Sijo: Korea’s Poetry Form to Korean Studies

with Lucy Park and Elizabeth Jorgensen

Monday, December 19, 2022 | 4PM (EST)

The Korea Society, NYC 

Join us as Lucy Park, Sejong Cultural Society Executive Director, and Elizabeth Jorgensen, writer and educator at Arrowhead High School in Wisconsin, share their insights into and passion for the ancient Korean poetry form, Sijo. Part of the Society’s Spotlight on Korean Studies in K-12 Schooling series, this talk will inspire individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Sijo: Korea’s Poetry Form not only provides tips, techniques and sample lesson plans for teaching and writing Sijo, it also explores the history and beauty of the form. The authors ask, “With only three lines, and 46 syllables, how much can a poet fit within its confines?”, and answer, “a world of story and emotion!” In their talk they demonstrate the power of the form by showcasing award-winning modern sijos and accompanying illustrations by Wonsook Kim.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Lucy Park is one of the founding members of the Sejong Cultural Society, a non-profit organization founded in 2004. As Executive Director, she oversees all programs, including the Sejong Music Competition, Sejong Writing Competition, and sijo education programs. She has been very active in teaching about sijo to teachers, students, and adults throughout the U.S. and has developed and compiled extensive reference materials on the basics of English sijo writing, sijo samples, and teaching sijo on the Sejong Cultural Society’s website and YouTube Channel. She pioneered the Sejong Cultural Society's Sijo and Music program, organizing concerts and commissioning composers and songwriters to write sijo music in a variety of musical genres. Further, Dr. Park is a faculty member of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine where she specializes in pediatric allergy, immunology, and pulmonology. She received her M.D. from Seoul National University in Korea.

Elizabeth Jorgensen is an award-winning writer and high school English teacher. In 2021 she was named one of 20 of America’s Most Inspiring Educators (The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation Teacher Innovator Awards). She has been published in numerous education journals and presented at national and state conferences and councils. Elizabeth is passionate about sijo, a Korean form of poetry. Her sijo lessons have been uploaded by the Sejong Cultural Society as an exemplar of teaching poetry. Jorgensen co-edited Sijo: Korea's Poetry Form with Dr. Lucy Park. Additionally, Jorgensen's most recent book, a middle-grade/young adult sports biography, was released in October 2022, Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete and is also the author of the educational text, Hacking Student Learning Habits.

The Korea Society

350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor

New York, NY 10017 

https://koreasociety.org/education/item/1638-sijo-korea-s-poetry-form