English Sijo Collection - Sejong Sijo Competition Winners by Sejong Cultural Society

2008 Sejong Sijo Competition

Cuisine?

I look through the window of the Korean barbeque place.

Ducks, chickens, creatures big and small, hang from the gallows of the cook.

Step inside and join the culture, leave your wishes at the door.

Jacob Diamond (Weston, FL) 11th grade, Cypress Bay High School First Place

2008 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Jacob Diamond, I am 17 years old and currently entering my senior year at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Florida. I learned of this great poetry competition in my Honors creative writing class, a class which I have continued to take through my high school carreer. The opportunity to express my poetic creativity in a completely new and unique manner quickly pushed my pen to paper. I was inspired to write about the Korean culinary process through my experience walking the streets of the Oriental district of New York City. Through my work, I strived to paint the picture of what I saw through the window of a Korean barbeque restaurant. The image of roasted Korean delicacies caught my attention and put my imagination into motion. Through participating in this contest, I have indulged in the cultural exchange of a diverse society, where most are guilty of oblivion towards other herit! ages. My sijo intends to bridge the cultural divide which widens every day.

Aside from devoting time to my love for writing, I have a great passion for the game of baseball. I have grown up around it, played it for many years, and now I currently work as a bat boy for the Florida Marlins. During the 2007 season with the Marlins, I was fortunate to work with the right-handed pitcher from South Korea, Byung-Hyun Kim. I admire Kim for his great achievements in Major League Baseball and the difficulties he endured in his pursuit to capture the American dream. Kim left Gwangju, South Korea and arrived in America where he faced adapting to a new country and a new language, while still maintaining his strong Korean ties which he shared with us in the Marlins clubhouse. Byung-Hyun Kim stands as one of the few Korean baseball players to play in the World Series.

Next year, I plan to attend the University of Florida where I will study towards becoming a sports attorney for professional athletes as well as enter the business ethics of baseball operations.

True Beauty

There’s a house on the seashore, undisturbed by rot or decay.

In the house, there’s a woman, whose beauty outshines the great bay.

Yet, her flesh feels cold as ice; her eyes are closed; her breath is still.

James Merideth (Vienna, VA) 11th grade, Fairfax Academy for Communication and the Arts Second Place

2008 Sejong Writing Competition

Hi, I am James Merideth. I go to George C. Marshall High School at Falls Church, VA. I live in Vienna, VA My hobbies are drawing, reading, and playing video games. In the future, I plan to be a nurse and perhaps write a book or script. I hope to act in or direct a play. The person I look up to the most is... I don't know. I just flow with life. I haven't really thought about it. I learned about the Sijo writing contest from my Korean 1+2 teacher, Song Johnston. I learned that a poem could be about anything you want, and if you know what you're going to write, it's easy.

Dreams on a Lake

I’m floating on the dark lake, dreaming I’m floating on a cloud

The surface of my tanned skin tingling as water dries on it

A man yells, “Hello, good neighbor!” breaking my dreams to pieces.

Michael Chung (Los Angeles, CA) 5th Grade, Curtis School Third Place Tie 2008 Sejong Writing Competition

I am 11 years old and I attend the Curtis School in Los Angeles. I found out about this contest last year when my older brother, Richard, brought home a flyer from his school. Although I had never heard of a Sijo before the competition, I enjoyed this type of writing. Somehow, it seemed easy to express my feelings in this format. Later, I found out from my mom that our family starter, on my dad’s side, sixteen generations ago, Chung Chul, was considered the best Sijo writer in all of Korea at the time. He wrote Samiinkok, a poem known by all Koreans.

My hobbies are playing piano, building complex Legos, and technology. I want to be an entrepreneur, but I am still not sure in what field. Some days I want to make computers; some days I want to build cars; some days I want to start a company like Samsung, which makes refrigerators, cars, computers, and other electronics.

My personal hero is Admiral Yi Sun Shin, who protected Korea (then known as Chosun) from Japanese invaders from 1592–1598. In the last battle, when Japan retreated, Yi Sun Shin was hit in his heart by a stray bullet. However, he acted as if he was not harmed in order to not distract his soldiers. When Korea finally triumphed, he died. I admire that he defeated the Japanese navy of 300 ships, even though he had only 12 ships. I also admire that he fought to stay alive to see his soldiers victorious.

Who Am I? Who Are You?

You want to know who I am,

But the true question is who are you?

I have told you once before

I’m the smoke to your fire,

I’m that lie you can trust,

I’m you as you come to me in your dreams.

Janelle Torres (Brooklyn, NY) 11th grade, Brooklyn College Academy Third Place Tie 2008 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Janelle Torres and I’m from Brooklyn. NY. I go to Brooklyn College Academy High School. I heard of this competition from my English Teacher Maria Fisher. From entering this competition I learned how to just let my emotions go in my writing. My future goals are to continue with my writing and possibly write my own book in the future. My hobbies are writing, watching Sundance/Foreign films and listening to music. My personal hero is my mother because she encourages me and my brothers to follow our dreams.

2009 Sejong Sijo Competition

Untitled

A single sole was lost today, deep in the river Yalu,

Thrashing, twisting, torn to shreds with color quickly fading.

On the bridge a small boy laughs, holding out his empty shoe.

Creasy Clauser (Crawfordsville, IN) 12th grade, Southmont High School First Place

2009 Sejong Writing Competition

In poetry class the last trimester of my senior year, my teacher started a unit on cultural poetry. One of our assignment choices was to write a Sijo. After I spent what seemed like forever thinking about writing it, I decided to go with a humorous approach. Upon turning my sijo in, my teacher recommended that I let her submit it into this contest for me.

Writing the sijo turned out to be a lot of fun. Getting the correct syllable count was really hard, but after a lot of trial and error, I figured out how to manipulate and rearrange the words to still say everything I wanted and convey the same story. As it is with all poetry it seems, some sacrifices had to be made, but the resulting product was better than I had ever imagined it would be.

As for my future plans, next year I will be attending Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology to major in biomedical engineering as well as run track, cross country, and participate in the band and music programs. My hobbies and interests include photography, reading, playing sports, and anything to do with band. I play clarinet, piano, flute, and pit percussion. I am also a member of New Hope Christian Church.

My personal heroes are my parents. They have taught me so much, and been supportive of every activity I have wanted to try. I couldn’t be where I am now without them.

Secret Song

You ask me what I’m humming; I tell you I’m humming about nothing.

This is untrue because I’m humming about you, all day long.

Who am I to tell you you’re “nothing” when you are my song?

Taylor Edwards (Euless, TX) 10th grade, Trinity High School Second Place

2009 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Taylor Edwards, I’m 16 years old and about to be a junior at Trinity High School in Euless, TX. YAY! GO TROJANS! I entered the writing competition because my AP/IB English teacher, Mrs. Nease, suggested that I should after grading my sejong assignment. Honestly I didn’t have the faintest expectation of winning anything; I just did it for the fun of it all.

What I learned through writing this Sejong, is that when I write anything, I can never come up with something good without a great inspiration.

My goal in the future is to be a marine biologist or an orthodontist… but more on the marine biologist side because it sounds like a lot of fun. I don’t want to aim for a career just because I would make a lot of money for doing it, I want to look forward to going to work, and not have to drag my feet to get there. So I’m pretty much open to anything.

Some of my hobbies and personal interests are... being on the gymnastics team at school, running alone at the crack of dawn, lifeguarding in the summer at the city pool, rock climbing with friends, taking nature pictures, going camping with my family, kayaking on Grapevine Lake, and my favorite thing ever is going to the beach in North Carolina. Oh, and lime-green is the best color in the history of forever.

I don’t really have a personal hero, but in general I do admire people with strong opinions that don’t give in to the influence of others, no matter how tempting the bad influence might be.

Untitled

Remember? Mother and son, father, daughter, uncle and aunt,

where are they? That horrid bomb, those Americans, they killed them all.

What is left? Hiroshima, gone. In internment, my brothers weep

Sarah Chen (Fresh Meadows, NY) 10th grade, Townsend Harris High School Third Place 2009 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Sarah Chen. I’m from Queens, New York, and I go to Townsend Harris High School. I am 15 years old. Korean culture has always fascinated me. When I learned of this competition, I was eager to participate for that reason alone. This competition made me realize that the rhythm in poems, set by the number of syllables in a line, is a key factor to the tone of the poem. In the future, I want to make inspiring art that can influence people and make a change in the world, regardless of how small it may seem. Also, I want to become a video game designer when I grow up. These two ideas have both been my dream since I was in elementary school. In my spare time, I like drawing, making paper crafts, and going outside and playing sports, handball and basketball especially. Two people who are very close to me, David and Man Na, are my personal heroes. Even though I’m such a selfish person, they still put up with me, and support me no matter what. They are people I am eternally grateful for.

2010 Sejong Sijo Competition

Shift Work

Another day at the pet shop

Grumpy cats, hyper puppies

Another puddle, more screaming kids

One loose bird, two missing ferrets

Nine o’clock! Not my problem tonight

I’m heading home, straight to my bed

Sean Alaniz (Tucker, GA) 12th grade, Eaton Academy First Place 2010 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Sean Alaniz. I will be a Freshman at the University of Alabama in the fall. Before entering this competition, my studies have always been more focused on math and science. I entered this competition to expand my knowledge of both other cultures and other school subjects. I greatly enjoyed challenging myself and working hard enough to become able to meet that challenge.

My goals for the future are to become a chemical engineer and join the Navy. I will however, pursue my newly found love of poetry and of surrounding cultures. I am happy that I can add writing sijo poetry to my list of hobbies. It will now be amongst, tinkering with cars, shooting at the range, and math and science. I do not mean to embarrass her, but my personal hero is my girlfriend. If it were not for her, I would not have to courage or the inspiration to be a part of this competition.

Secret Song

Oh my god, I love your necklace.

Where did you get it?

That skirt looks so great on you-

you have the best clothing in the school!

I hate her so much;

I put on such an act when I see her.

Jordan Levenstein (Jericho, NY) 12th grade, Jericho High School Second Place 2010 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Jordan Levenstein. I just finished my senior year at Jericho High School in Jericho, New York. I will be attending Binghamton University in the fall.

My creative writing teacher taught my class what a sijo poem is and told us to try and write one on our own. While I was walking through the hallways, I overheard a group of girls telling a classmate that they loved her outfit. The second the classmate passed, I heard these girls saying that they really hated what she was wearing. The next day in class, I wrote a sijo poem imitating this conversation. I got very emotional as I was writing this poem because the truth of the matter is that people are so judgmental, and it is so hard growing up when people criticize you. I hope that readers can learn a lot from reading my poem.

I have many goals for my future, but most importantly, I would like to be a special education teacher. I get along great with children. I have worked with kids with and without disabilities. I want a job that will be rewarding, and a job that will motivate me to work harder.

I have always enjoyed spending time with my family and friends, exploring and taking photographs, cooking with my dad, and going for walks along the beach.

My personal heroes are my mom and dad. They raised me to be the person I am today, and I am very thankful for that.

Toothbrush

You pick me up, you use me.

I am nothing to you but an object.

I am tired of the scrubbing and cleaning.

You know I have feelings too!

Ew, that’s gross! Those are anchovies!

I never agreed to cleaning your dirty teeth.

Kaycee Gallup (Atlanta, GA) 12th grade, Marist School Third Place Tie 2010 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Kaycee Gallup and I just graduated from Marist School in Atlanta, GA. I wrote my sijo because it was a class project. I worked hard on it because I wanted to get a good grade, but I was not sure what to expect as I entered it into the competition. Through studying and writing my own sijo, I was able to learn about different kinds of poetry. Until this class project I did not even know what a sijo was. When I began reading examples I realized how different each poem is. Everyone expresses themselves in different ways. Poetry is very fascinating in that way.

After attending Clemson University, my goal is to become a special education teacher. My personal heroes are my parents because they have led me down this path. They have always helped others and been extremely generous. When I was much younger they inspired me to begin doing charity work and it has truly become my passion in life.

My hobbies and personal interests include charity work, softball, and reading.

Untitled

Mexico, or rather a beach in the east, suits me quite well.

I prefer climates that sing gently like warm mothers, like mine.

For western thrills like roller coasters don’t soothe like they promise.

Mary Liza Hartong (Nashville, TN) 10th grade, Harpeth Hall School Third Place Tie 2010 Sejong Writing Competition

Mary Liza Hartong, a young lady from the lush green hills of Tennessee, began composing poetry at an early age and continues to do so prolifically. Be it free verse or villanelle, she loves to write! Naturally when she heard of the unusual form of the sijo, she was interested in trying her hand at it and eventually submitting to the contest. Through the submission process, she learned that having confidence in one’s own work is extremely important, as it is not enough just to write, but to let readers come into the writer’s own world. In the future, she looks forward to to inviting many more people into her world. She also hopes that someday a person reading a published volume of her work might read a line and think, “Someone else does that, too! I thought I was the only one!” In addition to harboring these aspirations, Mary Liza enjoys running, painting, and listening to NPR. She considers country singer Reba McEntire to be one of her personal heroes, as she is a strong, confident woman who always keeps on the sunny side of life. Growing up in Music City, it’s no wonder Mary Liza relates to such a musical madame. Who knows, maybe one day she’ll be writing Reba’s lyrics!

2011 Sejong Sijo Competition

Untitled

Peeping, the single yellow head pops out of the fragile shell,

Scoping out the world for the first time, the chick peeps in delight.

Cocking her head towards me, she peeps, “Are you my mother?”

Nicholas Duncan (Mundelein, IL) 7th grade, Carl Sandburg Middle School First Place 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Nicholas Duncan. I am currently 13 years old and entering the eighth grade at Carl Sandburg Middle School in Mundelein, Illinois. I submitted my sijo into this competition after my Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Willis, encouraged the class to enter into some sort of writing competition.

Writing this sijo has been an insightful journey. When Mrs. Willis told my class about this contest, I was unfamiliar with the sijo writing style. I studied hard on the format and began to study famous sijos and why they were famous. This competition has opened yet another door in writing and poetry for me.

In the future, I plan to study at a notable engineering university to become a successful mechanical engineer. My hobbies include Tae Kwon Do, baseball, and volleyball. I also am a member of the school concert and jazz bands.

For me, my personal hero is my dad. When he was growing up, he did not live in a life of luxury. He has shown me that if you try hard at what you believe in, you can accomplish anything. Without my dad’s supportive attitude and encouraging spirit, I would never be where I am now.

Sijo Sijo

As I write this Sijo

Not a thought comes in my mind

Topics escaped, I am lost

What shall I write? I don’t know.

The seasons? Maybe small bears?

Won’t ever know. Sijo is done.

Alex Griffin (Oconomowoc, WI) 11th grade, Arrowhead High School Second Place 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

1. Assignment in my creative writing class.

2. I learned what a Sijo was.

3. My goal is to successfully design my own cars.

4. Cars, writing and drawing comics, etc.

5. E. L. Cord

Bracelet

With comfort I membrane you with all my love held together.

On your rest I style you out, get you ready, begin your day and what’s this!? You’ve strangled me, you don’t clean me! You lost me.

Manuel Rodriguez (Laredo, TX) 11th grade, Alexander High School Third Place 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

Born April 07, 1994 in Laredo, Texas. Manuel Rodriguez has lived here all his life. His older brother also attended AHS Health Magnet. Manuel entered the contest as part of a classroom assignment. He gave it some thought and at first was at a loss for inspiration. He finally looked at his bracelets on his wrists and realized that his favorite bracelet was getting tattered and torn and a little dirty. You see, his passion is riding dirt bikes and he loves to compete in motocross, so it is kind of hard to keep his bracelets clean after he has been riding all weekend.

He realized that he can get inspiration from his life and his interests.

Untitled

Carefully form each letter. Struggling to find syllables.

Hopefully I don’t resort to making up random fillers.

Here it comes. Cornucopia. Oh God I’m cheating. Whatever.

AJ Arshem (WI) 12th grade, Arrowhead High School Honorable Mention 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

I originally wrote my sijo for a school project, but I was struggling in coming up with what to write about. I learned a great amount about the hard work and intricacy that is put into each sijo, limiting one’s self by a number of syllables can be a very difficult task. In the future I’d like to go into some sort of broadcast journalism. My hobbies include riding my unicycle, tinkering with computers, designing T-shirts, and listening to music. If I had to pick a personal hero, it would be my dad. He has always encouraged me to be the best that I can be, and I try to live that out in everything that I do.

Brothers

Another day with my brothers,

Always too much fighting.

Always hogging the TV,

Never brushing their yucky teeth.

Talking about Star Wars in the night time,

I hope they’ll grow up.

Zoe Bator (Lewisville, TX)

3rd grade, Trinity Christian Academy Honorable Mention 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

1. Why you entered your sijo or essay to this competition I love to compete and I love poetry. Also, it was snowing so we didn't have school the day I entered the contest it was something fun to do!

2. What you learned through writing and sending your sijo or essay to this competition I learned that sometimes poetry is structured and you have to count syllables to follow the format.

3. Your goal in the future I want to enter the contest again next year and try to do even better.

4. Hobbies and personal interests Competitive dance and art

5. Your personal hero my dance teacher.

The Life of a Book

People pick me up, check me out

I’m left broken and mistreated

My pages rip, my cover bends, I end up getting thrown at bottoms of bags

I even get judged by my appearance!

Wow! What a life!

Elizabeth Clemmer (Coopersburg, PA)

3rd grade, Trinity Christian Academy 7th grade, Southern Lehigh Middle School Honorable Mention 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

I entered my Sijo to this competition through school. Poetry is a passion and I enjoy creating poems and being able to express my feelings and emotions through writing.

Through this competition, I learned to have confidence in yourslef, no matter if others try to put you down. Don’t doubt yourself, never say never, because chances are, you can win.

A goal I have set for myself for in the future is probably to just keep writing. I would hate to stop making poems, because I would lose interest if I just quit. If I keep making poems, I plan to enter more contests and competitions all around the world.

