Woman. Warrior. Writer. 11-2022
Sun Yung Shin Vol. 3 No. 14 November 1 2022
Aloha,
Meet Woman Warrior Writer Sun Yung Shin!
신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin was born in Seoul, Korea and was raised in the Chicago area. She is a poet, writer, and cultural worker. The author of six collections and children's books and the editor of three anthologies, her most recent book is The Wet Hex (Coffee House Press). She lives in Minneapolis where she co-directs the community organization Poetry Asylum with poet Su Hwang. You can learn more at: www.sunyungshin.com
How did you come to author your life?
An important part of authoring my life began with writing poetry when I was 22 or 23. I had always had a strong sense of self as a child, and a sense of wonder at the presence of our inner lives. Until poetry, I didn’t have the best (for me) means to express my inner life and explore the conditions of my life, especially as a Korean American immigrant, very much an Other in American society, mostly surrounded by silence. Poetry is a needle piercing the fabric of silence, leaving a trail, leading with flashes of light.
REGISTER NOW for 2023
Intersectionality: Manuscript Workshop Thursdays January 12-March 16 5-7AM (HST)
Students in this 10-week workshop must be working on a full manuscript project. This is a fast-paced class. One-on-one Zoom meetings to discuss your project/piece. This class requires instructor permission to enroll. Contact writer@drstephaniehan.com for sample submission. Limited enrollment. Texts TBA. $1080
Master Narratives: A Deep Dive SATURDAY JANUARY 28 7-9AM (HST). Writers will explore how and why Master Narratives are foundational to our framework of belief, community, and self. Participants will also examine their creative literary process in relation to Master Narratives. Master Narratives guide our approach to our subject matter and our identities as writers. A version of this class was part of the SOMOS Santa Fe 2022 workshop. $120
BREAK: Write Your Divorce Story Workshop SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18 7-9AM (HST). Learn the Divorce Story Structure suitable for your legal/personal file and better understand your marriage/divorce as you explore concepts such as Master Narratives, han, kintsugi, phoenix, and more. Private divorce story writing sessions available see below and contact writer@drstephaniehan.com $120
Women’s Creative Writing Workshop Saturdays March 4-March 25 7-9AM (HST)
This class works on foundational craft skills with an emphasis on voice and narrative. There is an opportunity to submit one piece, at the end of this workshop. Limited Enrollment. Texts TBA. $432
Asian/Asian American Women’s Creative Writing Workshop Saturdays June 3-July 22 7-9AM (HST) Texts TBA – this is the ONLY class out there that is specifically designed for Asian/Asian American women writers. Claim your identity and creativity through writing and story. Limited Enrollment $864
Previous students and kama’aina discount of 10%. Please enter the code LOCAL.
Open gender WRITING COACHING private sessions are available. Please email me directly writer@drstephaniehan.com Students have worked on manuscripts, applications, teaching strategies/syllabi, divorce stories, and more. I have a strong writing and teaching background across the genres. If you are keen, drop a line so we can jump on a 15 minute call. If I believe that I can help you to reach your writing goals—let’s make a plan!
NEWS
I joined Hawaii Public Radio HPR and the first guest I interviewed for the show The Conversation was Angelina Mercado, writer and Executive Director of the Hawai’i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In this clip she defines domestic violence and the intersection of private and public life. Woman. Warrior. Writer. subscribers contact me if you have issues or stories you feel deserve a conversation that involve the lives of people in Hawai’i.
Nonwhite and Woman an anthology edited by Big Island Darien Hsu Gee and Carla Crujido is out! Pick up your copy! Many of my former students are in this wonderful anthology that includes teaching strategies and exercises.
CREATIVITY HACK
Keep a brain dump journal. This journal is ONLY for you. You are not in competition with any writers-who-keep-journals. This is where you scribble, sketch, and brainstorm.
AUTHOR YOUR LIFE – HEALTH
About your health…I’ve been thinking about how we treat our bodies. Earlier in the year, I discussed my osteoporosis. I was diagnosed at the end of 2020. I spent 2021 slowly making changes. Bone condition was measured again in December 2021. I was discouraged as I had dropped a tenth of a point in one area on my lower back. Everything else had stayed the same. Instead of being excited about the changes I had made that allowed me to stabilize in this way, I focused on the bad news. We always look for negative confirmation. This is bad…see, I did it again!
I did a check-up a few months ago with an osteopath. She told me the score was great. I exercise and for the most part, I eat right. Overall, good health. She told me not to go by the score so much, to take into consideration that the majority of these osteoporosis studies were done on women of White European origin and therefore the data and numbers would likely be off for me. I asked her if there were any studies done on women of Asian descent, but Doc said no. Categorizing women by race would present a problem--how would we separate everyone and there is a lot of room in this arena for negative data and racial bias. This, I understand.
But it also got me thinking about my other medical journeys and my physical reaction to various medications. The vast majority of medical studies are conducted on men and are for men. There are also differences in people. Many Asians get red in the face when drinking alcohol due to enzyme difference. Also, sweating—not so much—not sure if this is lack of body hair? I can count on one hand the number of East Asian women I’ve met in my life who use deodorant in any kind of serious way. When I was talking about sweating with my two Korean women friends while we were hiking, both exclaimed: “"Deodorant? What? Never used it!” Asians supposedly have an extra layer of subcutaneous fat in our faces. Many are lactose intolerant. We may be small boned.
You can see where I am going with this. Understand whose standards you are supposed to fit. Don’t be afraid to ask about this. Doctors are not gods. Good ones appreciate questions. When you are presented with medical information, be sure to get another opinion and really think carefully about how your body feels. What is the story that is being told about your body, and how does this story affect your perceptions?
Women’s bodies are typically policed, controlled, ignored, and denied full agency and understanding. We are discouraged from doing XYZ if our bodies don’t fit the mold of what others think we should look like. We may avoid exercise as we feel bad about our bodies. Others feel too old. Almost all of us feel too big. Many feel too small. We punish ourselves about our bodies. In general, our bodies become a source of shame and inadequacy. We feel this way because we believe someone else’s story about how we should be.
I’ve felt all of the above at one point in my life. Osteoporosis changed how I think about my body. When you have a bone disease, who cares about some extra pounds. I care about my bones. So oddly, a disease that is detrimental to my body, has also enabled me to think more positively about my body. I feel so much better about my health overall.
If you notice yourself hesitating when thinking about your body, feeling inadequate, or out of sorts, ask yourself WHY am I FEELING THIS WAY? What is the story I have come to believe about my body? Ask yourself: How are my bones? How are my internal organs doing?
How do I feel on the inside? Physically and mentally? And if I don’t feel great, is it a real thing, or is it down to a story?
Always try to figure out who came up with the story that you believe about yourself and why. If you don’t feel good about your body, ask yourself why you continue to believe a story about it. Learn your Master Narratives and author a new story about who you are.
Woman. Warrior. Writer. Masks and T-shirts
Look out for my online store. I’ll be posting about it on my socials and hope to have it ready to go by Thanksgiving. Now I’m moving the last of the stock. Contact me here! The swag funds class scholarships!
Masks $20 and T-shirts $25 and bundled together they are $35. Postage included.
Here’s Anne Liu Kellor author of HEART RADICAL: A Search for Language, Love, and Belonging
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