A journey of lasting lessons through a difficult first pregnancy that included surgery, eleven days in the Labor and Delivery wing and prematurity.
Science Project
One evening in March, Jeff and I prepared to document my sixteenth week of pregnancy. It was our weekly ritual—“Jeff and Genie’s Science Project.” We measured our time in three-three cadences: first trimester, second trimester… Each week, we sent a Polaroid to the baby’s future godfather in New York. The photos were captioned to highlight a new outfit or to commemorate a milestone such as the baby’s first sonogram (“It’s a boy!”). Many of the captions referred to my exponential growth.
Unlike my sister who ate a bushel of grapefruit in three days, I had no specific food cravings—any kind of food would do. The act of eating was the only cure for my nausea. Thanks to Korean parents, I had small bones and smooth Asian skin. My body hadn’t changed much since puberty, and then I was thirty-seven and pregnant. …
Eugenia Kim is a first-generation Korean-American whose writing is inspired by rich family history. An MFA graduate of Bennington College, she has published short stories and essays in journals and anthologies. She teaches fiction at...
This debut novel, inspired by the life of the author’s Korean mother, is a beautiful, deliberate and satisfying story spanning 30 years of Korean history. The tradition-bound aristocratic calligrapher Han...
Kim, Eugenia. The Calligrapher’s Daughter. Holt. Aug. 2009. c.400p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8912-7. $26. F
Kim’s debut is the first-person chronicle of Najin, a young Korean woman growing up during Japan’s...
Note from the author coming soon...