Some activities I enjoy and some hobbies I have, include: Student council, art class, gym class, and my language classes. I love reading, writing songs, poems, books/stories, etc. I love field hockey, ice hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. I enjoy hanging out with friends, taking pictures, and playing the drums, guitar, and piano.

My hero is probably Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga has so much power in her songs and voice. She doesn’t sing for the money, but because singing is her passion. She loves her fans and really appreciates all who love her work. Her goal is to change the music of the century. Just like my goal, changing the world, to make a better environment. Lady Gaga has life stories of people making fun of her, and putting her down. She found a way to deal with her pain and she is confident. Lady Gaga makes me feel good, by always saying inspirational quotes and sayings. Lady Gaga loves helping others, which also is really great!

Untitled

Walking through a secret garden

I explore more of its beauty;

I see a dying rose wilting as other plants grow in size; Why do I recall the terrifying memories from school?

Meklit Daniel (Jacksonville, FL)

7th grade, Trinity Christian Academy Honorable Mention 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

Hello! My name is Meklit Daniel, and I’m a seventh grader attending Trinity Christian Academy. After seeing an announcement about signing up for the Sejong Writing Competition, I was interested and decided to compete. I barely understood how to write sijos, when I first saw several examples, but then I slowly began to comprehend how to write one. Through this competition I’ve learned to give my inner thoughts and feelings, whenever I am writing anything.

In the future I plan to pursue a career in the medical field as a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher in endocrinology. I want to help young children with diabetes and try to find a cure for it. In my spare time, I enjoy reading books, playing my violin and piano, and listening to music. I’m personally interested in Korea, and its history and traditional and modern cultures.

My personal heroes are my parents because they have sacrificed many things to help me be productive and have given me helpful advice that has helped me a lot. Also, my personal hero is Sarah Chang because she has inspired me to do my best whenever I’m playing my violin.

Untitled

I’m a drifter, always moving with the wind. Never noticed

But always around here, sneaking through this Western town.

Tumbleweed. I cross this land in secret, swept away by the wind. Brett Dolan (Atlanta, GA) 12th grade, Marist School Honorable Mention 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

My World Literature teacher explained that our class was supposed to write a series of sijos and submit our favorite one to the Sejong Writing Competition. I must admit that I did not have much confidence in my ability to write a sijo worthy of recognition since I rarely wrote poetry in my high school English courses. However, I was proud to realize that I do, in fact, have a knack for writing sijos. I look forward to taking more literature and composition classes in college next year. Who knows, I might even get to write more sijos. I plan on studying business and majoring in either accounting, finance, or economics. Outside of school, I love to play sports and spend time with friends. In high school, I started on both the baseball and basketball teams. I was fortunate enough to win back-to-back state championships in baseball as a junior and senior. If I were to choose a personal hero, I would choose my father. He shares my loves for athletics, and he is an excellent role model in terms of character.

The Monsters

As a kid we would lie awake looking under our beds for them.

Then we grew up and realized something even scarier.

Those monsters we were so frightened about grow inside us.

Dana Jaalouk (Pensacola, FL) 8th grade, Creative Learning Academy Honorable Mention 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

Hi, my name is Dana Jaalouk. I entered the sijo competition for many reasons, but the most important reason why i entered was because in 2009 I recieved Honerable Mention in the same competition. I was motivated to enter again, just to see if i would place I learned that to write a sijo takes a lot of effort and perseverance, but through that you can create something extraordinary. My goal in the future is to become a doctor, preferably an oncologist or a psychiatrist. Also in my free time, I'm hoping on writing an auto biography and getting it published in the future. I have a lot of hobbies but my passion is basketball. I just love the game. Without basketball in my life, I don't know what I would do in my free time. Also I love to write. When I'm bored I write my opinions on political issues and about my life. I have very strong opinions and once I have something set in my mind, it wont change. My hero would be Robert Frost. He is an amazing writer. When I read his poems I get so lost in his words, that I forget about my reality. When I get older I want to be able to have that effect on people. Thats why I look up to him, because I admire his talent.

Untitled

Beautiful black hair, blue eyes, she lies next to me staring.

Is it real? Her perfection? I do hope this lasts forever. She is gone. I wake to no one, deceived, hurt, and alone.

Sean Manzelli (Atlanta, GA) 12th grade, Marist School Honorable Mention 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

Untitled

I moved from Africa to Asia to the North Pole

For the only requirement to travel was desire

And a flick; spinning the globe, dropping my finger aimlessly

Ray Smets (Alpharetta, GA) 12th grade, Marist School Honorable Mention 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

The Wind

The wind is, what the clouds blow.

A soothing gift, not for me though.

The wind is, something to feel,

Like a small fish, that you can reel.

The wind blows, on people it likes,

For it blows on you, not me, Yikes!

Justin Whitney (Hingham, MA) 6th grade, Hingham Middle School Honorable Mention 2011 Sejong Writing Competition

2012 Sejong Sijo Competition

I Have Heard

I can speak the language of tigers, I can understand their words.

I can hear the honey bees, the bears, the lions, and the birds.

I can tell the mice what’s on my mind, and I’ve heard. Yes, I have heard.

Hollister Rhone (Chicago, IL) 5th grade, Ted Lenart Regional Gifted Center First Place 2012 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Hollister Rhone. I am eleven years old and in the fifth grade at Ted Lenart Regional Gifted Center in Chicago, Illinois. I entered this competition after my English teacher, Mrs. Wallace, announced this contest to my class and encouraged all of us to submit a poem.

This type of poetry was new to me so I gave it a shot. In fact, it was really fun! At first it was hard to think of an idea for the sijo poem, but then it hit me! My family had been fostering a pit bull terrier named Gomez. When we found him as a stray it was clear that he had been abused and neglected for most of his life. During his first few weeks with us he seemed really sad. It was then that I realized he had no voice when he was being abused on the streets. He couldn't do anything about it except run. I started thinking that maybe animals do have voices and you just have to listen carefully to hear them. That's why I wrote this poem.

My future goal is simple. To keep writing. Whenever I have an idea, I write it down, and I want to continue to do that. I am on a high-level competitive gymnastics team, and between writing and gymnastics, there's nothing more I can ask for.

Alice

Seeing old pictures, I think, “Was I ever really that small?”

Were those pink hands and tiny ears mine because now I feel like Alice in Wonderland, far too big to fit anywhere.

Mary Liza Hartong (Nashville, TN) 12th grade, Harpeth Hall School Second Place 2012 Sejong Writing Competition

Fly high my vibrant-colored kite; up into the clear blue sky

Make a lone colorful dot in the one-colored heavens

So that I can make my existence known to somebody out there

Alice Ra (Irvine, CA) 6th grade, St. Margaret's Episcopal School Third Place 2012 Sejong Writing Competition

Obscure Piano Music

Fingers poised in midair

My eyes dart to read you

But all I see is a sea of black and white surrounding me

Oh, why do you act so difficult?

when all I want is to understand you

Eunice Hong (Valencia, CA)

10th grade, West Ranch High School Honorable Mention 2012 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Eunice Hong. I am an 11th grade student at West Ranch High School. When I first heard that I won an honorable mention in the sijo competition, I was quite surprised. I had first heard about this competition from my Journalism teacher and although I had put in a lot of effort, I never thought I would win. I got my idea for my sijo from watching my brother play the piano. I thought to myself, "How can he play it with such ease while I can't read piano music for my life?" And that was how my idea was born. Writing my sijo not only helped me learn the background of the classical form of poetry but also helped me learn more about the Korea's culture altogether. It also helped me gain confidence in my writing skills and motivated me to continue challenging myself.

My hobbies are reading, shopping, listening to music, and hanging out with my friends. I also love to help out at the hospital in my own free time. My personal heroes are my parents because they are always there to listen to my problems and encourage me to do new things. In the future, I hope to become a pharmacist and help sick people who can't afford the medicine.

Dreaming of Friends

A tiger in my dream chases me, and I wake cold in fear

My mother tells me that people don’t give up when they love you.

I dream of the tiger again. This time, we become friends.

Grace Park (Palo Alto, CA) 8th grade, Jane Lanthrop Stanford Middle School Honorable Mention 2012 Sejong Writing Competition

I, Grace Park, am the kind of slightly off-beat person who will dream of flying over clouds on sliver wings and needs someone to turn on the light and show me that I've stuck my head in the fridge and am holding silver frying pans. So it's perfectly understandable that I've been struggling with how to describe myself for the past week.

My conclusion? I think I am best defined as a contradiction; a beautifully complex, baffling set of contradictions contradicting each other. I want to become a cryptographer or a diplomat (two very different professions); I enjoy apples and rice in just about everything, but believe chocolate should be kept pure and holy; my friends argue about whether I would be a better Luna Lovegood or Hermione Granger (as they have been for the past four years); I am the very definition of Mephistophelean, but my friends come to me for a laugh or advice (although, that could just be because my friends are pretty weird, too); and I love showers but hate swimming.

Despite all that, I've had a few constants in my life, and one of those is my love of anything to do with literature. One of my favorite poems is Celestial Music by Louise Gluck. Read it. And if you don't like it, read it again. And again. Repeat ad infinitum until you like it.

Internet

To say I am addicted would be an understatement,

This wondrous form of technology just plain has me hooked

I’ll never get out of this scary place called the internet.

Megan Poulosophos (Chicago, IL) 8th grade, Ted Lenart Regional Gifted Center Honorable Mention 2012 Sejong Writing Competition

My Grandmother's Hospital Room

From the family at her side, I hear no one talking.

I stare off in space, looking at a picture of my family.

Oh, I am daydreaming of a place I wish I could go.

Derek Stuhr (Albion, NE) 7th grade, Boone Central Middle School Honorable Mention 2012 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a 7th grade student at Boone Central Middle School in Petersburg, Nebraska. I learned about sijo poetry in my language arts class at school. I chose to write my poem about my grandmother because she is my hero, and when she had to be in the hospital this year, I realized how hard it is to stay strong when a person is sad and scared. I hope my sijo expresses this conflict of emotions.

Perplexing Situation

The sleek, sturdy gannet soars above the foreboding sea.

Without fear, it plunges ninety feet down into the abyss.

Sitting on the shore, I brood over my indecision.

Daniel Thach (Bayside, NY) 9th grade, The Bronx High School of Science Honorable Mention 2012 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Daniel Thach. I am a 9th grade student at The Bronx High School of Science in New York. In my English class, I had the opportunity to learn about the unique form and style of Sijo poetry. I was then able to write my own Sijo poem and enter it in this competition. For my poem, I decided to express my overall unconfident and hesitant nature in the decisions I make. However, gaining acknowledgment for my poem has, in a way, helped strengthen my confidence. My future most likely involves being a scientist studying marine biology. I grew up observing and studying wildlife as a child. Being able to incorporate some of my interests into my Sijo poem made writing a very enjoyable process. Understanding and writing Sijo poems has been a very rewarding experience and has definitely expanded my interest in poems and writing in general.

Untitled

Children skip through artificial cities of granular sand

A couple’s hands clench in unison by love’s omnipotent force

Wrinkled wrists flip through memories captured forever on film

Danielle Zakian (Jericho, NY) 12th grade, Jericho High School Honorable Mention 2012 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Danielle Zakian and I am currently a senior at Jericho High School. I plan on attending SUNY New Paltz in the fall of 2012, where I will be majoring in photography. I submitted my Sijo poem into this competition after my creative writing teacher, Mrs. Valenza, encouraged her students to participate. I am very excited and honored to be a Sijo winner and receive an honorable mention recognition.

I have learned numerous forms of writing styles and techniques throughout my year in creative writing. It was during the poetry unit that I became familiar with the Sijo technique of writing. Throughout this lesson, my teacher was able to demonstrate the fundamentals and requirements for this special poem. I realized how Sijo poems are unique and creative as they all share a common, disciplined structured format.

My hobbies are photography and writing. I take great pleasure in expressing my emotions through the arts. Whether it's taking a photograph or writing words upon a piece of paper, I am able to show the world how I truly feel. In my free time, I enjoy playing volleyball and going bowling. In the future, I would love to take photographs and combine them with my writing skills to create something extraordinary.

2013 Sejong Sijo Competition

Still American

They say go, return to land that I don't know. It makes no sense.

Born and raised American, so Mexico is still foreign.

Culture kept, but this is my home. Immigrant, no: Hispanic.

Roberto Santos (Laredo, TX) 12th grade, John B. Alexander High School First Place 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

I'm Roberto Santos, an 18 year old senior at John B. Alexander High School. I had first heard of this competition as a class assignment for my English 4 class, and winning first place came as a great surprise! Without my teacher pushing the class to join, I probably would've never done it out of fear of failure. The fact that I won something for just writing thoughts I've always had with a creative twist still blows my mind!

I live in a border town made up of a Hispanic/Mexican majority, where Spanish is spoken just as much as English; although I'm proud of my heritage, English is still my primary language. In my spare time I make music with my friends and spend time with my family. I plan on majoring in musical engineering and help expose some of my talented friends' music.

Thanks to this competition I have more confidence in my academic capabilities, and feel inspired to participate in more writing competitions.

Untitled

A pool of ink spillled across the floor, spreading and spreading.

Glitter tipped out a mason jar that sparkles in the light.

A universe made of glittering stars and an ink black sky in seconds, creation simplified.

Hannah Pohl (Coral Springs, FL) 12th grade, North Broward Preparatory School Second Place 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Hannah Pohl, I am a senior in high school living in Florida. I love reading and my passion is art. I have always enjoyed poetry, Lord Alfred Tennyson is my favorite poet.

I heard about the contest from my creative writing teacher who introduced us to sijo poetry and encouraged the entire class to submit a poem. I had never really written a lot of poetry and never a sijo. It was interesting to learn. I was surprised and thrilled to discover I had received second place. My poem was inspired by my art, at the time I was working with ink.

Pulaski, Tennessee

The vast, white fields of snow fly by as I awake from a nap

In surprise, I wonder if it is all a dream or reality.

As I come to my senses, I realize it is cotton fields.

Brandon Harris (Cleveland, TN) 11th grade, Notre Dame High School Third Place Tie 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Brandon Harris and I am an eleventh grader at Notre Dame High School of Chattanooga, Tennessee. My English teacher encouraged my class to write three sijou poems and pick our best poem for the contest. I did not expect to place in the contest. My poem was inspired by my traveling experience to Palaski, Tennessee to play in a football game. My English teacher explained that an important part to a sijou poem is the descriptiveness of what your poem is about. I enjoy being outdoors which helped give me the idea to write about the cotton fields I vivdly remember in Palaski. I also enjoy learning the meanings behind songs and studying lyrics. Although sijous are not songs, I consider poems to be similar to lyrics and how they are used.

Winning this award is an honor and has taught me numerous things about poems in general. I have learned that poems come in many different forms. Certain poems can be better for the point a writer is trying to get across. Sijou poems describe surroundings and images we may want the reader to experience just as we did. This contest has insipred me to continue writing and study more poems.

Beauty in a Black Pond

The shimmering moonlight glistens on the dark black pond.

A beautiful dragonfly peers down into the abyss.

Its wing falls into the water, making the pond glow with glee.

Brian Lok (San Gabriel, CA) 12th grade, Gabrielino High School Third Place Tie 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

Cancer

Childhood memoires infest my head with splendid visions.

In my parents' room I was impervious to sorrow.

Now it is smothered in disease and Death peers in the windows.

Amy Malo (Soddy Daisy, TN) 11th grade, Notre Dame High School Third Place Tie 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Amy Malo and I am a junior at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I enjoy reading classic literature, playing guitar, singing, painting, and other crafts. I am currently very indecisive about where my college studies should take me in the future. Asian culture and society has always intrigued me, and I was very grateful to have the opportunity to participate in the sijo contest. I look up to many people for my inspiration and encouragement as a person, but the person who has made the most impact in my life is my father. From everyday choices, to life changing decisions, my dad has been there for me for everything and anything. I heard about this competition through my English teacher at school. I never expected to win anything, but I am glad to accept the great honor.

Untitled

The antique, majestic house sat on the beach watching the ocean for decades.

It saw families come and go as generations pass and children turn to parents.

Gone in minutes, a tidal wave erased walls and memories in one sweep.

Elise Breaux (Norcross, GA) 12th grade, Marist School Honorable Mention 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

Transformation

A midsummer's day shades to night, leaves me to my crystal refuge.

My stomach full of earth's fruit, I tuck myself safe and snug.

The moon slivers out, I cover my head. When I wake, I will fly.

Rebecca Dyer (Maryland Heights, MO) 12th grade, Parkway North High School Honorable Mention 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

Too Long

Did Adam stop and wonder when he saw Eve start to age? Was he surprised to see the skin around her eyes begin to sag, like that of an apple left too long in the sun?

Bennett Graves (Pittsburgh, PA) 12th grade, Fox Chapel Area High School Honorable Mention 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

Lone Wolf

I wander in the white forest, trying to find others like me.

Hunting prey gets trying and loneliness consumes me.

I sometimes ask myself out loud, “Am I the only one out here?”

Phillip Kim (Elmhurst, NY) 10th grade, Townsend Harris High School Honorable Mention 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Phillip Kim. I am a sophomore at Townsend Harris High School at Queens College. I found out about this contest from a list of other contests that my AP World teacher sent to my class via email. This contest stood out to me because I never heard of sijo in the Korean culture, being Korean myself. Writing a sijo made me feel more connected with my native culture. The sijo I wrote was based off of my experiences in middle school, where I did not have many friends. I was the smartest in my class at the time but I barely had any friends. I felt like an outcast in my school. Like a lone wolf, I had no pack to be with. I usually never write poetry but conveying my feelings through poetry felt good.

My future goals are to become a youtube director and star, to get into the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, and to become a full fledged movie director. My hobbies are writing scripts, making videos, and playing video games. My personal hero is my brother who, though dropped out of high school, supports me and perseveres through life. My brotherhood, my goals, and my talents all help me conquer all of my challenges.

