{"id":2466,"date":"2002-07-18T11:00:51","date_gmt":"2002-07-18T15:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bookdragon.si.edu\/?p=2466"},"modified":"2017-11-26T13:12:41","modified_gmt":"2017-11-26T18:12:41","slug":"author-interview-yangsook-choi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/","title":{"rendered":"Author Interview: Yangsook Choi [in AsianWeek]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Yangsook<\/a>Being a Kid<\/strong><\/p>\n

By the time Yangsook Choi graduated from art\u00a0school, she already had her first book contract for what would become The Sun Girl and\u00a0Moon Boy<\/em>, a Korean folktale which Choi\u00a0adapted and illustrated, published in 1997. Her\u00a0advisor at NYC\u2019s prestigious School of Visual\u00a0Arts was so taken with her work that he called\u00a0a few big editors on her behalf. \u00a0She got\u00a0immediate results, and she\u2019s been incredibly\u00a0busy ever since.<\/p>\n

A native Korean, Choi had a whole other\u00a0career before books \u2013\u00a0as a flight attendant\u00a0with Cathay Pacific Airways. She pursued her\u00a0dream to study art when she moved to the\u00a0United States in 1991 to attend Kendall College of Arts and Design in Michigan. In\u00a01993 she arrived in New York to continue her\u00a0art studies, and never left.<\/p>\n

Since then, she\u2019s\u00a0produced nine picture books, some she has\u00a0written as well as illustrated, including New Cat<\/em> and The Name Jar,<\/em> and others that she\u2019s\u00a0illustrated for other authors including Nim and\u00a0the War Effort<\/em> by Milly Lee and This New Next\u00a0Year<\/em> by Janet S. Wong. Her accumulated\u00a0awards include the International Reading\u00a0Association\u2019s Children\u2019s Book Award and the\u00a0Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Her\u00a0latest title, Good-bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong<\/a> <\/em>by\u00a0Frances and Ginger Park, is about a young\u00a0girl\u2019s move from Seoul to Boston and debuts in\u00a0September.<\/p>\n

AsianWeek<\/strong><\/em>: How much of your Korean\u00a0background gets played out in your books?
\nYangsook Choi<\/strong>i<\/strong>: I don\u2019t tend to think too much about my\u00a0Korean background. That just comes out in my\u00a0stories naturally, because that\u2019s what I know,\u00a0what I\u2019ve experienced. A story is an\u00a0experience, so in that sense, the Korean influence comes naturally. I\u2019ve noticed that in\u00a0the children\u2019s book market, my Korean culture\u00a0and background are very unique and different,\u00a0which make my stories unique and different. It\u2019s a lucky match \u2013\u00a0not\u00a0because I\u2019m Korean and I have a Korean cultural background, but\u00a0because I\u2019m always on the lookout for something new and different to write about, so it all fits perfectly. …\u00a0[click here for more<\/a>]\n

Profile<\/strong>: “Being a Kid,” <\/a>AsianWeek<\/a><\/em>, July 18, 2002<\/a><\/p>\n

Author photo<\/strong> credit<\/strong>: Claudia Hehr Photography<\/a><\/p>\n

Tidbit<\/strong>:\u00a0Yangook Choi <\/a>was a wonderful guest\u00a0for the Smithsonian’s\u00a0Korean American Centennial Commemoration<\/a>‘s\u00a0fall program, “Children’s Books<\/a>,”\u00a0on September 13, 2003.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Good-ByeBeing a Kid<\/strong><\/p>\n

By the time Yangsook Choi graduated from art school, she already had her first book contract for what would become The Sun Girl and Moon Boy<\/em>, a Korean folktale which Choi adapted and illustrated, published in 1997. Her advisor at NYC\u2019s prestigious School of Visual Arts was so taken with her work that he called a few big editors on her behalf. She got immediate results, and she\u2019s been incredibly busy ever since.<\/p>\n

A native Korean, Choi had a whole other career before books \u2013 as a flight attendant with Cathay Pacific Airways. She pursued her dream to study art when she moved to the United States in 1991 to attend Kendall College of Arts and Design in Michigan. In 1993 she arrived in New York to continue her art studies, and never left.<\/p>\n

Since then, she\u2019s produced nine picture books, some she has written as well as illustrated, including New Cat<\/em> and The Name Jar,<\/em> and others that she\u2019s illustrated for other authors including Nim and the War Effort<\/em> by Milly Lee and This New Next Year<\/em> by Janet S. Wong. Her accumulated awards include the International Reading Association\u2019s Children\u2019s Book Award and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Her latest title, Good-bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong<\/a> <\/em>by Frances and Ginger Park, is about a young girl\u2019s move from Seoul to Boston and debuts in September. <\/p>\n

