Book Description
A Glossary of Light and Shadow examines what it means to live as a human in a world rife with atrocities and unexpected grace. Weaving together a rich variety of forms and personas, these poems explore the anguished affection and quiet resilience of human beings who are more than their trauma. The collection includes a section of twenty-six poems (one poem for each letter of the alphabet) drawing from the author’s experiences working with North Korean refugees. This section explores experiences that are commonly overlooked in the politicized narratives on North Korea: falling in love in a country where love has no name, homesickness after “successful” resettlement, and the lingering effects of survivor’s guilt. These poems depict peace-building as a slow and often painful process, yet persist in cherishing small moments of tenderness amid loss, illness, and war. At once a collective love poem to the silenced, a celebration of ordinary miracles, and a deft, playful tribute to the strange beauty of the English language, A Glossary of Light and Shadow is a testimony to the limits of human suffering—and the frail, fierce hope that survives in spite of it all.