The Cellist, The Emancipator

The bend of the aged wood fits snug in my chest: it and I are one.

Wound metal against soft hair that was once wild, organic, that is now tame, synthetic it frees doves from their monochrome cage.

Jeanna Qiu (Livingston, NJ) 9th grade, Livingston High School Honorable Mention 2013 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Jeanna Qiu and I am a freshman at Livingston High School. I had entered this competition last year, winning an honorable mention in the junior essay competition. I really enjoyed the experience, and decided to enter again, challenging myself with a new writing style: the sijo.

One of my favorite hobbies is playing the cello. I am a student at the Manhattan School of Music precollege Division under the direction of Mr. David Geber. My cello playing and my cello teacher's view of the instrument inspired me to write this poem. It seems a miracle to me that simple objects and physics can transform one's life.

I would like to thank my present and former cello teachers, Mr. Geber and Mrs. Kaller, for inspiring me and being wonderful mentors. I would also like to thank my Spanish teacher Sra. Gugger for inspiring a love and appreciation of poetry, writing, and the arts. As always, I am so grateful for my family's love and support throughout this experience. Once again, I am so grateful for this award and this has inspired me to keep writing and sharing my views through my words to the whole world.

2014 Sejong Sijo Competition

Untitled

Rustling fabrics, I explore seas of tweed, paisley blouses, and plaid.

Tangible remembrances; your days of youth, have become mine.

Clothed in strength, now you chase no trends. Wrinkled, gray, lovely threads.

Hapshiba Kwon (Cerritos, CA) 10th grade, Whitney High School First Place 2014 Sejong Writing Competition

I learned of this contest through school and thoroughly struggled with creating such a short poem. However, writing the sijo really helped me notice the power and purpose that each word holds in meaningful works of literature.

I enjoy bike riding, writing, reading, drawing, and taking photos of things other than myself. My personal heroes include Jesus Christ, who I strive to be more like, and my parents. My parents have truly played a big role in my life and have supported me in doing all things.

I aspire to become an author. I dream of publishing a book that will be accessible to everyone, everywhere.

17321-012

Airplanes arc with contrails like ivory streams through blue ground.

Fearless, I rise towards them, wrap my fingers around their wings.

“Your time’s up,” the prison guard yells. “Get back inside.” Slowly, I do

Alexandra Kindahl (Cockeysville, MD) 12th grade, Towson High School Second Place

2014 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Alexandra Kindahl, and I am a senior at Towson High School in Towson, Maryland. I started my writing journey as a seven-year-old, creating bizarre adventure stories with poorly drawn illustrations. In middle school I wrote fan-fiction obsessively, spending most of my waking hours considering foreshadowing and plot development. In high school I returned to original characters, drafting short stories, poetry, and personal essays. While I’ve wanted to have many different careers over the course of my life (mathematician, aerospace engineer, lawyer, criminologist, and Interpol agent, to name a few), my current goal is to become either a novelist or a psychologist (who also writes novels).

I learned about this contest in my creative writing class at my high school. As part of the class, we’re expected to submit writing to several contests over the course of the year, and my teacher was quite excited at the prospect of all of us learning to write sijo poems. I usually write long, free verse poems, so adjusting to the short form and syllable count of the sijo was very difficult for me. (It was also difficult to find information on how prison numbers are determined, for the title.) However, I’m glad that I decided to try.

Lao-Ye (Grandfather)

The moon interrupts, the stars wink the inky sky is their playfield.

In China, Grandfather climbed mountains to greet the escorts of Night.

Though now in America, he still salutes the moon and stars.

Jeanna Qiu (Livingston, NJ) 10th grade, Livingston High School Third Place 2014 Sejong Writing Competition

Untitled

I look at him in awe through the lush forest, a panda wakes Peacefully, he sits while eating a morning snack of bamboo getting prepared to battle extinction as he does everyday

Zachary Andrews (Glenview, IL) 6th grade, Attea Middle School Honorable Mention 2014 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Zach Andrews and I am a 6th grader at Attea Middle School in Glenview, IL. I enjoy playing all sports, my favorite being soccer. On my team I play goalie. I also enjoy playing tennis, basketball, lacrosse, reading and playing with friends.

I would like to thank my teacher, Mrs. Trsar, for teaching me about Sijo poetry. I was shocked when she announced to the class that I had gotten this award. I would also like to thank all of my classmates that gave me feedback and support on my poem.

All in all I think that this was a very educational and great experience and I think that this is a great competition for kids that enjoy writing poetry.

Waves and the Twilight

Waves crash over the rocks, and tints the sand with a dark, shady tan

Tangling the dark green seaweed, sweeping the crabs onto the shore.

The sun sets against the dark shades of orange and yellow bliss.

Serin Bok (Falls Church, VA) 7th grade, Longfellow Middle School

Honorable Mention 2014 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Serin Bok, and I am a seventh grader at Longfellow Middle School. The Sejong Cultural Society writing competition has allowed me to be inspired by others in my daily life, and to express my feelings and thoughts through writing, in both sijo and essay form.

One of my favorite hobbies is solving the Rubik’s cube. I have been doing so ever since I was in 5th grade, after learning about it from a close friend of mine. At first glance, the cube might look quite ordinary. The only thing that seems to make cube special is its colors- blue, white, green, yellow, red, and orange. But once you start to twist and turn the cube, you will see that it is in fact a very complex and intriguing item. The Rubik’s cube has allowed me to think outside of the box over the years, and by doing so, it has helped me to improve my writing. After all, being able to think up new interesting ideas is an important trait for a writer to have.

I am so thankful to my family, especially my sister, who has encouraged me to write ever since I was little, as well as my friends and teachers, for supporting my writing over the years. I hope to continue my writing career in the future.

The Veteran

A man and his rifle, alone in a field of despair.

His destiny speaks to him, as bullets cut through the broken trees. Fallen brothers cry from graves, he soon joins their eternal darkness.

Caleb Burton (Ooltewah, TN) 11th grade, Notre Dame High School Honorable Mention 2014 Sejong Writing Competition

Caleb Burton, “Cal”, is a junior at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, TN. Upon graduation in May 2014, he hopes to attend either Belmont University or the University of Tennessee where he will pursue a law degree. His interests include baseball, playing guitar, and fishing. Cal’s personal hero is his maternal grandfather, 1st Lt. Joseph R. Pahle, who was also his inspiration for his sijo. As a member of the 17th Airborne Division, 513th Parachute Infantry, in WWII, Cal’s grandfather fought in the Battle of the Bulge where he was awarded a Bronze Star; and he jumped over the Rhine River during Operation Varsity. Along with PFC Stuart Stryker, Pahle stormed enemy troops after their plane missed its drop zone and they landed in enemy territory. Styker and Pahle led the charge to overtake the enemy position allowing fellow paratroopers to capture over two hundred Germans and free 3 American bomber pilots. Styker was riddled with gunfire and killed in action while Pahle was shot in the head but after 7 brain surgeries went on to lead a normal life. For their heroics, Pahle was awarded the Silver Star and Styker was honored with the Medal of Honor posthumously. Although Cal’s grandfather died when he was only two years old at the age of 77, Cal has always looked up to his "Papa Joe" and has maintained the highest respect and admiration for our country’s veterans.

paranoia

Arrive at dusk no light in sight.

Lock the doors and check them twice.

No sounds ...but shadows of night.

Tapping, hysteria, and fright...

It was my mother, laundry tonight.

scare me...it might end my life.

Joshua Dieball (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention 2014 Sejong Writing Competition

I'm an eighteen year old musician and writer from Hartland, Wisconsin. Right now, I'm sitting back enjoying life at Arrowhead High School as a senior. I love to produce hip hop and rap music from scratch. I have been making music for two years now and it is all I focus on at this moment besides school. My teacher, Ms. Jorgensen, showed me this contest in her creative writing class.

2015 Sejong Sijo Competition

Overcoming the Limitations

They laughed when he struggled in his wheelchair, begging to join them.

They laughed when they heard him speak an awkward string of gibberish.

They saw him stand from the chair with determined eyes. They did not laugh.

Zion Kim (Little Neck, NY) 11th grade, Ms. Charlene Levi

Townsend Harris First Place

2015 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Zion Kim and I'm a junior at Townsend Harris High School at Queens College in New York. Writing a sijo poem in English was, for me, like having one foot in one world and the other foot in a completely different world. I was immediately interested in this contest because although growing up in this country has led me to assimilate to the American culture, I have always been very proud of being Korean and jumped at any opportunity to embrace my heritage. The sijo allowed me to express both my American side as well as my Korean side, representing the beautiful balance between two opposites that both carry so much meaning in my life.

The story behind my sijo is also deeply rooted in my personal life. I have a brother with multiple disabilities, and growing up with him has created in me a deep understanding of how difficult life is for the disabled and a burning passion to work for them to one day gain the recognition and acceptance they deserve in our critical society. I wanted to express this compassion I have in my sijo, so I wrote about the moment when a man in a wheelchair decides not to let his disabilities limit him from reaching his potential or exclude him from the world.

I hope that through my sijo, people will be able to see, at least for a moment, life through the eyes of those who endure discrimination, misunderstanding, and all sorts of hardships because of their disabilities. I’m sincerely thankful that I had this chance to express parts of myself that I hold very dear to my heart.

The Game

The walls are caving in,

I don’t know how much longer I can survive. Is anyone coming for me?

Does anyone realize that I'm missing?

The door creaks opens. “Found ya!”

my sister says with a smile. “You’re it!”

Emma Kein (Frankfort, IL)

7th grade, Ms. Rebecca Trsar Hickory Creek Middle School Second Place 2015 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Emma Kein and I am a 7th grader at Hickory Creek Middle School in Frankfort, IL. I enjoy playing the cello, club volleyball, and travel basketball. In my free time, I also enjoy hanging out with my friends.

I would personally like to thank my Everest teacher, Mrs. Trsar, for encouraging me to enter the Sijo contest and teaching me the history of Sijo poetry. When she told me that I got 2nd place I was so shocked. I never expected to do this well when I entered my poem.

I also would like to thank my friends and family for everything they do. Whether it is driving me to my activities or encouraging me to do my best, they are always there for me. The Sejong Cultural Society, Sijo contest has helped me grow as a writer and a poet.

Flowers

The pleasure of the floral, how it appeals with smooth colour. The soothing scent tags along, the soft petals so delicate. What a shame that your arrival means the departure of a friend.

Jared Skiles (St. Louis, MO) 11th grade, Ms. Melissa Lynn Pomerantz Parkway North High School Third Place Tie 2015 Sejong Writing Competition

I’m a seventeen-year-old junior that attends Parkway North High School in St. Louis, Missouri. I’d have to say my greatest interest is in music. I’m in the band at my school in which I play the Horn in F, and I spend a large amount of my time listening to all kinds of music, from hip-hop to heavy metal. The common thread between these is the lyrics of the music, which tend to be dark. This reflected in my poem, which in turn was dark. My main goal in the future is to keep experiencing new things. I entered this contest at the request of my teacher, Mrs. Pomerantz in the poetry class offered at my school.

Untitled

Again and again you ask me the same thing, "Who do you like?"

Each and every time, I refuse to tell. It is my little secret.

For some reason, I cannot find a way to say that it is you.

Talia Rochlin (River Edge, NJ) 10th grade, Mr. Stephen Kaplan

Bergen County Academies

Third Place Tie

2015 Sejong Writing Competition

Hi! My name is Talia Rochlin and I am currently a sophomore at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey. In my spare time I play softball and soccer for my school teams. I’ve always loved building things. In the future, I would like to major in aerospace engineering. One day I would hope to work for NASA. I learned about this competition during my creative writing elective earlier this year. Before my teacher told me about this competition, I had never heard of this kind of poem. It was such an interesting experience to learn more about the Korean culture and about my writing style in it of itself. I was so excited to hear that I came in third place! I’ve always enjoyed writing, but over the past year I’ve become really interested in becoming a better writer.

Untitled

The morning sky so picture perfect and nature calling to me

The sweet birds singing in my ear, it almost seems like a dream.

Then I realize I’ve just been on Instagram and Twitter.

Lillie Chapin (Morrison, CO) 9th grade, Mr. Troy Pachner D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Honorable Mention

2015 Sejong Writing Competition

Hello, my name is , I heard about this competition in my history class while learning about Korea. My teacher, Mr. Pachner, encouraged everyone in the class to participate in the Sijo competition. While writing my Sijo, I learned the fluency and beauty that comes with writing a Sijo. I also learned my writing style and voice when I was trying to discover a a subject for my poem. My personal heroes are my mother and Mr. Pachner, they both heavily influence my life and express the fact that working hard is an aspect of life. Mr. Pachner is my freshman non- western civilization teacher, who not only teaches essential skills to become a successful student but he teaches his students how to become respectful and successful individuals. Mr. Pachner is a man, who has many time consuming jobs but he is never too busy to help out his students understand the curriculum. He constantly shows aspects of a marvelous role model. My mom is also a role model of mine, two years ago she was diagnosed with 3 different types of cancer. During this time, she always kept a smile on her face and kept on fighting. With her persistence, today she is in remission. My future goals is go to college and become a doctor, though my plans for the future is to constantly make my mom proud of me through showing her my success and show her the same persistence that she has taught me.

For the World

Soft petals fall on the ground joining the once fragrant blossoms

A powerful gust of wind lifts the petals into the air

Scattering thin pink pages into the silence of the world

Melissa Chow (San Gabriel, CA) 12th grade, Ms. Marguerita Drew Gabrielino High School Honorable Mention 2015 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a senior at Gabrielino High School. I have always struggled with writing poetry but through the Sijo competition, I have learned that poetry can be fun! I plan on becoming a nurse in the future and hope to continue writing (short stories and poems) as a hobby. I love to draw and eat mangos!

A Broken Home

Where’d you go? You promised you'd be home, but you haven't shown.

What went wrong? Was it that time? Why do I miss you? Please, come home.

Singing a drunken lullaby, in hollow ground, together, at home.

Keiagane Mork-Cardon (Hartland, WI) 11th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention 2015 Sejong Writing Competition

Chaos Theory

The butterfly effect is the fragile dependence on beginnings.

We started simply: the study of time between yesterday and someday.

If a moth sprouts from silk when no one is looking, will it still learn to fly?

Meghedi Tamazian (Naperville, IL) 12th grade, Mr. Mike Rossi Neuqua Valley High School Honorable Mention

2015 Sejong Writing Competition

Meghedi Tamazian is a seventeen year old girl who resides in a Chicago suburb. She is a member of her school's speech team and competes in the individual event of "Poetry Reading." She has represented her school in numerous literary conferences, festivals, and magazines and has been mentored by renowned poets such as Kevin Coval and Roger Bonair-Agard. In Fall 2015, she will be attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to pursue degrees in English and Education and aspires to teach at the collegiate level.

Solitude

A lone wolf howls through the night, his grief ringing in the air.

Sitting alone in my room, I shudder at the sound of his sorrow.

Perhaps I could join him, two lost creatures seeking comfort.

Elise Westervelt (Montvale, NJ) 12th grade, Mr. Stephen Kaplan Bergen County Academies Honorable Mention 2015 Sejong Writing Competition

2016 Sejong Sijo Competition

Emma

My new dog, little Emma, a gift to us from the heavens.

My aunt passed, stupid cancer, my mom distraught. Everyone muted.

I could look into Emma’s eyes, she’s still here, on four paws.

Austin Snell (Pewaukee, WI) 12th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead High School First Place

2016 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Austin Snell. I am 18-years-old and I attend Arrowhead High School in Hartland, WI. I enjoy playing sports, especially soccer. I don’t play on the school’s team, but I enjoy kicking and shooting the ball. I am a fan of the London soccer team Arsenal F.C. I am a huge car enthusiast. I love motorsport (specifically F ormula 1 and Rally) and I would love to race cars in the future. I plan on going to college to learn about automotive engineering because I like the technical nature and the precision of cars. I work well with my hands. I always thought of being a mechanic, since I am passionate about cars, but I don’t really like grime and getting filthy.

I would love to thank my Aunt Eli who passed away after battling cancer. She was the inspiration for my sijo. She was the kindest and most honest person I will ever know. We knew my aunt’s cancer had come back the same year we got our new dog. My mother was in complete despair. We needed something that would help us feel better. To honor my aunt, we wanted to name our dog something close to Eli. We were going to go with Emily but then finally settled on Emma. My aunt saw our new dog on video chats and she said she was the cutest thing she had seen. When my aunt passed away, we decided to give our dog her middle name (Eli) to honor her. She will always be missed.

I learned about this competition from my Creative Writing teacher Ms. Jorgensen. I never heard of this form of poetry and now it’s one of my favorites. I didn’t do this poem to win the competition; instead, I did the poem to express myself through writing. Thank you.

The Sanctuary

Tiny snow-white egret wading

through the sea near broken rocks

How can a being so fragile keep balanced despite the waves?

On the beach, not far from the boardwalk, there stands only one tough tree.

Bella Dalton-Fenkl (Poughkeepsie, NY)

12th grade, Ms. Ani Depa Mapleview Preparatory Homeschool Second Place 2016 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Bella Dalton-Fenkl and I live in the Hudson Valley in New York. I’m homeschooled and I will be attending Vassar College this fall. I’ve loved studying sijo and other Asian poetic forms ever since I read Urban Temple and my favorite poems are ones about personal experiences in nature. Last year, I was lucky to be in an Asian Poetry course at a local university, in which I had to write, among other things, a haiku every day for a month! It definitely strengthened my understanding of poetic forms, including sijo. My English teacher is a wonderful female Buddhist lama, Ani Depa, who has helped me explore my interest in poetry over many years of study.

