March 25, 2023 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Kimbap Combo at SMPL: Tanya Ko-Hong Mixes Poetic Imagery and Ingredients For Eats Series

By Sam Skopp

 

In an event celebrating national Indie Author Day and the month-long Santa Monica Eats series of food-related events, Santa Monica Public Library (SMPL) hosted a poetry and kimbap making workshop led by author Tanya Ko-Hong, Sat. Oct. 14.

Prior to Ko-Hong’s workshop, a small press panel and author Amin Sadeghpour took center stage, the two events coinciding due to changing schedules.

“Tanya’s a poet as well as a cook,” said Public Services Librarian Robert Graves. “It just synergistically all went together.”

Ko-Hong explained that she began holding food and poetry workshops as a way of building a cultural bridge of experience into the Korean community of which she’s a part. The food element both exposes participants to a unique element of Korean culture, and gets participants more enthusiastic about the poetry. To prepare for this event, she began cooking food at 6 in the morning.

“When you’re hands-on, they’re crazy about it,” said Ko-Hong. “Within three minutes they’re writing amazing poems.”

Ko-Hong’s work has been published in both Korean and English. Last month, a poem of hers was published in Women’s Voice Now, and her work has previously been in the Beloit Poetry Journal, Writers at Work and more.

“I do a lot of bittersweet immigrant stories,” Ko-Hong said.

To read one of Ko-Hong’s poems, visit thewvoice.com/Comfort-Women, and for more information on upcoming Santa Monica Library events, including their full “menu” of Santa Monica Eats programming, visit smpl.org.

Kimbap that the writer made with Ko-Hong’s instruction.

Photos: Sam Skopp.

Ko-Hong alongside her kimbap-making materials.
Related Posts

Samohi Theatre’s “The Drowsy Chaperone” Takes the Stage in Santa Monica

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

Shows will take place at Barnum Hall on March 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. and March 5 at 3...

Film Review: “Marlow”

February 23, 2023

February 23, 2023

FILM REVIEW“MARLOWE”Rated R109 MinutesReleased February 15th “Marlowe” is a beautifully shot period piece that takes place in the late 1930’s....

Film Review: All Quite on the Western Front

February 22, 2023

February 22, 2023

I have never been a soldier at war, although I have close friends and relatives who have been. Universally they...

SMC Emeritus Concert Band to Hold Free Concert This Weekend at the Broad Stage

February 22, 2023

February 22, 2023

Concert February 26 will feature musical selections with an outdoor theme Santa Monica College’s Emeritus Concert Band, under the baton...

Film Review: A Man Called Otto

February 14, 2023

February 14, 2023

FILM REVIEWA MAN CALLED OTTORated PG-13126 MinutesReleased January 13th A Man Called Otto is based on the Swedish film, A...

Film Review: Babylon

January 14, 2023

January 14, 2023

FILM REVIEWBABYLONRated R188 MinutesReleased December 23rd Babylon is director Damien Chazelle’s panoramic vision of a tumultuous time in movie history...

Public Art at Tongva Park Asks “What Do You Hope For?”

December 27, 2022

December 27, 2022

Artist Yeu Q. Nguyen public art installation, High Hopes bring the community together through the power of hope inside one...

Film Review: Empire of Light

December 23, 2022

December 23, 2022

FILM REVIEWEMPIRE OF LIGHTRated R119 MinutesReleased December 9th Here is another movie by a remarkable director for whom the isolation...

Film Review – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

December 2, 2022

December 2, 2022

FILM REVIEWBLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVERRated PG161 MinutesReleased November 11th Director Ryan Coogler is a Homer for our generation, recounting our...

“Art at the Airport” and 18th Street Arts Center Host Annual Winter Party

December 2, 2022

December 2, 2022

Free event set for December 10 By Keemia Zhang The local organization “Art at the Airport” has collaborated with the...