Melanie (Hyo-In) Han
Academic and research departments
Literature and Languages, Mobilities in Literature and Culture Research Centre.麻豆视频
My research project
Modern Sojourners and Multicultural Poets: A Critical and Creative Exploration of Postcolonial Transnationalism, Trauma, and Identity Reflected in Fragmented Form and Multilingual PoetryThis project critically and creatively examines the intersectionality of postcolonial transnationalism, trauma, and identity, and how these concepts are reflected in fragmented form and multilingual poetry. Korean-American poets Don Mee Choi, Cathy Park Hong, and Emily Jungmin Yoon are the three poets whose works I'm researching while writing my own collection of poems based on my life of having been born in Korea and raised in East Africa, and my family's experiences as postcolonial transnationals. Each chapter of the critical investigation dives into the three main topics of the study: theme, form, and language. In my own collection of poems, I showcase my concerns with my heritage by utilizing formally inventive techniques such as narrative poems, prose, erasure, and others. By thinking through the concept of postcolonial transnationalism as defined by Bahri, Ramazani, and others, this research brings out the importance of Choi, Hong, and Yoon's works, as well as my own, in the context of our current, ever-global society.
Biography
Born in Korea and raised in East Africa, Melanie Hyo-In Han (she/her) recently moved from the U.S. to the U.K., where she is a Ph.D. candidate. She is the author of Abecedarian: Banff, Canada (kith books, 2024), (Milk & Cake Press, 2023) and (Finishing Line Press, 2021), as well as the translator of several collections of Spanish poetry ().
Han has received fellowships from , , and , nominations for the Pushcart Prize, and awards from 鈥,鈥 , , and elsewhere.
As a Third Culture Kid (TCK), the inspiration behind her poetry comes from her own childhood experiences and an exploration of identity, belonging, and culture through the use of fragmented form and inclusion of multiple languages. She also writes nonfiction and does translation work between English, Spanish, and Korean.
Currently, Han is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of and the Two Languages Prize Editor at .
Supervisors
This project critically and creatively examines the intersectionality of postcolonial transnationalism, trauma, and identity, and how these concepts are reflected in fragmented form and multilingual poetry. Korean-American poets Don Mee Choi, Cathy Park Hong, and Emily Jungmin Yoon are the three poets whose works I'm researching while writing my own collection of poems based on my life of having been born in Korea and raised in East Africa, and my family's experiences as postcolonial transnationals. Each chapter of the critical investigation dives into the three main topics of the study: theme, form, and language. In my own collection of poems, I showcase my concerns with my heritage by utilizing formally inventive techniques such as narrative poems, prose, erasure, and others. By thinking through the concept of postcolonial transnationalism as defined by Bahri, Ramazani, and others, this research brings out the importance of Choi, Hong, and Yoon's works, as well as my own, in the context of our current, ever-global society.
Biography
Born in Korea and raised in East Africa, Melanie Hyo-In Han (she/her) recently moved from the U.S. to the U.K., where she is a Ph.D. candidate. She is the author of Abecedarian: Banff, Canada (kith books, 2024), (Milk & Cake Press, 2023) and (Finishing Line Press, 2021), as well as the translator of several collections of Spanish poetry ().
Han has received fellowships from , , and , nominations for the Pushcart Prize, and awards from 鈥,鈥 , , and elsewhere.
As a Third Culture Kid (TCK), the inspiration behind her poetry comes from her own childhood experiences and an exploration of identity, belonging, and culture through the use of fragmented form and inclusion of multiple languages. She also writes nonfiction and does translation work between English, Spanish, and Korean.
Currently, Han is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of and the Two Languages Prize Editor at .