“The Sanctuary” is a poem that describes Silver Sands beach in Connecticut. On a day trip last year, I was walking by a boardwalk. The sun was setting, and I had seen a baby egret stumbling through the sea. A few minutes later I saw a small tree growing on the beach. The tree had clearly been buffeted by a storm in the past half of it was missing, but it was still healthy. I was so impressed by these small yet determined living creatures that I was inspired to write this sijo.

Mirror

She challenges me.

Poking fun at how I look.

I tell her we shall never be friends-

I will not return to her.

But I realize she will never leave.

She is the woman who lives inside of me.

Vivian Nguyen (Lakewood, CO)

9th grade, Ms. Kari Newell

D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Third Place

2016 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Vivian Nguyen, I am 15 years old and I was born in Melbourne Australia. I moved to the United States when I was 13 years old and I have experienced so many new and wonderful things, culturally. My future goal in life is to one day be able do something with my life that helps others as a career, and putting others needs before my own. I enjoy playing the piano in my free time, drawing, running, and reading fiction. My personal heroes are Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and my mum.

I heard about this competition from my Eastern Civilizations teacher, Ms. Newell, who encouraged us to write sijo poems and submit them into the competition. As I was writing my sijo poem, I learnt that what you put into a poem shouldn’t be influenced by what others are feeling, but yourself. People our age experience self-confidence issues, and I wrote the sijo poem based on that. Self confidence is what one of my closest friends struggled with and as a result, she developed an eating disorder. The stories she told me of what it felt like, impacted myself, and so I decided to write about it. I’m honored to be chosen for this award and thank-you so much.

Forever Gone

All your thoughts are gone, never to be seen again

Back and forth, back and forth, until everything disappears

The eraser is now wiping all of the pencil marks away

Philip Ahn (Denver, CO) 9th grade, Mrs. Deb Holland D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Honorable Mention 2016 Sejong Writing Competition

A Fleeting Moment of Profound Relief

The nebulous sound of tourist babble melds into the heat.

A grizzled man gestures to his blanket, lined with baubles.

“You buy? You buy?” He sighs, assuaged, when I reach for my wallet.

Suzan Kim (Cresskill, NJ) 11th grade, Mr. Stephen Kaplan Bergen County Academies Honorable Mention

2016 Sejong Writing Competition

Back in New Orleans

In the South, Grandpa was born. Paper shack house had a dirt floor.

As a kid he drank coffee. Milk for them was too expensive.

They were rich with gospel spirit! In church they sang, and filled their hearts.

Dante Kirkman (Palo Alto, CA) 8th grade, Ms. Alexandra Gatley

Jordan Middle School

Honorable Mention

2016 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Dante Kirkman and I’m a student, writer, artist and boxer from Palo Alto, California. My creative work expresses my viewpoint and experience as a Black youth coming of age in 21st century America. My work, often on social justice themes, has been published, exhibited and awarded at the state, national and international level.

I am very interested in folklore and poetry, as these traditions figure strongly into the oral traditions of the American Black experience. For example, I have made a documentary on the Black lowrider experience in California, and I have written poetry based on the Harlem Renaissance. As a result, I was very excited to learn about the Sejong project, because it gave me an opportunity to combine these interests in an unexpected way, and explore a new genre of poetry. The fact that Sijo is a poem that is meant as a song really resonates with African-American traditions.

In terms of folklore, Brer Rabbit is the famous character from the folklore tradition of American slavery. So when I had the opportunity to learn about the story of his Korean rabbit counterpart, I was very excited to dig deeper in terms of the significance of these stories. In reflecting on them, it became clear to me that the powerless rabbit, who gets by on his wits, is an important symbol for oppressed or dispossessed people, who still aspire to their rightful place in society. The spirit of the rabbit represents the spirit of everyone who aspires to a better life.

The theme of a better life is a segue to my Sijo poem. My inspiration for the Sijo poem was my grandfather, who grew up in segregated New Orleans during the Great Depression with nothing but his faith in God and a resolve to make a better life. After serving in WWII in the Philippines, he settled in San Francisco and made a life for his young family in Menlo Park, California, on the red-lined Black side, east of the freeway. He worked as a mailman and raised five children, and now I am honoring his legacy as his grandson, and my older brother is the first to go to college.

On a final note, the Sejong Cultural Society has helped me expand my horizons to learn more about Korean culture, and for this I am grateful. I am also working on an environmental justice project sponsored by Samsung, a Korean company, and it is empowering to realize that the world is only as big or distant as we choose to make it

Valor

My father was a hero mailing letters to soldiers in Japan.

My brother was a hero flying food to friendlies in Korea.

But I was a coward for shooting my gun in Vietnam.

Derek Krueger (Luverne, MN) 12th grade, Ms. Amy Sahly Luverne High School Honorable Mention

2016 Sejong Writing Competition

Untitled

Here I am, the human pincushion, constantly stabbing my skin with needles.

Here I am, a disappointment to my parents, with a chronic disease.

Here I am, a teenager, trying to hold onto a piece of nonexistent string.

Katie McFarland (Salado, TX) 10th grade, Ms. Terri Seaton Salado High School Honorable Mention 2016 Sejong Writing Competition

Untitled

This artwork is so beautiful and creates a home for someone. It is made in the biggest workshop on the entire Earth.

Small creatures in the sea live, work, and sleep in these seashells.

Haley Tedstrom (Golden, CO) 9th grade, Mrs. Deb Holland D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Honorable Mention 2016 Sejong Writing Competition

Untitled

The ball spins, after I pass, the ball rolls down, after I shoot, the ball flies, basketball's fun, I play often, I play at school, I play sports, I play sports at school, I love to play, the ball spins

Duncan Vallone (Laredo, TX) 11th grade, Ms. Beverly Herrera

J.B. Alexander High School

Honorable Mention 2016 Sejong Writing Competition

Sol et Luna

Playful shouts and pounding feet, children run and play in the heat. Light kisses from the warm rays, when the sun's out, it’s time to play.

I’m the moon, watching in despair,

I’ll never know their love affair.

Abagael Weber (Oconomowoc, WI) 11th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention 2016 Sejong Writing Competition

2017 Sejong Sijo Competition

Untitled

With glowing white eyes and shining white teeth, the beast sits in silence

Staring, like a hungry caged dog, demanding to be fed

Nothing is worse than the malevolent glare of a blank page.

Clint Gersabeck (Golden, CO) 9th grade, Ms. Deb Holland D'Evelyn High School First Place

2017 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Clint Gersabeck and I am a freshman at D’Evelyn High School. My history teacher, Mrs. Holland, told the class about this competition and encouraged us to submit a sijo poem to the competition. She did a very good job of teaching us to write sijo poetry.

This poem was inspired when I had to write a sijo in history class and could not think of anything to write about. While I was looking at the blank page, Mrs. Holland saw that I had not written anything and jokingly suggested that I write about a blank page. I decided to use this idea and submitted my poem. I would like to thank Mrs. Holland for encouraging me to write my poem and the Sejong Cultural Society for giving me this award.

Untitled

Fiery, spewing lava melting everything away

A volcano rapidly roaring on this cold winter day

How that marshmallow feels in the hot chocolate, I can’t say.

Aidan Boyle (Littleton, CO) 9th grade, Ms. Deb Holland

D'Evelyn High School Second Place

2017 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Aidan Boyle and I am a freshman at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. I love to play soccer and basketball. I played for my high school's JV soccer team this year and it was truly a blast. I did not try out for my school’s basketball team but I love playing it with my friends. I hope to one day become a mechanical or chemical engineer because I love science and math.

My Non-Western Civilizations teacher, Mrs. Holland, told the class about this competition and encouraged all of us to write a poem and submit it in the competition. She taught us the basic format but let us use our creativity to create a meaningful poem that was powerful to each individual person.

The poem I wrote was written in my history class. I was sitting in class on a cold January morning, thinking of something to write my poem about. I thought of the things I loved from sports, to food, but finally winter popped into my head and I knew I there had to be something in winter that I could write about. I decided on hot chocolate but had to think of something like it; a volcano! I wrote the poem, turned it in, and won second place. I am honored to receive this reward and I would like to thank Mrs Holland for pushing me to write the poem and the Sejong Cultural society for this great opportunity.

Ex-Con

As I dash through this field of copper,

I recall cold, grey bars of steel. Years taken but for no crime, forgotten by those who live freely. With a bark and a wag of my tail

I run to her, she who saved me.

Emma Senkbeil (Sussex, WI) 11th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Third Place Tie 2017 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Emma Senkbeil, but most people call me Vi. I'm 17-years-old, a junior, and I attend Arrowhead High School. In my free time, I can usually be found doing one of three things: making art, playing video games, and, if the weather permits it, spending time in the forests near my home. I plan on finding a job as an artist of some sort, preferably in animation or character design/concept art. Many things inspire me to make art, but people and animals inspire me the most. My teachers, my family, my friends, my partner, and all those I look up to are to thank for my creations.

I found out about this competition in my creative writing class. I should specifically thank my teacher, Ms. Jorgensen, for this honor, as she has been teaching me how to paint pictures with my words, an ability I’ve always admired in others.

My sijo, Ex-Con, is about a topic I personally care for deeply. I’ve grown up around animals of all shapes and sizes, and naturally I love them all. So it pains me when I know there are hundreds of thousands of animals each day left forgotten at pounds and humane societies. All of these animals deserve loving homes and families; however, many of them never get adopted, and either live out their life in a cold metal cage or are put down before their time. To whoever may be reading this: if you are considering finding a pet, I ask you to adopt rather than shop they’ll love you unconditionally in return.

Reach for the Stars

On the moon, I plant our flag. Slow steps, through light gravity.

Surrounded by millions of stars, just me and the galaxy.

“Come inside, dinner’s ready!” Time to leave my cardboard fantasy.

Maddie Shipshock (Hartland, WI) 11th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Third Place Tie 2017 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Maddie Shipshock. I am 17-years-old and I go to Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. I love to play tennis, draw and paint, and hang out with my family and friends. I have played many sports throughout my childhood, but ever since I started playing tennis a few years ago, it has been my favorite. Tennis is a sport you can play for a lifetime. My favorite subject in school is art. I am a creative person and I have a large imagination. Art allows me to express how I see the world and provides a good way for me to relax from my busy life. Along with my creativity, I enjoy math and science. A combination of these three things would be in the ideal job I hope to find someday.

“Reach for the Stars” is a poem that describes a child with a huge imagination. It’s about a kid who aspires to be an astronaut. At first, it seems as if the poem is about the first person to step on the moon. However, the mother’s voice indicates that this is her child daydreaming outside in the backyard. I think we all remember moments like this when our imagination has pulled us away from reality.

I heard about this competition from my teacher Ms. Jorgensen in Creative Writing. I saw this writing contest as a difficult challenge I could use to become a better writer. Creative Writing taught me how writing can be an art just like drawing and painting. Writing is a way to express myself and to challenge myself to think outside the box. I am thankful for everything Ms. Jorgensen taught me and I am pleased to be a part of this contest.

Beach Vacation

Feel the summer ocean breeze

Swim through calm sea waves under blue skies

Close to shore but under the sea

Enter worlds of aquatic nature

But come back to the surface and

See the towels and trash upon the sand.

Alena Fahndrick (Thousand Oaks, CA) 12th grade, Ms. Rebecca Adams La Reina High School Honorable Mention 2017 Sejong Writing Competition

Alone

I walk, I run, I play all day long, with mom and dad who care.

As I grow and get older I’m certain they won’t let go...

But today I’m out on the street; I look down, my collar is gone.

Emma Maurer (Sherman Oaks, CA) 7th grade, Mr. Caleb Humphreys

Beverly Vista School Honorable Mention

2017 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Emma Maurer and I am a 7th grader at Beverly Vista School in Beverly Hills, California. I am a true academic who especially loves reading and writing. My favorite genres of books are fantasy and realistic fiction. I come from a family of performers and musicians which has influenced my passion for musical theater, playing trumpet, and dance. I have been part of my mom’s theater program, “A Taste of Broadway,” since I was in first grade. I also take part in a summer theater camp where I have done such roles as Tracy in HAIRSPRAY, Simba in THE LION KING, and Lumiere in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. I play trumpet in the Advanced Band at my school, as well as the District Honor Band. I study ballet, jazz, and tap and have recently become an assistant to my teacher at my dance studio. I love working with younger children which is why one of my future aspirations is to become a pediatrician. In addition to all of this, I love spending time with my family and friends and just being a kid. I am incredibly honored to have been recognized by the Sejong Cultural Society for my sijo, and would like to thank Mr. Humphreys for all of his guidance and support.

Our Beloved Tree

Our peach tree. I love our tree. Our immense tree. Concealed by neighbors,

where we met, where we first kissed, our sacred place, my holy spot.

I miss you... Left heartbroken, now I mourn. Beside our peach tree.

Decker Riggan (Pewaukee, WI) 11th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention

2017 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Decker Riggan. I live in Hartland, WI. I am a junior attending Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. When I am older, I want to become a family or relationship therapist. I have always been the go-to person for help with personal or relationship issues. I enjoy being honest and open. I have had family and friendship issues in the past so I would love to help out people with their issues. I love playing basketball, video games, and golfing. I learned about this competition in my creative writing class. When I found out I won, I didn’t believe it. I never expected to win, but I was very proud of myself when I found out I did. I loved writing my sijo because I felt like I created a story that could be seen differently by each reader.

Ice Cold

The snow falls between the tombstones

without care, without delay

Everything is simpler in white

Snow fills up the deepest cracks

Is this truth, or a facade?

I'm too numb to tell the difference

Sarina Tajuddin (Naperville, IL) 10th grade, Ms. Gillian Schneider Nequa Valley High School Honorable Mention 2017 Sejong Writing Competition

Sarina Tajuddin is a sophomore at Neuqua Valley High School. She is very passionate about science and speech, and is a varsity member of the Neuqua Valley Speech Team. Sarina has been writing poetry for five years. She heard about the Sejong Sijo Writing Competition through her English teacher Ms. Schneider, and was very eager to learn a new, unique poetic style. In the future, she hopes to further explore sijo and continue to write more poems.

Winter Wonderland

Children in the snow, laughing, playing, and making memories, Snowball fights, hot chocolate, and telling stories by the fire.

Unless you live in the south where winter days are full of sun.

Samantha Taylor (Harrison, TN) 12th grade, Mr. Chuck Newell Notre Dame High School Honorable Mention 2017 Sejong Writing Competition

Make a Wish

Dandelion puffs rest on the ground, I lean down and pick one up

Wanting to fly, I take a deep breath, making my wish I blow out

In the air, puffs fly in the sky, but me and my wish are left behind

Rose Zhou (Jamesville, NY) 11th grade, Mr. Matthew Philips

Jamesville Dewitt High School Honorable Mention 2017 Sejong Writing Competition

2018 Sejong Sijo Competition

The Grandmaster's Immortal

He moved the queen down and smiled; onlookers stopped to watch.

With checkmate in sight, he was just toying with his opponent who had wandered off to play with the pigeons, “C’mon grandpa!”

Aidan Choo (Holmdel, NJ) 10th grade, Ms. Margaret McDonald

Holmdel High School First Place

2018 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Aidan Choo and I am a sophomore at Holmdel High School. I am in my school's jazz ensemble, track team and chess team. I have and enjoyed writing from a young age, and also learned to write in both English and Korean as I had attended Korean school. I have participated in many writing competitions in both languages and was naturally drawn to this one as it was a fusion of the English language and Korean sijo. I liked the rhythm and cleverness of many famous Korean sijos and was eager to write my own.

I got the idea for my sijo from watching people of all ages play chess. Often at tournaments or even in chess tables in parks, I would see many grandfathers and their grandchildren playing chess together. I found it interesting that the game of chess could appeal to all people regardless of age or skill level. I am very thankful to have gotten first place for this competition and am glad to share some of my poetry with everyone.

Unique

More often than not, I wish I was like everyone else.

The kids at school make fun of me, and it makes me extremely upset.

But if I was like them, I would make some other kid feel bad.

Gabe Foulk (Indianapolis, IN) 10th grade, Ms. Leslie Appleby Franklin Central High School Second Place

2018 Sejong Writing Competition

Death of a Beetle

I killed a beetle this morning without batting an eye.

I went home and saw my family, my parents, my sisters.

Unlike the beetles, whose family wait up for him to come home.

Luke Eckler (Chattanooga, TN) 12th grade, Mr. Chuck Newell Notre Dame High School Third Place

2018 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a senior at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I have played soccer for 4 years and I was a captain this year, I've also played basketball for 4 years, cross country for two years, and bowling for one year. After college I plan on becoming an Environmental Engineer. I've always liked poems and certain intricate word play I hear in raps. I entered this competition because our English teacher made me and surprisingly I did well.

Dazed

The flaming sun gleamed in the sky. The birds sung to the world. The flowers bright, as butterfly wings, revealed life’s beauty to me. Suddenly, my teacher yelled, “Focus on your test, young lady!”

Mari Caldero (Pewaukee, WI) 11th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention 2018 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Mari Caldero. I’m a junior at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. I love ice skating, bike riding and watching movies. At the moment, I’m taking many classes related to the medical field. I look forward to becoming an ER nurse in the future, and I am willing to work hard to do so. I’m a busy person who loves to meet people and is kind to everyone around me.

Ms. Jorgensen was the English teacher who introduced me to this competition. I had no I idea I would win, but I’m excited I achieved that. Writing a sijo poem brought out my creativity and I enjoyed showing it to others. I am highly grateful for Ms. Jorgensen's help and I am also grateful that I was part of this competition.

Canadians

The sharp wind

Snaps at my bones

As icy fangs

Cut me apart

My love gone

With summer’s ghost

His warm smile kept

In my trembling heart

Distantly..

“Bit warm today, eh?”