AsianWeek<\/strong><\/em>: How much of your Korean background gets played out in your books?
\nYangsook Choi<\/strong>i<\/strong>: I don\u2019t tend to think too much about my Korean background. That just comes out in my stories naturally, because that\u2019s what I know, what I\u2019ve experienced. A story is an experience, so in that sense, the Korean influence comes naturally. I\u2019ve noticed that in the children\u2019s book market, my Korean culture and background are very unique and different, which make my stories unique and different. It\u2019s a lucky match \u2013 not because I\u2019m Korean and I have a Korean cultural background, but because I\u2019m always on the lookout for something new and different to write about, so it all fits perfectly. … [click here for more<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Profile<\/strong>: “Being a Kid,” <\/a>AsianWeek<\/a><\/em>, July 18, 2002<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,38,6535],"tags":[3598,6608,59,25,571,3817],"class_list":["post-2466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-author-interview-profile","category-korean-american","category-repost","tag-asianweek","tag-bookdragon","tag-cultural-exploration","tag-immigration","tag-personal-transformation","tag-yangsook-choi"],"yoast_head":"\nAuthor Interview: Yangsook Choi [in AsianWeek] - BookDragon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Author Interview: Yangsook Choi [in AsianWeek] - BookDragon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Being a Kid By the time Yangsook Choi graduated from art school, she already had her first book contract for what would become The Sun Girl and Moon Boy, a Korean folktale which Choi adapted and illustrated, published in 1997. Her advisor at NYC\u2019s prestigious School of Visual Arts was so taken with her work that he called a few big editors on her behalf. She got immediate results, and she\u2019s been incredibly busy ever since. A native Korean, Choi had a whole other career before books \u2013 as a flight attendant with Cathay Pacific Airways. She pursued her dream to study art when she moved to the United States in 1991 to attend Kendall College of Arts and Design in Michigan. In 1993 she arrived in New York to continue her art studies, and never left. Since then, she\u2019s produced nine picture books, some she has written as well as illustrated, including New Cat and The Name Jar, and others that she\u2019s illustrated for other authors including Nim and the War Effort by Milly Lee and This New Next Year by Janet S. Wong. Her accumulated awards include the International Reading Association\u2019s Children\u2019s Book Award and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Her latest title, Good-bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong by Frances and Ginger Park, is about a young girl\u2019s move from Seoul to Boston and debuts in September. AsianWeek: How much of your Korean background gets played out in your books? Yangsook Choii: I don\u2019t tend to think too much about my Korean background. That just comes out in my stories naturally, because that\u2019s what I know, what I\u2019ve experienced. A story is an experience, so in that sense, the Korean influence comes naturally. I\u2019ve noticed that in the children\u2019s book market, my Korean culture and background are very unique and different, which make my stories unique and different. It\u2019s a lucky match \u2013 not because I\u2019m Korean and I have a Korean cultural background, but because I\u2019m always on the lookout for something new and different to write about, so it all fits perfectly. ... [click here for more] Profile: "Being a Kid," AsianWeek, July 18, 2002\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BookDragon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2002-07-18T15:00:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-11-26T18:12:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2002\/07\/Yangsook-Choi.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"438\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"712\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SmithsonianAPA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Author Interview: Yangsook Choi [in AsianWeek] - BookDragon","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Author Interview: Yangsook Choi [in AsianWeek] - BookDragon","og_description":"Being a Kid By the time Yangsook Choi graduated from art school, she already had her first book contract for what would become The Sun Girl and Moon Boy, a Korean folktale which Choi adapted and illustrated, published in 1997. Her advisor at NYC\u2019s prestigious School of Visual Arts was so taken with her work that he called a few big editors on her behalf. She got immediate results, and she\u2019s been incredibly busy ever since. A native Korean, Choi had a whole other career before books \u2013 as a flight attendant with Cathay Pacific Airways. She pursued her dream to study art when she moved to the United States in 1991 to attend Kendall College of Arts and Design in Michigan. In 1993 she arrived in New York to continue her art studies, and never left. Since then, she\u2019s produced nine picture books, some she has written as well as illustrated, including New Cat and The Name Jar, and others that she\u2019s illustrated for other authors including Nim and the War Effort by Milly Lee and This New Next Year by Janet S. Wong. Her accumulated awards include the International Reading Association\u2019s Children\u2019s Book Award and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Her latest title, Good-bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong by Frances and Ginger Park, is about a young girl\u2019s move from Seoul to Boston and debuts in September. AsianWeek: How much of your Korean background gets played out in your books? Yangsook Choii: I don\u2019t tend to think too much about my Korean background. That just comes out in my stories naturally, because that\u2019s what I know, what I\u2019ve experienced. A story is an experience, so in that sense, the Korean influence comes naturally. I\u2019ve noticed that in the children\u2019s book market, my Korean culture and background are very unique and different, which make my stories unique and different. It\u2019s a lucky match \u2013 not because I\u2019m Korean and I have a Korean cultural background, but because I\u2019m always on the lookout for something new and different to write about, so it all fits perfectly. ... [click here for more] Profile: \"Being a Kid,\" AsianWeek, July 18, 2002","og_url":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/","og_site_name":"BookDragon","article_published_time":"2002-07-18T15:00:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-11-26T18:12:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":438,"height":712,"url":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2002\/07\/Yangsook-Choi.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SmithsonianAPA","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/","url":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/","name":"Author Interview: Yangsook Choi [in AsianWeek] - BookDragon","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/#website"},"datePublished":"2002-07-18T15:00:51+00:00","dateModified":"2017-11-26T18:12:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/#\/schema\/person\/a00f6dcfcb279c75f3f992ad2919d51d"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author-interview-yangsook-choi\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Author Interview: Yangsook Choi [in AsianWeek]"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/","name":"BookDragon","description":"Books for the Diverse Reader","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/#\/schema\/person\/a00f6dcfcb279c75f3f992ad2919d51d","name":"Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/79b5f08575e8962bd00388cd126d374b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/79b5f08575e8962bd00388cd126d374b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/@SmithsonianAPA"],"url":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/author\/riemert\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2466"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43195,"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466\/revisions\/43195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}