a geomancer and scholar whose life was uprooted by war. Through Big Uncle, Insu is drawn to the folktales, legends, Buddhist thought, and supernatural qualities of Korean culture. He views his life in South Korea through this lens, as the homeland rapidly transforms into a more modern and Westernized country.
Fenkl is the author of the novel Memories of My Ghost Brother, a PEN/Hemingway Award finalist and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. He is known internationally for his collection of Korean folktales and translations of classic Buddhist texts.
He is also a long-time regular contributor to Korean Quarterly of writings about Korean literature, and his own translations of North Korean serial comics (manhwa), including The Crystal Key.

Author David Mura to speak about new book
2023-02-08 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Minnesota Humanities Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, St. Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Author David Mura will speak in a free book launch event of his new book The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives on Wednesday, February 8, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Minnesota Humanities Center in St. Paul.
The book, available after January 31 from the University of Minnesota Press, uncovers pernicious narratives white people have created to justify white supremacy and sustain racist oppression.
From the country’s founding through the summer of Black Lives Matter in 2020, Mura unmasks how white stories about race attempt to erase the brutality of the past and underpin systemic racism in the present. The author explains racial narratives to dissolve the myth of whiteness and acknowledge the experiences of Black Americans.
Following a reading, best-selling author Alexs Pate will join Mura for a discussion on race, history, and education. A book signing will follow the talk. The event is open to the public and will include a moderated discussion with the author.
The Minnesota Humanities Center will offer a limited number of complimentary copies to event attendees and the University of Minnesota Press will have additional copies for purchase. The event is co-sponsored by the two organizations, and is part of the Minnesota Humanities Center’s Minnesota Writers Series, which amplifies the works of Minnesota authors about the human experience.