Canadians

On cold days

Gigi Copeland (Jensen Beach, FL) 9th grade, Ms. Annie Line, Jensen Beach High School Honorable Mention 2018 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Gigi Copeland. I am currently a freshman at Jensen Beach High School. As an avid learner of Chinese, Korean, and Spanish, I love finding ways to get involved in activities where I can both develop my interests and discover new things, such as being vice president of my school's Chinese club and a member of the cross country team.

Being from Florida, I continuously find myself excessively chilly during the slightest cold snap while my friends from the northeast and Canadian extended family are practically sweating just one of the struggles that come with being from the "Sunshine State".

I greatly appreciate being selected as an honorable mention in this competition among so many talented young writers. I hope to study abroad in South Korea at some point during my high school career and will keep the knowledge I gained in the art of sijo in mind as I continue to further my learning in Korean language and culture.

Young Love

The wind kissed him, as the sun met the grass; the butterflies danced, with joy and merriment, creating a colorful painting.

Such was the day, when the little brother found the flower.

Time seemed to slow down, as her emerald eyes met his.

Butterflies also danced, but this time, with anxiousness. Such was the time, when the older brother found his flower.

He could not believe, such a precious item existed. Divine, and angelic yet, so delicate. Its white and fluffy shape, which seemed to hold all of his dreams. Tightly.

He could not believe, that she existed, like a pure goddess. Powerful, but still fragile. Her smile that shows her white, perfect teeth, which seemed to hold all of his dreams. Tightly.

Its mesmerizing and hypnotizing appearance, made him long for it. 'How beautiful', the little brother thought. But, as he reached for the flower, the wind blew it away.

Her fascinating and captivating appearance, made him long for her. 'How beautiful', the older brother thought. But, as he stole another glance, her lover took her away.

‘It was a weed! How it tricked me’, said the little brother.

The older brother said, ‘A weed it is, she is a trickster’.

And the two broken hearts drifted, into the sunset.

Meghana Karanth (New York, NY) 10th grade, Ms. Catherine Duffy Ward Melville High School

Honorable Mention 2018 Sejong Writing Competition

Hunger

Claws sharpened, the wild beasts appear,

Growling, howling, barking.

Covered in blood, they struggle

To win the final battle.

I sit at the dinner table,

Watching my friends fight over fries.

Sung Jung Kim (Fairfax, VA)

12th grade, Ms. Alyssa Blevins WT Woodson High School Honorable Mention 2018 Sejong Writing Competition

Hi. My name is Sung Jung Kim (Nickname: John). I am currently a senior at Woodson High School, and this fall, I will be attending Yale University. I currently serve as the president of the senior class, debate in Model United Nations, and is a member of many other clubs and national honor societies. Outside of school, I spend most of my time at church. As a member of the praise team, leader of the string ensemble, and much more, I am actively involved in a close-knit community that I absolutely love. Besides all these, I enjoy spending my free time participating in competitions. That’s how I ended up writing a sijo for the Sejong Writing Competition. Personally, I believe that school-independent competitions serve as a gateway for me to explore topics that are typically outside of the classroom curriculum. From filming videos about safety driving, experimenting with regenerative aquatic creatures, researching about the industry of solar energy, to learning how to write a sijo, I cannot express my appreciation for all the opportunities out there. Amidst all these, my number one priority is God! And I give Him all the glory and praise!

Daydream

The sun shines, as the clouds twirl.

The sea lifts me, as chills uproar.

In salt-filled air, my skin glows.

Nothing but happiness and smiles my world fades oh what a blur.

“Wake up please. Class is over.”

Claire Lawrence (Sussex, WI) 12th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention 2018 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Claire Lawrence. I am 18-years-old and go to Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. I plan on attending University of Minnesota next year to major in elementary education. I have always had a passion for teaching and have always loved kids. I can’t wait for what’s in store for me in the future!

I love spending time with friends, watching movies and baking. Baking is something I have enjoyed ever since I was little. As a child, I remember being in the kitchen with my nana making cookies and that is something I will always hold close to my heart.

While writing my sijo poem, I had an important goal of emphasizing the dreams I have for traveling. I can’t wait for the day when I can travel to different states and even countries. Writing a sijo poem was difficult for me because I had to keep the amount of syllables in mind and follow a structure. Getting an honorable mention for this poem makes me really proud.

Danger

I am scared. I run away.

Sirens screech, gunfire soars.

Bullets fly, I search for cover.

Whimpering, I can’t escape.

My brother laughs, shooting a toy gun.

“Got ya!” he says. “Let’s play again.”

Cole Siepmann (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention 2018 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Cole Siepmann. I am a senior at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. I enjoy playing lacrosse and hanging out with my family and friends. I heard about this competition in a creative writing class at my high school. Writing sijo poetry was my favorite piece of creative writing we did all year. I have never enjoyed writing and never thought I was good at it. Sijo poetry made writing fun because I was able to use creativity and less length than an essay. In the future, I plan to get a degree in business or finance. I am interested in math and hope to follow that interest into my career. In my sijo poem, I just thought about everyday life and how I could write a creative poem with a twist. In “Danger” I used intense language and then connected that to playing in the yard with my brother.

Belated Breakfast

One cup of coffee ready to pour.

Two pieces of wheat toast to eat.

Three spreads of grape jelly.

Four minutes to get ready.

Cat steals my toast, then spills my coffee.

Now, I’m five minutes late.

Toni Smith (Hartland, WI)

11th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention 2018 Sejong Writing Competition

Season That Never Comes

I lace up stiff metal cleats, jog yellow foul pole to foul pole, strap on rugged batting gloves, and take ground balls off the infield turf.

But it’s still minus four outside forty two days till first pitch.

Bryce Toussaint (Oconomowoc, WI) 12th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention 2018 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Bryce Toussaint. I am 17-years-old and I attend Arrowhead Union High School. My creative writing teacher, Ms. Jorgensen, introduced me to sijo poems. Instantly, my brain was filled with inspiration and ideas, but one stood out. I knew I had to write about baseball because it has been my passion since I could walk. I play on my high school varsity team and I’m continuing my baseball career in college. In college, I plan to get my degree in the medical field to be an athletic trainer or a physical therapist. I like this career because it will keep me involved in sports even after I cannot play.

Being selected as a winner, out of a large number of people who entered this competition, is a tremendous accomplishment. I am very thankful to be named an honorable mention. I would like to thank Ms. Jorgensen because she inspired me to write even when I was not very interested in it, but I could not be happier that she did.

2019 Sejong Sijo Competition

Adult Division

Abandoned

This window reveals mysteries.

Behind glass, a life that would have been.

As I fade from your memory,

You grow clearer in my mirror.

Mom, Dad, do you search each other’s faces

For the girl you threw away?

Lily Daniels (Chesapeake, VA)

Old Dominion University

First Place Adult Division 2019 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Lily Daniels, and I am a rising sophomore at Old Dominion University. I am currently majoring in English with an emphasis in professional writing and minoring in Chinese studies. For the past three years, I have fenced at Tidewater Fencing Club, and my other hobbies include camping, hiking, knitting, and reading.

I learned about this competition through a flier hanging on a wall in the ODU English Department. While I enjoy reading and writing poetry, this was the first time I had encountered sijo. I learned a lot about Korean culture and writing sijo from this experience. My favorite part about writing sijo is the flexibility and creativity within the rules. I am thankful to the Sejong Cultural Society for holding the writing competition and increasing awareness about Korean Culture.

The inspiration for my sijo comes from my personal experience. I was left outside of a Family Planning Commission building in China when I was one week old. Even though I love my adoptive family and remember nothing about my first year, it was difficult for me to come to terms with being adopted. There are so many unanswerable questions about my past. Writing is one of the ways I wrestle with these questions and grow from my experiences. I hope that by sharing my writing others are able to understand and relate to my perspective.

Rain Dance

Without fear, I offer myself to the darkening sky.

I dare to wear her delicate, silver teardrops as my crown.

Through the storm, I close my eyes and I dance and dance and dance.

Kaitlyn Jurewicz (Dover, DE) Second Place Adult Division 2019 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Kaitlyn Jurewicz and I am a 10th grade English teacher at MOT Charter High School in Middletown, DE. My hobbies include teaching and performing for Unbranded Dance Academy, reading, writing, and participating in competitive trivia. I have always enjoyed writing structured poetry because every form presents its own unique set of challenges. While writing this poem, I was inspired by the inherent beauty of nature, as well as the feeling of freedom I experience while dancing. This was my first time writing sijo and I feel very proud to have received a second place award! Thank you to the Sejong Cultural Society for continuing to offer unique writing opportunities and inspiring me to explore genres outside of my comfort zone.

Contemporary Love

Swiping left, then left left right

Judging faces without a thought

Seeking love that fills the heart

Oh could you be, my Mr. Right?

Marriage bells ring left right left right

For the fifth time this minute

Ha Young Shin (Centreville, VA)

Georgetown University Third Place Adult Division 2019 Sejong Writing Competition

Ha Young Shin is a 1.5 generation Korean-American immigrant who is a financial analyst by day and an evening MBA student by night. In the future, she hopes to author a book and to start an educational non-profit to empower women and youth from underserved backgrounds. She also hopes to go on missions with her husband, whom she recently married.

In her free time, she loves to sing and play the guitar, ukulele, or the piano. Her personal hero is Jesus Christ and she hopes that she’ll exemplify even a tiny glimpse of His love through her life.

Before this competition, Ha Young did not know what a sijo was. Having left the motherland at such a young age, she is grateful for this opportunity through which she was able to learn more about Korean literature, which she finds both poignant and powerful.

Untitled

Winter comes in a day, blighting cold chasing away frail fall.

I wrap myself in a cocoon of cheerless knitted armor.

Delicate soldiers march, ordered by a relentless wind.

Kimberly Rensch (Fargo, ND) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2019 Sejong Writing Competition

Kimberly Rensch is a middle school language arts facilitator in Fargo, North Dakota, where she lives with her husband and dogs. She is a teacher leader in the local National Writing Project affiliate and leads an extra-curricular writing group for middle school students.

A Sijo for The Martians

Your rusty dot whose trajectory our ancestors trace amidst stars

We name it for the God of our own belligerent dreams

Poets chronicle futures until our silver robots reach your red metal shores

Richard Sasso (Northlake, IL) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2019 Sejong Writing Competition

I’m an English teacher at Hinsdale South High school in Darien, Illinois. My interests include literature, film, and food studies. I’m also involved with my church, Unity Temple in Oak Park. My future goals are to write more sijo for myself and others. One of my personal heroes among many is Argentine poet, writer and critic Jorge Luis Borges. My poem was inspired by my studies of the novel “The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury. I would like to thank the Sejong Cultural Society for giving me so many great opportunities to study this gem of a literary genre. And a shout out to Professor Sam Weller Columbia College in Chicago who got my creative writing bug inspired!

Heaven

I’ve been running in circles, achieving unfullfilment

Is heaven even real, or an invented fantasy?

If I don’t make it to heaven, you can go without me

Emmanuelle Sasson (Weston, FL)

Honorable Mention Adult Division 2019 Sejong Writing Competition

2019 Sejong Sijo Competition

Pre-College Division

Absentee Parents

Make their excuses when asked why they aren’t at your concert.

Pat yourself on the back when you see others holding bouquets.

You have become your own cheerleader. This is a crucial skill.

Sofia Liaw (Fayetteville, NY) 12th grade, Mr. Matthew Phillips

Jamesville Dewitt High School First Place Pre-College Division

2019 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Sofia Liaw and I'm currently a senior at Jamesville-Dewitt High School. I will attend Wesleyan University in the fall with the intention of majoring in Romance Languages and perhaps English as well. In my free time, I enjoys studying languages, writing, and learning about personal finance. I don't know quite yet what I want to do for a career but I would like to have a career that includes writing and learning about other people's lives and experiences. My heroes are slam poets Sierra DeMulder and Olivia Gatwood. I've been entering this competition since my sophomore year of high school thanks to my favorite English teacher Mr. Matthew Phillips who has encouraged me to write and seek out feedback.

A Kisaeng’s Sijo

With the rhythm of the janggu, we dance like magpies, iridescent and spinning, hoping for freedom from the men and their hands feeling at our ivory ankles, calves, and thighs.

Hye In Lee (Cresskill, NJ) 11th grade, Mr. Richard Weems

Bergen County Academies

Second Place Pre-College Division

2019 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Hye In Lee and I am currently a junior at the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey. Recently, I've sought to incorporate Korean culture into my poetry and wanted to write from the perspective of a woman in Korean history. I came across the stories of the kisaeng, who often dealt with the sijo style, and thought it would be interesting to write a sijo from a kisaeng's perspective. I am grateful to the Sejong Cultural Society for inspiring me to learn more about my Korean culture. When I'm not poring over poetry journals or writing some of my own, I like to play the piano and read philosophy!

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The thrashing waves drown out the cries from the helpless victim

Hearing the sky scream in agony the dark abyss swells below

The ding wakes me from my hypnosis of the turning laundry

Sophie Baltzan (Lakewood, CO) 9th grade, Ms. Deb Holland

D'Evelyn Jr/Sr High School

Third Place Tie Pre-College Division

2019 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Sophie Baltzan. I am 15 years old and attend D’Evelyn Jr. Sr. High School in Lakewood, Colorado. I am on my school’s volleyball team, swim team, and tennis team. I love to play sports and spend my time outside either hiking or paddle boarding when I’m not in school. I love to sing and play the guitar. Before this competition I had always found my writing to be mandatory and uninteresting. But once we got the assignment in my eastern civilization class I was fully engaged. My teacher, Mrs.Holland, asked our class to write a Sijo poem to conclude our unit about Korea. I thought for most of the class period before I started writing and I decided to go with an analogy for an everyday thing that everyone does. I wrote this poem not to win a competition but to see how far I could push myself with my writing skills. And I am so glad that I received this assignment to show me that my dreams of going into journalism might be a reality. I am so honored to be recognized along with so many other incredible writers and I want to thank Mrs.Holland for being an inspiring teacher who always wants us to grow and succeed. I also want to thank my mom and sister for always believing in me and inspiring me to do my best.

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Flowers swaying in the peaceful meadow, the birds are singing

Captivated by the sight I sit and stare my mouth agape

Then it fades. The pianist stands and bows as applause fills the air.

Dorthea Kuemmerle (Chicago, IL) 10th grade, Ms. Lucy Luna

Taft High School

Third Place Tie Pre-College Division

2019 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Dorthea Kuemmerle. I am a sophomore at William Howard Taft High School. I have always loved exploring different ways of writing, especially different ways of writing poetry. I also love to expand my knowledge of both Korean culture and the Korean language. My amazing teacher Mrs. Luna came to the class with the idea of writing sijo poems and taught us how to write one and the history of them. After I wrote my poem I decided to submit it to the writing competition.

I have played the piano all of my life and I also spend a lot of time hiking and being outside. The combination of those two things inspired me to create the sijo I did. I have always experienced that music can convey a number of things whether it is a scene or an emotion. I decided to try and find a way to express my love of poetry, music, and nature, and the sijo was perfect. In writing the sijo I was able to write a poem in which I showcased the transformative nature of the arts and nature.

I am truly honored to have been chosen for third place out of so many people. I would like to also thank my teacher Mrs. Luna as she was the one who taught me how to write a sijo and helped me to better understand the process of writing a sijo. I will continue to expand my knowledge of Korean culture in the future.

The Forever Game

”Who is your biggest enemy?” I receive no answer

It wasn't the jock in 10th grade or the teacher with thick glasses, You look in the mirror and see your biggest challenge yet.

Kate Dorazio (Jamesville, NY) 9th grade, Mr. Matthew Phillips

Jamesville Dewitt High School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division

2019 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Kate Dorazio and I am a freshman at Jamesville Dewitt High School in Syracuse, New York. I enjoy playing sports, but my favorite is softball. My goal is to go to college to play softball and hopefully make a career out of it. Writing has never really interested me until this year. When I got a notification from my creative writing teacher that there was a Sijo competition I thought it was just another one of those competitions that are next to impossible. Then once I read through what a sijo was, I knew this is something I could do, what's the worst that could happen? When I started brainstorming I had a million different ideas but I wanted to write about something that connected to my life. In softball and life in general you fail, and its important to not compare yourself to others. This is something I find very important, so I thought it was best to write about this.

Family Arguments

My grandpa hosts a cramped Christmas, with four kids and six grandkids

When they visit, fourteen strong voices bicker at one another.

In silence, Grandpa smiles. Everyone he loves is here.

Kaitlyn Laufenberg (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division

2019 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Kaitlyn Laufenberg and I am a senior at Arrowhead High School. I love to spend time with my friends outside of school. Currently, I am preparing to go off to college to study Criminal Justice. I am excited to pursue my dream of becoming a criminal lawyer one day. I have always been interested in helping others and can’t wait to do that for a living.

This competition pushed my creativity. My English teacher, Ms. Jorgensen, was a huge help in digging deep into my creative side that has been hard for me to find. I am so grateful for her help and also to have been part of this competition!

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Here in the United States we have the right to bear arms.

It is legal in case you need to protect yourself or your house.

I think that it is a good right because being part bear is cool.

Ian Saiza (San Antonio, TX) 7th grade, Ms. Michelle Smith Connally Middle School

Honorable Mention Pre-college Division 2019 Sejong Writing Competition

One More Day

An infant opens her eyes, takes her first breath, speaks her first sound; a mother stifles sorrow and masks her pain for a moment.

One more day couldn't cancer wait? An infant, without a grandpa.

Erin Vanevenhoven (Sussex, WI) 11th grade, Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention Pre-college Division 2019 Sejong Writing Competition

I am currently a junior at Arrowhead High School. Some of my hobbies include track and field, playing the flute and piccolo, and reading. I'm not sure what I want to do in my future but social work interests me. I have seen close relatives suffer the torture of the foster care system and how unjust it is, so I want to work at making it a little more bearable.

I really enjoyed writing this sijo poem and a few others I wrote in my creative writing class because of the format. The sijo structure gave me freedom to write about what I wanted without worrying about how to write it. While writing my sijo poem, I learned how to think outside the box and that there are many different ways to express what I want to say.

