Frances Park

I grew up in an era when the U.S. Census Bureau need only come to my family's house to get a total head count of Koreans in my ‘burb. That reality is often reflected in seventeen books – novels, memoirs, children's books – published in seven languages, along with short fiction and personal essays appearing in over fifty magazines.

An identity born of two worlds is me in a nutshell. The theme of losing my dad young also haunts much of my work. In my latest novel "Ahn Love" (Penguin Random SEA), I imagine him today, had he lived to the ripe old age of ninety. It all began with a dream of seeing him break into a silly jig in the middle of a crosswalk, years after he died.

Recent works include my novel "Blue Rice", a portrayal of a Korean woman who survived the war with no choice but to acclimate to 1960 white America as she senses her husband’s desertion. "The Summer My Sister Was Cleopatra Moon" depicts the spiritual deformity of two Korean American sisters growing up in Washington, DC suburbia in the 1970s. My memoir-in-essays "That Lonely Spell" was praised by Kirkus Reviews as ‘a fresh take on the Korean American memoir by a writer from a generation whose voice has seldom been heard’. Latest accolades include a 2024 Foreword Indies Award and a 2017 Best American Essays Notable.

In addition, my co-author sister Ginger and I are among the pioneers of Asian American children’s literature, earning many awards. Our first picture book "My Freedom Trip: A Child’s Escape from North Korea", the recipient of the 2000 International Reading Award, is taught in schools all over the country. Our latest picture book "My Sister’s Doljabi" paints a sumptuous picture of one of Korea’s most important ceremonies: a Korean’s child’s first birthday. A glowing Kirkus Review summed the story up as ‘A rich and inviting exploration of a Korean celebration’.