Aloha, time for Tuesday books! The Birth of Korean Cool (How One Nation is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture) by EunyHong is a funny exuberant read and will inform people about the basic hows and whys of Korean culture and the machinations of global K-pop culture. I believe that this book is highly relevantgiven the anti-Asian sentiment due to COVID, the Black/Asian dynamic in the US, and the truth of polyculturalism. K-pop embodies an idea of polyculturalism and how the point of exchange is crucial.
I’m not a big K-pop fan because I’m rather ambivalent about a lot of pop culture, yet STILL I found this a fascinating read. Nation building through pop culture. I confess: I have a HUGE BTS blanket. A gift from Dad who informed me and The Kid that BTS was Korean World Famous Important Group Everyone Like. It’s thick and soft. I live in Hawaii.
How are we connected? What are some key facts about Korea that might be relevant about this nation on the global stage? We see Korean culture at PLAY. This book reveals insights applicable on a smaller scale to arts administrators. It’s also a lesson about humor: control the narrative with humor and you can say whatever you want to say. Whip-smart accessible writing. I was disturbed. I laughed. Always a good combo.
~teaching women the power of narrative~
Women’s Creative Writing Workshop begins 10/24