2020 Sejong Sijo Competition

Adult Division

Downsizing

That sweater, so warm and soft – yet full of holes, hangs unworn.

“Let’s toss it!” Downsizing means tough decisions. “No one wears it.”

“Wait!” I cry. “Grandma made that when I was young. It still fits.”

Alice Davidson (Houston, TX) First Place Adult Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Alice Davidson, and I have been a World History and Chinese and East Asian Cultures teacher for 40 years, the last 30 at Episcopal High School in Houston, TX. My hobbies include traveling, and reading historical fiction, biographies, and anything about Asia. I was fortunate to live in China for several years, and to travel to Korea with the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia in 2017. I learned about sijo while attending the National Korean Studies Seminar in Los Angeles in 2019. My future goals are to continue finding ways to bring East Asia into my curriculum and provide my students with cross cultural experiences. My personal hero is my grandmother Alice, for whom I am named. My main childhood memories are of her sitting in a chair knitting and telling stories of past generations of our family.

Viral Transformation

Faces behind colorful scarves,

skaters glide on the frozen ice.

A young pair practices: looping, spinning, spiraling breathless

On the rink, masked workers stack bodies, covered by sheets of white.

Kim Jasper (Stockton, MO)

Second Place Adult Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a retired English teacher and journalist. I now consult with students and teachers, present writing workshops, and serve in organizations that provide scholarships for student writers. I stay flexible by practicing and teaching yoga.

I chose to write a sijo and enter the competition to (partially) fulfill one of my goals for 2020: be more creative. I wasn’t familiar with the format, so I found the Sejong Cultural Society’s videos, suggestions, and examples helpful. The juxtaposition of images during the COVID-19 pandemic seemed like a good place to start as I mused about topics and subjects. I was struck by the image of the refrigeration trucks and ice rinks being used to store dead bodies. As a teacher, I always appreciated the forced creativity demanded of a formula poem. Thanks for the opportunity to stretch my creativity; I never expected to place, so that was nice surprise.

Social Distancing

Neighborhoods, bereft of neighbors. Teeming cities, bare.

We orbit our own lives. Joined in isolation. All, alone.

We see how our fates are interwoven, just as they unravel.

Julie Shute (Encino, CA) Third Place Adult Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a middle school teacher from Southern California, who enjoys eating good food, traveling, singing in the car, and petting fluffy animals. I was teaching my students about Ancient Korea, and was lucky enough to find numerous great sources of information, including the Sejong Cultural Society. I learned about sijo poetry and shared what I'd learned with my kids. I encouraged my students to enter the contest, and was inspired by their creativity to create a poem of my own.

Joy Ride

Warm Sunday. “Let’s take a ride. Get in the car. Buckle up, kids!”

Wheels turn fast. “Sharp turn ahead.” Smiles turn to screams as the car rolls.

That’s a fun rollercoaster scary and thrilling. “Ride again?”

Mike Reese (Oconomowoc, WI) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

I work in HVAC in Wisconsin, but in my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, boating, playing horseshoes and riding my motorcycle.

For the past two years, I’ve written sijo and then shared them at a poetry reading my sister-in-law hosts. Our friends all write and share multiple sijo. I really enjoy the creative thought process that goes into writing sijo.

I got the inspiration for my sijo from my love hate relationship with rollercoasters! I look forward to writing and sharing future sijo with friends and family.

I would like to thank my dear friend Liz Jorgensen, champion of sijo poetry, for introducing me to this form.

Nature Walk

We watch the fox, the dog and I, loping along the wooded path.

We pause our stroll, she stops as well, sitting down to regard us.

Then, bored with local wildlife, she turns around and heads for home.

Jeffery Bolognese (Columbia, MD) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Jeff Bolognese, and I'm an aerospace engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. I live in Columbia, MD with my wife Cindy, my son, Nathan, my daughter, Evie, and our husky/golden retriever mixed breed dog, Sadie (and Trident the turtle, and Phantom the hamster). I became interested in Sijo poetry several years ago after hearing a piece about this particular poetry form on KBS World Radio. I've been writing Sijo on and off ever since. I've always enjoyed creative writing and, as an engineer, I like the challenge of fitting verse to the specific structure of Sijo while still maintaining a song-like quality and ending "twist" that characterize it. In my free time I enjoy cooking, hiking, playing board games with my family, and trying to play the guitar. My family is very patient with both my cooking and guitar playing!

but today, I hear

"Did you eat?" Dad asks again, picking me up from the airport. I grew up wishing he'd say "I love you" like my friends' dads did but today, I hear his question as his way of saying that.

Hannah Kim (San Mateo, CA) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a philosophy PhD candidate at Stanford University. I'm grateful for the competition and the opportunity it gave me to learn about sijo as a poetic form.

Arbor

As a child, among all trees, the redbud pleased me most. Years later, we planted its image in our back yard.

Cat rests there in a willow basket; its old roots cradle her bones.

Susan Luther (Huntsville, AL) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a vintage poet who has been writing, publishing, and leading poetry-writing groups for years. Even so, I was unaware of sijo until the Society’s announcement of its writing competition came in the mail. Though I usually write free verse, I also enjoy the discipline of writing in form, and when I consulted the rules and website examples / tutorials, the sijo’s intriguing structure plus its thematic and emotional range made it irresistible. The sijo I submitted comes from my personal experience and time-of-life perspective. Many thanks to the Society; having this beautiful form to learn and work on during the Covid lockdown has been a particular gift. – Susan Luther.

2020 Sejong Sijo Competition

Pre-college Division

Lost Letters

A hundred thousand love-filled letters I have written for you.

Tonight, my pen runs dry, trapping my words within my mind.

Why do I still stoke the flame that I know will never warm me?

Andy Zhao (Langley, BC Canada) 12th grade, Heather Smith

Burnaby North Secondary School

First Place Tie Pre-College Division

2020 Sejong Writing Competition

"I’m Andy Zhao, and I’m a grade 12 student at Burnaby North Secondary. I’m pursuing post-secondary education in Computer Science, but writing and other creative pursuits have been hobbies of mine for quite a while. Writing poetry, whether structured or free verse, have always been a great expressive and emotional outlet. I feel especially satisfied when my outbursts create something eloquent. I learned about this contest through my creative writing teacher at school. During our poetry unit, she encouraged us to try this type of poetry, and when I first read a contemporary sijo, I was inspired by how much emotion was conveyed with such little words. I felt compelled to submit into this competition-no harm, right? I had no expectations to win, rather, it was just a fun experience. My poem was partly inspired by my own feelings, and partly created in my imagination. I wanted to convey the emotion of desperation and sorrow, and so I just started writing and letting words flow. Love is a complicated thing, and sometimes it’s better to think less than to overthink it. I’m honoured to have received the first place award. I entered the competition expecting nothing but a bit of fun, and so I’m honestly in awe that I would be afforded such an honour. To Ms. Smith, thank you for supporting and encouraging me. To the Sejong Cultural Society, thank you for giving me this honour."

Sunday in the Park with Me

Picture-perfect people relax in the shimmering Sunday sun.

Pink parasols twirl against an azure sky and lush grass.

I step back from the canvas, wishing I could jump into the frame.

Elizabeth Flesch (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

First Place Tie Pre-College Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Elizabeth Flesch and I am a senior at Arrowhead High School. I am a part of my school’s Forensics Team, Drama Club, Stage Crew, and German Club. In the fall I will be attending DePaul University. I intend to major in Communications and Media, and hope to work in Multimedia production someday. I’ve always liked to write, and I’m glad I got to express my creativity through this poem! I entered this competition through my creative writing class, and I’m so thankful my teacher Ms. Jorgensen introduced me to this beautiful art form.

Sister

My sister strikes me across the face and I wish for a brother. She steals the remote and I wish I were an only child. But I wish for my sister back when she goes to college.

Matthew Umhoefer (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Second Place Pre-College Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

I decided to write about the relationship with my sister and how it changed because it has had such a big impact on my life. Like many others, my sister and I started off despising each other. But as we got older, our relationship got closer. So once she left for college, I finally realized how important having a strong relationship with your sibling is. Writing this sijo has taught me to cherish every moment with my family and friends.

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Inhale, exhale, healthy newborns; a mother watches through the glass. Angelic little humans: so precious, so fortunate. She then walks to her fading newborn, why is this life so unfair?

Riley Taylor (Singlelands, NY) 10th grade, Robin Henderson Tocci Academy of the Holy Names Third Place Pre-College Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Riley Taylor, and I am a sophomore at the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, New York. I enjoy playing sports, especially soccer, and spending time with my friends and family. I am very interested in science, and I hope to pursue a career in biology in the future. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and I have grown to appreciate poetry so much more this year. My older sister has always been a huge inspiration in my life as she has helped me to become the person I am today. She always tells me about her dreams to help premature babies when she is older as she was premature herself. In this is found inspiration for my sijo. I am very grateful for my teacher, Mrs. Tocci, who has taught me everything I know about sijo poems and who introduced me to this competition!

Coming home

Air felt lighter, food tasted better, music more upbeat, sun brighter.

Not seeing my brother in two years, I remained eager.

But he came home in a plane, in a pine box, covered in a flag.

Trace Morrissey (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division

2020 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Trace Morrissey and I am currently a senior at Arrowhead High School. Once I graduate, I am enlisting in the Air Force with the end goal of becoming a pilot. During my free time, I like to spend time outdoors with friends. I also enjoy going up north to spend time on a lake, or skiing. One person who has always been my hero is my grandpa. He taught me so much about life and how to treat people respectfully. Although we lost him in November 2019, I feel as if he is still teaching me lessons today. I learned while writing my sijo I needed to connect with the reader and to trigger an emotion. Since I have learned this, my writing has drastically improved. My inspiration for writing this poem came from a Vietnam War veteran that came and spoke with our class one day. He talked about how he lost good friends in the war and how he cannot forget some of the things he saw while fighting. We also wrote letters in class to veterans going on the Honor Flight. Most people wrote back and those who did had an impact on everyone who read their response.

Why Now

The smile shines on her face, brighter than the sun, the color of love.

She always had the answer no matter the question.

I asked grandma why she had to leave us. "It was time," she said.

Dalton Elrod (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division

2020 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Dalton Elrod and I am a senior at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, WI. I played football, basketball, and baseball and ran track while in high school. I will be graduating in June and will be playing football, on scholarship, for Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. I enjoy hunting, fishing and playing frisbee golf.

Ms. Jorgensen, my English teacher, introduced me to this competition. I had no idea I would win, but I am proud of this piece. Writing a sijo poem brought out my creativity and I enjoyed showing it to others. I am extremely grateful for her support this senior year and I am honored to be part of this competition.

In Middle School

I thought that beauty meant discarding my Korean self. I wished to leave my yellow skin, but my umma comforted me; she said, "Yellow is the color of forsythias, bright and beautiful."

Esther Kim (Potomac, MD) 11th grade, Melinda Salata Holton-Arms School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Esther Kim, and I am a junior at the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland. As a first generation Korean-American, I frequently reflected on my parents’ journey to America and their cultural influence on me. This sparked a defined interest at the intersection of English and History, which led to my discovery of poetry. My poems, including the one recognized by the Sejong Cultural Society, often explore my relationships with Korea and America. I am extremely grateful for the efforts of the Sejong Cultural Society in broadening awareness of Korean culture. Through this competition, I have been able to learn about not only the craft of writing sijos but also the often-neglected history of Korea.

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My skin is light, my eyes are hazel and my hair is blonde

I'm one of a kind, But it is not what it seems

I am just as colored as my mother's blueberry black skin.

Briaja Brooks (Cleveland Heights, OH) 12th grade, Melinda Cales Cleveland Heights High School Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2020 Sejong Writing Competition

2021 Sejong Sijo Competition

Adult Division

Seamstress

My mother sewed memories:

Hand-stitched quilts, costumes, school clothes.

Fabric squares pieced together,

Log Cabin, Ohio Star.

Vision loss has stolen this gift.

She gave away her cloth today.

Sharon Drummond (Pickerington, OH)

First Place Adult Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

I enjoy teaching English language arts and social studies to 4th grade gifted students at a middle school in Pickerington, Ohio. While teaching my students to write sijo during our poetry unit this spring, I decided to enter my own sijo into the Sejong Writing Competition.

I was introduced to sijo during a NCTA study tour to Korea in the summer of 2017. I was fascinated by its history and how men would gather in the park to sing sijo. Later that year, I participated in a sijo workshop in Chicago through the Sejong Cultural Society and learned to write in this unique form. One of my favorite parts of sijo is the twist in the third line, which movingly expresses contrasts in life.

This sijo was inspired by my personal hero, my mother. Now 90, she has been dealing with the challenges of getting older, including the loss of some of her favorite activities. Growing up, I greatly benefitted from her skills as a seamstress, yet she has accepted the fact that she can no longer sew. The week of the competition deadline, she gave me the last line of the sijo as she donated her many boxes of fabric to someone at her church.

My future goals include broadening the teaching of sijo in my school district. When I am away from the classroom, I love visiting historical sites and foreign cities.

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I needed a break or so I thought the day that school shut down.

Teaching from my couch, my kitchen, my home meant work never stopped.

Who’d have thought going back to school would give me the break I need?

Terri Carnell (Nashotah, WI) Second Place Adult Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

Although I have been an English teacher for 27 years, I taught a creative writing class for the first time this year. And, with the help of my colleague Liz Jorgensen, I loved it. She introduced me to the sijo format and competition, providing me with examples and encouragement as I tried a few topics, finally settling on one I liked. And, since I always write along with my students, they were able to see my process-struggles and successes which inspired them to write their own sijo poems and enter the competition as well.

As a mother of three boys, I enjoy watching sports and staying active with them. I also love baking and reading. Growing up, my parents taught me the value of hard work, love, and respect, and I am so grateful for their positive influence in my life. I can't wait to share this poetry form with future students. It's amazing what can happen when we try new ways of writing.

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Glittering stars dot velvet sky, the beach beckons, we stroll along.

Gentle waves caress bare feet tickling our toes, I pull you near.

In moonlight, your eyes reflect pain of our lost years together.

Laura Jan Lodle (Midland, TX) Third Place Adult Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

I am an active member of Fan Story which is an online writing program. I heard of this contest from another member. I enjoy writing in many different genres, and I am always open to learning new styles. I am learning more about Japanese poetry styles such as haiku. I was immediately intrigued with the focus of this contest.

My maternal grandfather is my personal hero. He taught me by his example. He possessed a strong work ethic, strong faith, and never met a stranger. I enjoy working with animals, reading, writing, antiquing, baking, and cooking.

My future goals include learning more about writing to improve my skills. Currently, I am working on a novel.

Quarantine After Life

Thirty-one notifications for messages fourteen days missed

Left unread on her orphaned phone

among others wrapped in plastic bags

Sealed and silenced like Nainai’s body

Blue-tinged pixels hum a dirge

Joshua Foster (Glen Burnie, MD)

Honorable Mention Adult Division

2021 Sejong Writing Competition

This Sijo competition came to me through a newsletter, daring me to play with a traditional form, then teaching me that within a semi-rigid structure one, indeed, has much flexibility so long as the musicality of our words remains. Creating spaces through words and structure in writing, with wood and joints for furniture, with plants and stone in gardenscapes this is my joy.

My heroes are not individuals but instead ideas, values justice, kindness, compassion for the Othered for they who bear such ideas will act heroically. To hold tightly to these ideas, these values, to leave goodness rather than destruction in the wake of my life, that is my only goal.

A Recall to Nature

I wearily gaze an oak standing strong outside my window.

Its presence reminds me I'm not alone; joy and calm replace angst.

A breeze lifts the leaves to dance, my soul joins the pas-de-deux.

Sarah Julian (Oaklahoma City, OK) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

The Oklahoma State Department of Education shared the competition information in one of their newsletters.

I usually write prose poetry, so I enjoyed learning a new style I've not previously used in conveying my thoughts.

I am a voracious reader, I knit, and I love to travel. I also love spending time with my husband birdwatching and being in the quiet among the trees on our land.

I will use this as the impetus to submit more of my poetry to various publications.

The Great Color

White came to colorful land. It stomped on Red, Turned White, not pink.

Next was Black. Turned White, not gray. The great color never got colored.

The White saw Yellow almond eyes. Slanted the eyes not to be colored.

Jiyoung Lee (Torrance, CA) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

I've been in the U.S for only nine months now. I was and am still having a hard time because settling down in a whole new world is a big thing, and I'm struggling with English, too. It was hard not to have time for myself, so I started searching for what I could do.

I found out that there is Sijo Competition. I didn't know much about the Sijo, but it was enough to raise a sense of challenge for me, who likes writing and reading. I found the format and samples from the Sejong Cultural Society website then read them over and over again.

Everyone who knows how to embrace other cultures without ostracizing them is a hero to me. And my husband and children, who always believe in me, are my heroes, too. I enjoy writing and reading the most. I hope I can continue to write and read. If I can get a Ph.D. in the U.S., that would be the icing on the cake.

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Evasively weaving in and out, they hide and reappear-

Causing pain or shame, but also nostalgic comfort and joy.

Memories. At just the right time, they'll come rushing back to you.

Lucy Luna (Chicago, IL) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

(in the form of a sijo)

As a high school English/Korean teacher in Chicago, I ask my students to try the sijo contest every year. This year, though, I wrote a sijo too and am thankful I did!

I was Asian and Agorophobic Before 2020

For once I wish I could fly past the stares and glares of passer-by’s.

For once, wish I didn’t have to think what they think of me.

I look up. The sky, she sees me. Maybe I can go outside.

