Category It’s Me

Apr 21 2024

New anthology, in South Korean

Hi everyone,

The book I’ve been waiting to see arrived on Friday. It’s a 387-page collection of poems and artwork reminiscent of JAN GREENBERG’S book, Heart to Heart, in which my poem in this South Korean book originally appeared.

This new book is all in South Korean, including the names of the poets and artists, so unless I recognize someone by his or her picture, or pick out their names in the credits, I’m stuck. I do recognize a few, though, enough to appreciate that I’m in good company, and I can read the poems, which are in English on the left side of the spread and South Korean on the right. Forgive the hurried pictures. The book is tightly bound and hard to keep open with one hand and shoot with the other.

Apr 3 2024

“It’s Me!” in a South Korean anthology

Hi everyone,

The other day I received a note from an editor in Seoul, South Korea. About a year ago she contacted me for permission to use one of my poems, “It’s Me!”, in a collection she was putting together. The poem, which is about Marilyn Monroe, appeared originally in From Heart to Heart, New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art, an Abrams book edited by JAN GREENBERG. It was published in 2001 and was awarded the Michael L. Printz Honor Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

My Seoul editor tells me that most of her book is in Korean, but wants me to see how the book turned out. One of these days when my copy arrives, I’ll show it to you. Meanwhile, the original book is still doing well after twenty-three years. As of today it ranks #259 in Poetry for Teens and Young Adults.

with warm thanks,

Kyounghye Jin