Woman. Warrior. Writer. 8-2022
Marie Myung-Ok Lee Vol. 3. No. 11 August 1 2022
Aloha,
Meet Woman Warrior Writer Marie Myung-Ok Lee!
Marie Myung-Ok Lee is an acclaimed Korean-American author of Somebody’s Daughter and The Evening Hero—a novel that focuses on the future of medicine, immigration, and North Korea. Lee has widely published across news outlets, won fellowships to Yaddo/Macdowell, is a founder of the Asian American Writer’s Workshop, and teaches at Columbia University.
How did you come to author your life?
Even while growing up in a Christian household in an all-white rural area I knew I was Buddhist-leaning non Christian at age 9, about the same time I declared I was going to be a writer for a living. At 9, I started meditating even though I didn't have the words for what I was doing. But I just knew doing both writing and meditating every day would lead to...something. Also, parenting my intellectually disabled, medically fragile son for 20+ years, I just show up for him, including for all the disasters and emergencies, Interestingly he has started communicating--at the same time my 18-years-in-the-making novel is finally coming out. You can't do everything in a day, but you can commit to doing what ever "it" is, daily, like writing, parenting, being present.
About The Evening Hero as a Buzz PICK Good Morning America Book Club selection
Marie Lee says: “I think this is a good illustration of what doing something every day, even without promise of reward, can do.”
How to Write Your Divorce Story with Dr. Stephanie Han
There will be a FREE introductory workshop for BREAK: Write Your Divorce Story WEDNESDAY August 3 10AM-11AM HST. Please forward this newsletter to women you know who may be interested.
The cultural, spiritual, economic, social systems of law, finance, and every element of our lives have been determined, written, and codified by those who did not prioritize women’s health or well-being. We work, live, think, and believe what we do within and around structures created by men.
Women have always interpreted and upheld these values and beliefs. Indeed, the very foundation of our civilization is built on the multitude of these ideals that have been written and handed down by men, so there is a logical reason why women do this—knowingly and unknowingly. It’s called survival… But this does not mean that these rules, laws, customs, traditions, and status quo ideologies about women are ideal.
According to the World Economic Forum, women will not achieve gender equity in the US for 136 years and further economic parity for 236 years.
How does this affect the experience of marriage and divorce?
Once women step out the door and enter the public sphere, they are subject to the rules of the patriarchy. This leaves us with this fact: the only place women can expect to experience parity, equity, is within the privacy of their homes. Is this happening? By all data that crunches the numbers for domestic labor in heteronormative relationships it does not look like equity is happening on any grand scale.
Marriage is a public and private agreement. Therefore the negotiation of marriage suggests an acknowledgement of the complications of this situation. So does divorce. But if culture socially penalizes women for divorce, what does this mean when women divorce?
It means the narrative and story that stands is one that reflects the status quo. If women want their stories to be understood, they must insert their divorce story into their personal and/or legal file—with the approval of their attorneys. Text does a lot. And text is what remains.
REGISTER for BREAK: Write Your Divorce Workshop This workshop will meet on Saturday/Sunday September 10-11 9AM-1PM (HST). You will write a draft of this story during this workshop! Newsletter subscribers receive a 10% discount.
Explore the meaning of your marriage/divorce within the context of a nuclear/extended family and write your divorce story with a clear understanding of concepts such as Master Narratives, han, kintsugi, phoenix, and more. This class will help you move forward with greater understanding of your actions within the concept of marriage and divorce. My goal is for it to become standard practice for women divorcing to write their story for their legal/and or personal file.
Newsletter subscribers use the code NEWS for a 10% discount for fall 2022 Women’s Creative Writing Workshop/Intersectionality: Manuscript Workshop.
Women’s Creative Writing Workshop THURSDAYS 1-3PM (HST) 4 weeks September 8-23. This is a mixed-level workshop that emphasizes voice and narrative. Women of all levels of writing enter this class—it works because of how it is structured. Limited enrollment.
TEXTS: Tastes Like War by Grace Cho and Becoming AppalAsian by Lisa Kwong.
Intersectionality: Manuscript Workshop TUESDAYS 1-3PM (HST) 8 weeks September 13-November 1. This workshop is for women working on a specific manuscript. Instructor permission only. Please contact writer@drstephaniehan.com for further info. Limited enrollment.
TEXTS: Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho, BRIDE OF THE SEA by Eman Quotah, Other Small Histories by Darien Hsu Gee
Marie Ann Han Yoo’s photos hit National Geographic!
I am so thrilled that my mother’s photography can be seen by a wider audience! If you are interested in exhibiting her work, or know of a gallery that may be keen, please, click here. Her debut online photography show The Feeling of Han was last fall for the Korea Society 2021
I gave a workshop over the weekend at SOMOS Taos Writers Conference on Master Narratives. Understanding them will change how you approach writing and life!
Creative Hack
Walk. Perambulate. I moved into Palolo Valley a month ago and I’m getting to know my neighborhood. Sometimes before I head out to walk I say to myself I want to think about situation x or y and then I see what pops into my head when I walk. As always, the more empty space you build into your day, the better for your creative problem solving.
Woman. Warrior. Writer. T-shirts
I have remaining stock in MLXL Hanes 100% cotton women’s v-necks.
They shrink a bit. T-shirt sales go to class scholarships for writers.
I’ll be moving this to an online print-on-demand store in the fall! The reality of printing T-shirts and masks, counting, storing, packing, and mailing them probably deserves an essay. I never worked retail. I had to keep counting them. And recounting them. I am not sure how anyone can really keep track and count this stuff properly. I’m truly impressed by people’s ability to count stuff and remember the number of what they counted…plus folding. I’m someone who doesn’t fold anything. This was a hard endeavor for me. So yes, it is moving to print on demand. I need my closet back. I spent too long counting and folding. So yes, very grateful that Cheryl Strayed wore the mask and I love her writing! But when the orders came in for that brief spell it was terrifying. The post office said to me I should buy my own scale. My son asked how I got in the T-shirt business.
Anyway, the brief frenzy stopped, but this is all to say it is going to a print on demand situation!
I will also include a mask! Yes, the vaccine is around and all of that, but stay safe and mask up when you can. Contact me here to order one for $20USD!
I look forward to seeing you online! For questions about coaching, class, creativity, or writing, please contact me writer@drstephaniehan.com