Amy Manion (Cambridge, MA) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a singer-songwriter and spoken word artist based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I heard about the sijo poetry competition while searching for writing opportunities. The sijo structure enabled me to capture a serious subject matter and experience in a way that felt manageable, redeeming, hopeful, and fun. I felt especially aided in this endeavor by the element of the pastoral theme in sijo poetry. Appreciating nature and how transcendent it is helps me to look beyond myself and my struggles. It helps me to know I belong and that I am not alone. Getting my poem accepted encourages me to keep doing what I love, expressing myself creatively. It also helps me to feel validated in my experience and as a writer.

I enjoy watching anything comedic: from SNL, to tv shows, movies, and standup specials. I also love gospel music. I am particularly interested in racial justice and mental health awareness. My personal hero, is Heidi Lee, a Korean-American woman who is an amazing visual artist and champion for justice, as evidenced by her work with the homeless population in the Boston area for many years, originally as a teaching artist and now as an outreach worker, and her fight for racial justice and mental health advocacy, particularly in the Asian American community. My future goals include continuing to fight for justice through the arts and to grow creatively while doing so. One way I am realizing this goal is through my participation in the spoken word collaborative, Spitting Fire for Freedom, recipient of a Public Art for Spatial Justice grant through the New England Foundation for the Arts. We will be performing our spoken word pieces at an online event slated for August 2021 through nonprofit COCO Brown in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

A label

Disabled. I’m able, but your definition excludes me.

Include me, and your perspective might change, your axis might shift.

If only temporarily, because mine is permanent.

Sarah Taylor (Hacienda Heights, CA) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

I first learned about sijo at the Hangeul Museum in Seoul. I was so struck by the soothing cadence of the poems, and immediately became a huge fan of sijo. Since then, I received my certification to teach sijo through the Sejong Cultural Society, which is where I learned about this contest.

What struck me the most about the pandemic was how each of us had to evaluate the privilege that we are afforded through any number of factors. Whether it is our gender, race, physical ability, economic status or other facets of our existence, we have to use our privilege and freedom to create and provide opportunities to others.

This sijo is about moving through the world with physical advantages that not everyone is born with or given.

My lifelong hobbies include traveling, baking, reading, dancing, languages, writing, and I’m always looking to discover more! My personal hero is my mother who raised me as a single mother, which now that I am an adult trying to make it in this world, I have even more respect for, and am always in awe of her sacrifice.

I’m currently developing two manuscripts and plan to publish a book of my own sijo poetry.

2021 Sejong Sijo Competition

Pre-college Division

Five More Minutes

I seldom see love like my grandparents, still in old age.

He pulls chairs, sits side by side. She brings his coat, holds hands down stairs.

His last night, upon her leaving, he grabbed her hand. “Five minutes more.”

Livia Huang (Sussex, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School First Place Pre-College Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Livia Huang, and I’m a senior at Arrowhead High School. I will be attending Johns Hopkins University this fall and hope to continue in the science field.

I first learned about the sijo poem in English class but was reintroduced to it in band class when we played Variations on a Korean Folk Song. I love how the few syllables could contain so much meaning, and I’m very grateful for all the encouragement from my English teacher Ms. Jorgensen to express my passions in writing.

The Snow

She was like snow, beautiful at first glance, but cold to touch.

But the longer you hold onto snow, the more it begins to change.

She melted in his touch, and he knew that this would happen.

Sydney Stemper (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Second Place Pre-College Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

I am Sydney Stemper, a senior at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. I heard about this competition through my creative writing teacher, Ms. Jorgensen. While writing my sijo, I learned about the format of it, and how it is different from a haiku. I love to travel with my family to many different places.

My favorite place was probably when we went to a small island right outside of Puerto Rico called Vieques. I also love to spend time out on the lake in the summer with my friends.

I am planning on attending the University of Northern Iowa where I will be majoring in Psychology and minoring in Criminology. I am also a competitive swimmer so I will be swimming at the University of Northern Iowa.

Dandelions

I gather yellow dandelions to make a bouquet.

I get them from the field. I rush with delight to give them to Grandma.

I hand them to her but she can’t reach, so I lay them on a stone.

Allison Gardner (Hartland, WI) 11th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

Third Place Tie Pre-College Division

2021 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Allison Gardner. I am currently in 11th grade at Arrowhead Union High School. I heard about this competition from my creative writing teacher, Ms. Jorgensen. She taught me the sijo form and I learned about how I can express my feelings of loss. I learned that losing someone isn’t always about frustration and pain; it’s also about acceptance. I recently lost a family member, and after writing this poem, it helped me manage my grief.

My personal hobbies and interests are running. I’m in cross country and I’m a world class puzzler, as my mom would say. I enjoy music a lot because of the way it makes me feel. My personal hero is definitely my mom. She is the strongest, most hard working, powerful person I know. My mom is one of my best friends and she means the world to me. I read her my sijo while I was writing it and she loved it, especially since the poem was written about her mom.

My future goal is to become a nurse, have a family, and to do things that make me happy.

As the Rain Falls

One-two-three, raindrops falling; isolated from each other.

Drip-drop-drip, dark and gloomy; no one laughing, no smiling.

Quarantine did not take everything; just like the rain, we are one.

Nora Murphy (Glenmont, NY) 10th grade, Robin Henderson Tocci Academy of the Holy Names Third Place Tie Pre-College Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

My Name is Nora Murphy; I’m a sophomore at the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, New York. I love to play sports and hang out with my friends, and I hope to go into the medical field when I am older. I never considered myself a writer, but I am beyond thankful for this opportunity. I heard about this competition from my writing teacher, Mrs. Tocci, who is a great inspiration to me and has helped me become a better writer.

Rain has always been one of my favorite things, hearing the sound of rain on the roof or watching it become one with a lake or an ocean. Even through a dark time, especially during quarantine, rain can bring a rainbow.

Euphoria

The crown bestowed upon me is the weight of nations afar

The jewels dazzle across the room, shimmering like diamonds aflight

“So you like the book?” Mother asks… “Yes...it’s like a whole other world.”

Meredith Dunning (Bloomington, IN) 8th grade, Linda Scott

Jackson Creek Middle School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

Hi, my name is Meredith. I heard about this competition through my 8th grade teacher who taught us how to write Sijos as well. I learned while writing Sijo that a whole story can be fit into a small poem.

Some things I do in my spare time are swim, read, and other things. I have many future goals but the most important one is to just be the best person I can be.

Untitled

Happily, I watch the buttery fly from one flower to the next.

Such a small beautiful thing, can’t it see its own beauty?

Like us, broken on the inside - unaware of our beauty.

Abigayle Groth (Sussex, WI) 12th grade, Terri Carnell Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Abby Groth, and I am a senior at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, WI. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also love to spend time outside going on hikes, going to the lake, or watching sunsets. In the fall I will be attending Nova Southeastern University to pursue a degree in marine biology.

I entered this competition through my advanced composition class. I am thankful for my teacher, Mrs. Carnell, for showing me this competition and teaching me about the craft of writing sijos.

You'll See

“I can’t wait to go to college,” she says. “Far, far away from you.”

I say my goodbyes and she shuts the car door in my face.

Three hours later, the phone rings; she begs to come back home.

Reilly Mader (Oconomowoc, WI) 11th Grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division

2021 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Reilly Mader and I’m currently a junior at Arrowhead High School. I first heard about this competition from my creative writing teacher, Ms. Jorgensen. I was very excited about this task and was looking forward to what I could do with this type of writing. When writing my sijo poem, I realized that expression comes in different varieties including pure emotion, past knowledge, and current thoughts. I learned that I am not as tough as I may have thought; I’m emotional and care very strongly about my family and their actions and how they affect me.

I am very passionate about sports including tennis and golf. I enjoy spending time with my family because I always crack a laugh. I also love helping people get out of their shells and helping them boost their confidence when it’s too low.

My personal hero is my grandpa. He was recently diagnosed with throat cancer and was very heartbroken about the news, but he has stayed strong and continues to enjoy life to the fullest whether that’s playing tennis with his grandsons or gardening at his lake house. My grandpa powers through just about anything and he’ll always be my hero.

My future goals include becoming a professional golf player and competing on tour as Tiger Woods did in his twenties. Secondly, I want to have a family and provide a nice life for them. I would also like to attend and graduate school and become a Nike crew designer that creates and inspires change in the world by the outfits and shoes I custom make for the Nike community. I plan on entering this competition in the coming years and improving on where I was just a year ago.

The Rock and the Tree

The big rock sits on a ledge beside a small tree with green leaves.

The rock helps the small tree grow, it keeps the other trees away.

In the end, the rock gifts the tree, by letting it grow through him.

John Miller (Edgerton, MN) 12th Grade, Amy Sahly Luverne High School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is John Miller and I am a senior at Luverne High School in Luverne, MN. I am very interested in literature, however poetry has never been one of my favorite areas, so I was very happy to find and learn about sijo poems, a type of poetry I do thoroughly enjoy now after discovering it. It was very interesting and enjoyable to find a new way to express myself through writing. After high school I plan to attend the SD School of Mines for a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

It may seem cliché to thank an English teacher for a poetry award, however I assure you there is no other person more deserving of thanks than my AP Literature teacher Amy Sahly. Without her I would not be the person I am today and I most certainly would not have won this award without her determination to bring out the best in everybody around her. Time and time again she has pushed me to better myself and I can say without a fraction of a doubt that she has succeeded in every attempt. I would not have the love and passion for writing and for literature that I have today, nor would I be as prepared for the challenges ahead of me if it was not for Ms. Sahly. I have been very lucky to have her as a teacher and I thank her now for all she has done for me.

Untitled

I was waiting for my Uber driver by the dirty road

A hooded man stopped by in his white van and told me to hop in

On the road I get a text from my Uber, “I’m outside.”

Lukas Paegle (Bloominton, IN) 8th grade, Linda Scott

Jackson Creek Middle School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division

2021 Sejong Writing Competition

I heard about the sijo competition from my English teacher Mrs. Scott. I learned that words are not the story itself; they are only the backbone. Your imagination will set the mood and fill in the details.

My personal hero is my sister. She is a swimmer and has gone through a lot while still making it to be top 2 in the country. My future goals are to make the Olympics as a swimmer.

I Am Not A Virus

It’s viral, this pandemic ubiquitous and destructive.

Paranoid furtive glances: the truth unveiled for all to see.

Prejudice will be our downfall. “China virus” makes me sick.

Allison Yun (Manhattan Beach, CA) 11th grade, Sean McGrath Chadwick School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2021 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Allison Yun. I am currently a junior at Chadwick School in California, and I heard about this competition through my school. Practicing sijo has taught me to be a more thoughtful, economical writer due to the poem’s stringent structure.

Recently, diversity work has become one of my greatest passions, as I am a student leader for my school’s Asian American Student Association and a member of the Student Diversity Council. I have been discovering my voice over the past few years.

I'm excited that I can now use poetry as another means to raise awareness and effect change, especially with the rise in anti-Asian hate. In addition to writing poetry, I am captain of my school’s dance program, class president, a member of our gospel choir, and an award-winning concert pianist.

2021 Sejong International Sijo Competition

Untitled

On the tree, the cicada does not move as the minutes pass;

It is but an empty husk that's left behind, unchanging, stiff.

I say so to my grandfather, who looks as though he's just asleep.

Khoa Ngo Binh Anh (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) First Place

2021 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I am a teacher of English, and currently, I am working as a full-time lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) in Vietnam. In my free time, I enjoy reading fiction and writing speculative poetry. I am also interested in languages and in learning about the different forms of poetry around the world, which motivates me to continue exploring and experimenting with new forms of writing.

Hence, when I came across sijo on the website of the Sejong Cultural Society, I was charmed by this compact yet profound poetic form and decided to learn more about it before eventually writing some myself, using the online resources on the Sejong Cultural Society’s website as references. When the first Sejong International Sijo Competition was announced on this website, I was truly excited, and thus, I made the decision to submit my own sijo to test my ability.

The submitted sijo was inspired by my grandfather, with whom I lived when I was a child along with my brother and parents. Throughout my childhood, my grandfather always doted on me and enjoyed spending time with me. He would also take me to school on his old bicycle whenever he could. When I grew up, however, my family moved away, but my grandfather and I would still exchange phone calls every now and then, and I would always visit him every year during the Lunar New Year. Unfortunately, he has recently, and quite suddenly, passed away in his sleep at night. My family went to his house to see him when morning came. The image of his once healthy and animated body looking so pale and still is one that I cannot ever forget

Rain

My grandma loves the rain.

So she moved to Seaside: a small town on the Oregon coast, where it almost always rains.

Now I love the company of rain because when it rains, she's still here.

Madelyn Esser (Pewaukee, WI, USA) Runner-up 2021 Sejong International Sijo Competition

My name is Maddy Esser and I am a junior at Arrowhead High School. I learned about this sijo competition through my creative writing teacher, Ms. Jorgensen. I have tried out different formats and I find the distinctive features of a sijo fascinating.

My sijo was based on my experiences visiting my grandma on the West Coast of the U.S., growing up and how these experiences shaped my understanding of her. The Oregon Coast is regionally marked by the abundance of rain and was my grandma’s favorite part of where she lived. I enjoy playing sports and being outside in my free time. I am looking into the medical field for my future career.

Untitled

Decrepit man, full of sorrow, the touch of loss, tears on his face

Walks around, deep in his head, thoughts of the boy, the boy who’s gone

Knock knock Knock, yelling at the door, the boy is back, back from school

Pierce Cunningham (Luverne, MN, USA) Honorable Mention 2021 Sejong International Sijo Competition

My name is Pierce Cunningham and I am a senior at Luverne High School in Luverne, MN. I have enjoyed reading poems throughout my life since they often have meanings that are hidden or have multiple elements to them. Although I have enjoyed reading poems, I have never had a strong desire to write some of my own. This changed when my English teacher, Miss Sahly, introduced a new topic, Poetry Wednesday. Every Wednesday she introduces a certain type of poem to my classmate and me and has us write that kind of poem by the following Wednesday. This is also how I learned about this contest. She introduced Sijos and encouraged me to enter one into this contest. Because of all Miss Sahly has done for me in my literature learning I want to thank her for all that she’s done for me and all that she’ll continue to teach me, both about Literature and on how to be a good person.

In my life, I have people who are constantly worried about me(Mainly my mother). They often tell me that they can’t relax until they know that I’m safe. I decided to write my sijo about a similar instance. The old man is distressed and sad because the boy whom he loves dearly isn’t at home. After all his worrying, the boy knocks on the door when he gets back from school, the boy was just running behind schedule.

Industrial World

Factories pump products while gas gluts the air. We’re strangled.

Garbage floats in the ocean, trees tumble down, fires rage on.

All for us, animals die and the earth cries as she drowns.

Ashley Ells (Hartland, WI, USA) Honorable Mention

2021 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I learned about this competition through my Creative Writing teacher Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen.

We were studying sijo poems for the week and one of our assignments was to create a sijo poem about a topic that is meaningful to us. I chose to write about our growing industrial world.

I am a major activist for the environment and bringing awareness to our human impact. I think climate change is a growing issue and is a topic everyone should be informed about.

Some of my hobbies include playing varsity lacrosse at my high school and volunteering all across my community.

Hope

Though I mask, and mask again, though I mask one thousand times,

After my vaccination, whether this virus dies or not,

My blue eyes forever shining with great hope will never fade away.

*Adapted from Jeong Mong-Ju (1338-1392)

Curtis Hansen (Opelika, AL, USA) Honorable Mention 2021 Sejong International Sijo Competition

More than 30 years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to live in South Korea for two years. I quickly came to love the Korean people and all things Korean, the food, culture, language, art, etc. and still do. However, my discovery of Korean sijo came about more recently during the 2020 global coronavirus pandemic when I began studying, reading, and writing sijo. This is my first real interest and serious exploration into a poetic writing form of any kind, outside of the obligatory poetry assignments given during my school days. I learned about this competition from a friend and mentor.

In my reading and study I found the great sijo written by Jeong Mong-ju, titled, Dansimga (단심가), about his loyalty to his king. Studying the rhythm and cadence of the sijo masters is part of the learning process for me. I thought why not adapt that great poem to one of my own focusing on hope. I believe hope is a critical attribute needed to get through the global struggle with the coronavirus pandemic. It is meant as a sincere recognition that we all have been touched in some way by this pandemic, with experiences ranging from the tragic loss of life, to the loneliness of not being able to visit those we love, to the frequent annoyance of masking, and everything in between. I love exploring the outdoors both professionally (as a botanist) and recreationally with my family. I also enjoy swimming, playing pickleball, and working in my yard.

Met By A Breeze

Met by a breeze, wish I'd momentarily unzip my head,

Expose my burdening thoughts, have them blown away to be free; However, they didn't fall as leaves to be blown away by winds.

Julianus Julius (Bukoba, Kagera, Tanzania) Honorable Mention 2021 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I have been writing essays, poems and stories out of passion. I enjoy reading and writing. I aspire to a writing career with numerous publications.

I came across the sijo competition on Google, and learned about the sijo form of poetry from the Sejong website.

At the beach one day, I was amazed how I was thought-free for quite some time, just enjoying the lake view. It was like the breezes had blown all thoughts away. It didn't take long though, for the thoughts to return. That's how I came up with the idea for the sijo.

Alzheimer's

Grandmama’s tender singing caressed me to bed as a child.

Now, I sing the same songs to her in her hospital bed.

They say she can’t remember; her faint smile tells me otherwise.

SangHoon Jung (Fort Lee, NJ, USA) Honorable Mention

2021 Sejong International Sijo Competition

My name is SangHoon Jung and I am a junior at Bergen County Academies. I learned about the Sejong Sijo Competition from my creative writing teacher, Mr. Richard Weems. Though a sijo is a relatively short poetic format, I learned that this does not lessen its meaning but instead makes the author convey a message in a concise way.

I was inspired to write my sijo after watching the movie Still Alice, a story about a middle-aged woman who learns to live with her disease. Her three children must watch as their mother disappears day by day, a truly tragic reality. In my sijo, I imagined a scenario in which a child sings to his grandmother with Alzheimer's much like the way she used to do to him. And though Alzheimer's may attack a victim's memory, a more powerful force such as love can overpower the disease and provide hope.