My qualifications
(Summa Cum Laude, Departmental Honors)
(Sheltered English Immersion Endorsement)
(English 8-12 and Spanish 5-12)
(TEFL Certificate)
(Bill Knott Thesis Award)
Affiliations and memberships
ResearchResearch interests
- Postcolonialism
- Transnationalism
- Innovative and experimental poetry
- Multilingual poetry
- World literature
Conferences
- 鈥淩eframing Public Memory: The Role of Art in Postcolonial Narratives鈥
Carnegie Mellon University, USA
May 2025
- 鈥淔rom Comfort Women to Cultural Stereotypes: Korean Women's Bodies in Poetry鈥
La Salle University, USA
March 2025
- 鈥淯nveiling the Resilience of Human Stories in Poetry鈥
The Human in Humanities SLL PGR Conference
麻豆视频, UK
May 2024
- Narratives of Transnational Korea: Migration, Identity, and Cultural Resilience in Cathy Park Hong鈥檚 Poetry
Newcastle University, UK
April 2024
- Fragmented Form and Spatiotemporal Experiences in Transnational Women's Poetry
Monopoli, Italy
September 2023
- Han in Physical and Literary Spaces: Korea鈥檚 Statue of Peace and Emily Jungmin Yoon鈥檚 Poetry
Oxford University, UK
June 2023
Research interests
- Postcolonialism
- Transnationalism
- Innovative and experimental poetry
- Multilingual poetry
- World literature
Conferences
- 鈥淩eframing Public Memory: The Role of Art in Postcolonial Narratives鈥
Carnegie Mellon University, USA
May 2025
- 鈥淔rom Comfort Women to Cultural Stereotypes: Korean Women's Bodies in Poetry鈥
La Salle University, USA
March 2025
- 鈥淯nveiling the Resilience of Human Stories in Poetry鈥
The Human in Humanities SLL PGR Conference
麻豆视频, UK
May 2024
- Narratives of Transnational Korea: Migration, Identity, and Cultural Resilience in Cathy Park Hong鈥檚 Poetry
Newcastle University, UK
April 2024
- Fragmented Form and Spatiotemporal Experiences in Transnational Women's Poetry
Monopoli, Italy
September 2023
- Han in Physical and Literary Spaces: Korea鈥檚 Statue of Peace and Emily Jungmin Yoon鈥檚 Poetry
Oxford University, UK
June 2023
Teaching
At the 麻豆视频, Han has been a seminar leader for ELI 1033: Thinking Like a Critic I and ELI 1034: Thinking Like a Critic II. She will also be leading ELI 1021: Understanding Poetry.
She also teaches Introduction to Creative Writing through .
The 6-week Introduction to Creative Writing Workshop focuses on the robust genre of creative writing as students consider what its varied forms can do. Students explore writing as a flexible, adaptive mode of communication that addresses diverse audiences and rhetorical purposes, building connections between writing for school and for broader traditions of lyrical, personal, and public writing. Through discussions and peer workshops, students learn to think of intellectual and creative writing, as well as the broader world of ideas they engage in, as a conversation in which they take part using critical engagement of thoughts and texts.
By exploring fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama, students are be able to understand the principle of discourse variation by examining how different forms of creative writing enable writers to take authorial stances, position themselves in relation to texts, readers, and the wider culture, and come to terms with significant issues through reading and, of course, writing.
