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Review of "One Left" by Kim Soom

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The following is an edited version of a piece written as an entry to the 2021 IKSU Korean Literature Review Contest, hosted by  The International Institute of Korean Studies (IKSU) at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), in November 2021. I wasn't then and still am not very familiar with Korean literature. Even so, since I was quite proud of myself for finishing this, I decided to post it for posterity. In One Left (2016), Kim Soom uses a tapestry on mundane domestic activities and horrendous flashbacks to paint a vivid picture of the suffering of a Korean comfort woman, both before and after the end of the war.      The protagonist of One Left is a former comfort woman who remains nameless for the majority of the novel, referred to simply as “she” or “she herself” (in scenes when more than one “she” is present). She is watching TV when she learns that there is only one known surviving comfort woman left. Following this, the novel details the protagonist’s daily activitie

Setting Priorities

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 I've recently turned 24, and with that, I've been thinking about what my priorities will be for the next year. In the absence of an accountability buddy, I've decided to post my resolutions here; in order from highest priority to lowest priority: Finish my novel. I'm about 35,000 words into a second draft (the first draft is about 80,000 words). I figure if I average about 150 words per day (which is incredibly achievable, and would allow me to take days off pretty regularly), draft 2.0 will be done in less than a year. After that, it will be in a state to start sharing with others. I will try and get some feedback on it and come up with a plan for further edits and then publication.  Practice playing songs on my keyboard. I'm good at learning the first few lines of a song, but often lose focus and never master it. Right now I've got my sights set on "Amazing Grace". Sew a skirt, and then some other stuff. I've already started a skirt in this mint

Peach & Tea Portrait (Art)

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 Here is a drawing I finished today! 🍑🍵

The legislator and her husband (A Drabble)

       Summer warmth drifted in from the veranda. She leaned back, stretching. She had been writing all morning. Letters. Documents. Notes.      She glanced to the gardens. Beyond the boundary between inside and out, her husband was talking to some diplomats. She watched them. Once it was finished, he came to join her. Snow-white skin glistened in the midday sun.      “Shall we take lunch here today? the weather is so fair”      “We should” Her husband replied. He sat on the floor and she knelt down beside him. She lay her head in his lap and watched the butterflies go about their work.