Publications
Highlights
Books
- Abecedarian: Banff, Canada (kith books, 2024)
- (, 2023)
- (, 2021)
Poetry
- 鈥淧assing Notes鈥 in Sapiens Magazine
- 鈥淟earning the 臧雮橂嫟s鈥 in Barahm Press
- 鈥淎 Compliment鈥 and 鈥淚sland Baby鈥 in Culture Cult Magazine
- 鈥淜orea and Japan: The Differences鈥, 鈥淪tatue of Peace鈥, 鈥淲hen Whales Fight鈥, and 鈥淭he Korean Word for 鈥淎gain鈥濃 in Arteidolia
- 鈥溾 in East Ridge Review
- 鈥淒elonix regia鈥 in Wingless Dreamer (print)
- 鈥溾 in Transients Magazine
- 鈥淟et Us Possess One World鈥 in Nothing Much Poetry Magazine(print)
- 鈥淢inari鈥 in Nothing Much Poetry Magazine (print)
- 鈥溾 in Aloka Magazine
- "" in Eclectica Magazine
- 鈥溾 in Hanok Review
- 鈥溾 in Lacuna Festivals
- 鈥淭he Release鈥 in The MockingOwl Roost
- 鈥溾 in Nevermore Journal
- 鈥溾 in Stripes Magazine
- 鈥溾 in Lacuna Festivals
- 鈥溾 in Feral: A Journal of Poetry and Art
- 鈥溾 in Among Worlds Magazine
- 鈥溾 in Valiant Scribe
- 鈥減lease don't refuse me鈥 in Peach Velvet Mag
- 鈥溾 in Serpentine Lit Zine
- 鈥溾 in Mason Street Review
- 鈥溾 in Constellations
- 鈥溾 in Constellations
- 鈥溾 in The Lake
- 鈥溾 in Anti-Heroin Chic
- 鈥溾 in Vita Poetica
- 鈥溾 in Flora Fiction
- 鈥溾 in Fathom Mag
- 鈥溾 in Thimble Magazine
- 鈥淭o Miss Tranquist鈥 in And So Yeah
- 鈥淯kombozi Hospital鈥 in The Blue Nib
- 鈥溾 in Among Worlds Magazine
- 鈥溾 in Among Worlds Magazine
- 鈥溾 in Anti-Heroin Chic
- 鈥溾 in Chachalaca Review
- 鈥溾 in Red Planet Magazine
- 鈥溾 in Flora Fiction
- 鈥溾 in Valiant Scribe
- 鈥溾 in Culture Miks
- 鈥溾 in Noggy Bloggy
- 鈥溾 in Noggy Bloggy
- 鈥溾 in Global Poemic
Fiction & Nonfiction
- 鈥溾 in Marrow Magazine
- 鈥淒ispatch from the Morning Calm鈥 in Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo
- 鈥溾 in Tint Journal
- 鈥溾 in Ruminate Magazine
- 鈥溾 in Erraticus
- 鈥溾 in Ponder Savant
- 鈥溾 in Boston in 100 Words
Reviews & Interviews
- 鈥淓choes of Resilience鈥 in Jottings Tangents Misc. (print)
- 鈥溾 in Pier-Glass Poetry
- 鈥淔ragments of Inspiration: Interview with Melanie Hyo-In Han鈥 in MockingOwl Roost
- 鈥溾 in Gordon College
- 鈥溾 in Valiant Scribe
- 鈥溾 in EcoTheo
- 鈥淩eview of Shrapnel Maps by Philip Metres鈥 in Entropy Mag
- 鈥淔eatured Poet Interview鈥 in The Blue Nib
- 鈥溾 in Tint Journal
Translations
- 鈥溾 in Hebel Ediciones
from Spanish to English and Korean - 鈥溾 in Hebel Ediciones from Spanish to English
Awards & Nominations
- 鈥淩eframing Public Memory鈥 鈥 The Arts in Society
Emerging Scholar Award Recipient - 鈥淟etters to You鈥 鈥 Between These Shores
Pushcart Prize Nomination - 鈥淎becedarian in 頃滉竴 (Hangul)鈥 鈥 Feral: A Journal of Poetry and Art
Pushcart Prize Nomination - 鈥淒ar es Salaam Delicacies鈥 鈥 The Lyric Magazine
1st Place Winner - 鈥淔inding Home in Chinatown鈥 鈥 Boston in 100 Words
2nd Place Winner - 鈥淜orean Survivors of Japanese Comfort Women鈥 鈥 Valiant Scribe
2nd Place Winner - 鈥淎n Exponential Function鈥 鈥 Constellations
2nd Place Winner - 鈥淭umaini Wa Maisha鈥 鈥 Emerson College
Fiction Honorable Mention