Apart from writing, I enjoy singing and being with my friends and family. I am honored to be recognized by the Sejong Cultural Society.

Origin Myth

Here I’m asked, “Where are you from?” there I’m asked, “Where are you from?”

I must be from somewhere else, an odd piece that God misplaced.

It is true I’m passing through just like you, a puff of dust that traveled far.

Hyo Rhi Kim (Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, Korea) Honorable Mention 2021 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I am a Korean diaspora who made their home on Turtle Island over fifteen years. This year, I went/came to Korea to reconnect with family and this country. Shortly after my arrival at my grandmother’s, a friend told me about the sijo competition. I was grateful that she connected me with this literary tradition that I had only known for the famous lines such as “태산이 높다 하되 하늘 아래 뫼이로다” or “이런들 어떠하며 저런들 어떠하리.” Learning the form and writing my own was a process of recovering a rhythm I had forgotten.

My friend and I met through Roots Wound Words a literary arts organization that offers writing workshops for People of Color which has been influential in my writing and growth as a person. We would write our stories in community resisting a world that constantly attempts to erase us. Rooted in this legacy and relationships, my sijo speaks of personal and collective experiences of having one’s place in the world questioned.

“Where are you from?” is a question that I found difficult to answer as someone with an upbringing scattered across borders. It is also a fraught, if not violent, phrase for many ethnically or racially minoritized people everywhere. The increase of hate crimes against Asians during the pandemic heightened the sense of threat the W-question induces. I wanted to turn this question and answer to it on their heads to concoct a balm. Using this succinct form, I ask, “Who gets to interrogate another’s ‘origin’?” and on a cosmic level, “Where are we all from?” My contemplations have also been nourished by Bayo Akomolafe’s reflections on dust in his book These Wilds Beyond Our Fences

If I’m not exploring pockets of Seoul, or pestering my relatives to tell me their stories, I spend my time writing and doodling to find ways to articulate the impossible-to-articulate delights and shocks of existing.

2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Adult Division

Untitled

Seeker, consider the frog. The little, green yogi sits for hours,

motionless, unblinking, present, tongue ready to catch a fly.

Be like him. Acquire patience. Then feel free to spit out the fly.

Thom Singleton (Appleton, WI) Grand Prize Adult Division 2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I became aware of the sijo competition from the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets of which I am a member. I have written poetry for years, and have self-published five chapbooks of poetry. Because of experience with the economy of language that poetry often requires, I took readily to writing sijo, as well as the Japanese haiku. I found the information that your website offers in the writing of sijo to be very helpful, especially regarding the importance of the surprising twist often contained in the last line. I derive much satisfaction from writing, and lately I've started-up a blog of over 250 of my poems and essays, free to the public. The blog address is: shroudedshore.blogspot.com. I gain inspiration for my writing mostly from nature - hiking and canoeing in the wilderness.

Untitled

Your mind is a labyrinth which I fail to make my way through.

Down hallways and stairwells deep, I come up short, meet your dead ends.

Do you know how much I long for whispers and the wilderness?

Winnie Chan (Madison, WI) Runner-up Tie Adult Division 2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I learned about this competition through UW-Madison's Center for East Asian Studies newsletter! At the time, I was reading Mark Forsyth's book on rhetoric, The Elements of Eloquence, and thought it would be fun to try out some of the techniques he described in a sijo. I'm glad I know another East Asian verse form besides good old haiku now!

Death in a Terrible Year

My mama’s hands curl’d up in the days before she died,

Curl’d into fists to pummel the injustice of this savage world; She went silent, but her hands show’d us she kept on fighting.

Laura Grossenbacher (Verona, WI) Runner-up Tie Adult Division 2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Untitled

I called on the smallest student, the one hiding in the back.

“I have nothing,” she said. She cradled her head in her hands.

I didn’t respond; instead, waited; willed her to fill the silence.

Elizabeth Jorgensen (Waukesha, WI) Runner-up Tie Adult Division 2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

A decade ago, through the Sejong Cultural Society, I discovered sijo’s possibilities for emotional expression, lyricism and musicality. I have been writing and teaching the form since. For this competition, I wrote many sijo and couldn’t decide which one to submit; so, I shared my sijo with friends and family. Although they didn’t agree, I enjoyed talking about my work and encouraged others to also write and submit. In addition to sijo, I write nonfiction. My memoir, co-written with Nancy Jorgensen, Go, Gwen, Go: A Family’s Journey to Olympic Gold, is available from Meyer & Meyer Sport. When not writing, I’m most likely cuddling with my dogs, watching Bravo, reading celebrity memoirs or working out with my trainer, Ryan Bloor at Right Body Fitness. Learn more on my website: lizjorgensen.weebly.com

2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition Senior Division

Priorities

She wakes up. One hour till school, she holds her pee. Makeup comes first.

Concealer hides dark circles, corrects color, and looks natural.

Peachy tones cover purples, blacks and blues; bruises from mom.

Melanie Meyer (Hartland, WI) Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School Grand Prize Senior Division 2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

My name is Melanie Meyer and I am a student at Arrowhead Union High School. I learned about sijo from my creative writing teacher, Ms. Jorgensen. I loved writing sijo poems and I couldn't have gotten very far without the help and advice from her. I love painting and one day, I hope to be a CPS worker.

Waiting For The Call

As the sun began to set, the sky turned many shades of orange.

We visit with my grandma as she silently waits for the phone.

We say our prayers and goodbyes. The phone rings. He is gone.

Sarah Bierman (Sussex, WI)

Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

Runner-up Tie Senior Division

2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

My name is Sarah Bierman and I am a senior at Arrowhead High school. I enjoy performing in the musicals put on by my school and reading non fiction books. I am hoping to attend a UW school in the upcoming year and have a major in business management. I decided to write about my experience with a loss we had in the family when I was little. This day has stuck with me for a very long time and I wanted to incorporate the small details I remembered into my poem.

Great Grandpa

I hurry to the couch; he awaits his precious grandchild.

I plop by his side. Beaming, I ask, “How are you, great grandpa?”

He glares back, trying to smile, and responds, “Who are you, dear?”

Sidney Heberlein (Hartland, WI)

Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

Runner-up Tie Senior Division 2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

My name is Sidney Heberlein and I am a junior at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, WI. In my free time, I enjoy playing Volleyball and spending time with my friends. I hope to pursue a career in the Sciences after attending college. Writing has never been one of my strong suits; however, this year I have started to become more and more interested in it. I learned about sijo and about this competition through my creative writing class. I am grateful that my teacher, Ms. Jorgensen, introduced me to this incredible poetry form!

Ava

Five years old, her beaming smile brightens the world. My cousin.

Together we laugh, dance, sing, and play as if nothing matters.

Dwarfism - scary in this judgmental world, I will protect her.

Gianna Konen (Hartland, WI) Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

Runner-up Tie Senior Division

2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

My name is Gianna Konen and I am currently a senior at Arrowhead High School. I participate in cross country and track and have played basketball most of my life. I love spending time with friends and family especially in the outdoors. I intend to major in nursing at Marquette University in the fall. I was introduced to this competition by my creative writing teacher Ms. Jorgensen. This writing form was completely new to me and it brought me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to display my creativity. Throughout this competition, I was able to learn how to portray a story in only a few lines while still including emotions and conflict.

Goodbye Old

I lost someone close to me, someone I knew really well.

I saw old photos; she was happy.

What happened to her?

I look in the mirror; What happened to the old me?

Jordan Korpela (Hartland, WI)

Terri Carnell

Arrowhead Union High School

Runner-up Tie Senior Division 2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I thought that this type of poetry was really interesting because it's so different from all the other types. It was hard to step outside the box and come up with a good poem that would fit all the standards for a sijo poem but, it was really fun to be a different kind of creative. I do like writing poems and just writing in general, it's a really good way to express myself and I'm definitely not going to stop writing.

2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Junior

Division

Untitled

I may have many big dreams, as many as you could think of.

I want to be a kid's oncologist to help with cancer,

But I still have a long time think because I am only ten.

Harper Abel

Pittsville Elementary School Grand Prize Junior Division 2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

My name is Harper Abel and I’m in the 4th grade at Pittsville Elementary School. My teachers Ms. Van Haren and Mr. Hahn taught our class about sijo poems. I learned that sijo poems should have between 14-16 syllables, so I wanted to choose my words carefully, but also make them powerful. I have a lot of goals for myself and one of them is to be a children’s oncologist. I feel bad that kids have cancer and cannot help it, so I want to help them feel better! I enjoy playing sports, taking dance lessons, playing the piano, and drawing!

More Than A Bird

Perched in the tree above. Silky, shiny feathers. A diamond of the animal world.

Noisy yet calm. A speck in the sky yet a treasure to the eye.

Free above not meant for a cage. Wings stretched out, then it flies away.

Isabella Peterson (Burlington, WI) Emily Laidley Runner-up Tie Junior Division 2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Hi my name is Isabella. I love to write so when my mom showed me the Sijo competition on the Burlington Public Library Facebook page, I jumped at the chance. I didn't know what Sijo poems were so I did a little research. When I was writing my poem I thought of how majestic a bird was. When I am not writing I like to play with my pets and play sports like basketball. I hope future students aren't afraid to put themselves out there and try their best.

My Mom's Perfume

The smell a memory so sweet, my mom's perfume, the perfect day

Clear skies, a lullaby, like a big hug in the arms of my mom

With age, the scent fades away, one whiff of the smell brings me back...

Julia Zimdars (Oconomowoc, WI)

Beth Wartzenluft

Stone Bank School

Runner-up Tie Junior Division

2021 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I learned about this competition from my wonderful teacher, Beth Wartzenluft, a Teaching and Learning Coordinator and also my Honors English teacher at Stone Bank School. I entered this competition not thinking about winning, but wanting experience. I learned that writing Sijo is a process that is easier if you have details on what you are writing about. Some of my hobbies are softball, writing, music, and art. In the future, I look forward to summer and softball games, as well as spending time with friends and family. I really don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but I do know that I enjoy writing.

2022 Sejong Sijo Competition

Adult Division

Night Music

A slur of crickets builds tension and tensile strength noises, winding and unwinding, violin strings snapping every night. I shout stop. Silence in the hot night. Then frogs start bassoons.

Martin Willitts, Jr. (Syracuse, NY) First Place Adult Division 2022 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Martin Willitts Jr. I am a retired Library Director. I have published 20 full-length collections of poetry.

This was the first time I wrote a sijo. I worked on it over and over. I have more experience with haiku, tanka, and haibun.

My hobby is organic gardening and I have taught myself about growing healing plants.

My personal hero is my grandparents that taught me the value of silent worship and working in the old ways of farming.

I was actually a blacksmith when I was a teen. As a poet, my goal is to improve my poems and poetic techniques.

Mourning My Mom

All those months of hospice

I pictured us easing into goodbye:

Family gathered at the end, taking turns holding her hand.

Then she died suddenly alone, leaving us empty-handed.

Stephanie Malley (Trafford, PA) Second Place Adult Division 2022 Sejong Writing Competition

I’m a stay-at-home mom who likes to read (juvenile fiction especially), pray, encourage others, and engage in verbal wordplay around the dinner table with my family. I consider myself an occasional poet because I tend to write only when inspired; however, I enjoy participating in April’s National Poetry Writing Month prompts, and it was a prompt on napowrimo.net one year ago that introduced me to the sijo form.

I followed the link to the Sejong Cultural Society’s guide to writing sijo and submitted my first one just before the competition closed. In studying past winners’ entries this time, I realized I hadn’t understood the twist correctly, so I paid particular attention to getting that right.

“Mourning My Mom” is one of an ongoing series of poems sijos, fibs, shadormas written after the recent deaths of my parents. These short poetic forms are like small word puzzles I love figuring out how to make everything I want to include fit within the structure of the poem.

Hot Coffee

Hot coffee, black; no sugar.

French Press, Turkish just let me know.

Sitting down with some fresh pancakes…

Mornings with you are a dream.

I can now barely remember

How it felt with you next to me

Ben Griffis (Alexandria, VA)

Third Place Adult Division 2022 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a statistician in the DC area, where I live with my wife and energetic yellow lab. In my free time I enjoy learning about Korean history, writing, learning languages, and analyzing soccer matches & data.

I heard about this competition after searching the internet for information about Sijo, which I discovered through my interest in Korean history and culture. Everything about the art form immediately piqued my interest and I'm very grateful for all the great resources the Sejong Cultural Society has on the website. They provided direction to start learning more and more about the style of poetry.

Reading and writing Sijo has been a wonderful (always unfinished) journey. My favorite aspect of Sijo is that the third line can completely shift the meaning of the first two, retaining their words but altering their underlying feeling. The demand of Sijo to do that both quickly and coherently makes me appreciate all authors for their skill. I'm excited to continue my journey learning about and writing Sijo.

2022 Sejong Sijo Competition

Pre-college Division

the sun (and its arms)

if i am the sun, then you are the ever-lovely night. daily i chase you when i rise just to see you fade from the sky. is this love? rays always stretching towards things i can never reach.

Gabrielle Wincherhern (Woodbridge, CT) 12th grade, Jennifer Bonaldo Amity Regional High School

First Place Pre-College Division 2022 Sejong Writing Competition

I'm Gabrielle Wincherhern, and I'm a senior at Amity High School. In college, I'd like to study conservation biology, psychology, foreign languages, and digital media. In addition to writing, I enjoy reading, animating, drawing, playing video games, and music, though writing is the longest-held of any of these hobbies.

While writing this sijo, I learned how to be short with my writing. Often my writing is overly verbose, but writing a poem as short as a sijo forced me to pare down my writing and make my words count.

I wanted to capture the feeling of wanting things one would or could never have, and it was something of a challenge for me to get it across in so little words. Admittedly, I thought the possibility of being awarded in this contest might turn out to be yet another thing I wanted but couldn't have, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out otherwise. I'm so honored to have received an award.

CNA

“Doing the dirty work,” they say about my kind of work. If you saw the sorrow and sadness within their eyes and souls, you too would do the “dirty work” to bring them a sliver of joy.

Natalie Vogt (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Second Place Pre-College Division 2022 Sejong Writing Competition

I am a senior at Arrowhead High School. I play basketball for my school team and I also run track. I love to be outdoors and take my dogs on walks. I also have recently found a love of reading.

In my future, I hope to participate in more writing competitions, just like this one.

I learned about the sijo competition through my creative writing class at Arrowhead High School. My teacher, Ms. Jorgensen, taught my class about sijo poems. Writing sijo poems taught me how to convey my thoughts in a limited amount of words. It showed me that sometimes saying less is more.

Butterfly

I grew the seeds you planted in my head: my veins burst with buds, my tears sweet with nectar; for you I became a garden.

But still, you flutter by, lured by the scent of what’s out of reach.

Cathy Nguyen (San Gabriel, CA) 12th grade, Marguerita Drew Gabrielino High School Third Place Pre-College Division

2022 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Cathy Nguyen and I am currently a senior at Gabrielino High School. I heard about this competition from my AP Lit teacher, Mrs. Drew as part of an extra credit assignment. I am grateful to her for always pushing us to do our best and go beyond.

While writing my sijo, I learned to simply go with the flow of writing and accept changes to my initial ideas as I go along. Originally, I wanted to use the metaphor of a butterfly to convey a different topic but my ideas gradually evolved during my process into something better.

The experience taught me that poetry is a journey with many twists and turns; the results aren’t always what you expect.

In my free time, I enjoy making art, whether it be drawing, painting, or sticker decos. I also enjoy seeing because I have a profound love for plushies and my favorite one is named Momo.

My personal heroes are my sister and my best friend. My sister has always encouraged me to pursue my creative interests and stay true to who I am. My best friend is the most resilient person I know and her endless support has helped me overcome many obstacles.

Next fall, I’m planning to go to UC Irvine and major in Psychology.

June

26, 2015

The bells chime ringing out joy

white lace trails throughout the halls

Celebrating love and light

but some frown offended

Disgusted by the ceremony

it's different when it's two brides

Elizabeth Gill (Dublin, OH)

11th grade, Tim Flora Dublin Jerome High School Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2022 Sejong Writing Competition

I heard about this competition from my English teacher, and I learned about how to put my ideas in different formatting to further shape them!

My hobbies include singing and writing, and I also love tea.

My personal hero is my mom, for always working harder than she needs to.

My future goals are to get my IB diploma, and to broaden my knowledge at college.

Late night witchcraft

Sizzle and pop. I'm summoning the sandman with my cauldron pot

Cumin, nutmeg, and chamomile I stir into my goblet

I drink a sip of tea and fall into a deep, dream-filled sleep

Emma Homrig (Redwood City, CA) 8th Grade, Suhail Rafidi Odyssey Middle School Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2022 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Emma Homrig, I would like to say thank you for looking at my work. I am in 8th grade at Odyssey School in San Mateo and I learned about this competition through my language arts teacher, Suhail Rafidi. He encourages us to branch out and share our writing with the world.

While writing my poem I learned how much I enjoy expressing myself through words on a page, whether it be hobbies or sides of myself I don't get to show often.

My personal interests include reading, writing, Japanese language and culture, crew, and cooking. I would say the person I look up to most is my sister, she is very passionate about rowing and school. Every day I learn something new from her.

As for future goals, I am only thirteen but I think I want to pursue cooking and eventually run my own restaurant.

Untitled

Disgustingly, I stare at her. She's so ugly. I hate her.

Frayed fingernails. Acne-covered skin. Chubby body. Stained teeth.

I despise her. I wish I could punch her. But then the mirror would shatter.

Izeabella Jerger (Oconomowoc, WI) 11th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2022 Sejong Writing Competition

I first heard about this sijo competition from my creative writing teacher Ms. Jorgensen.

Writing this sijo taught me a whole new writing style that I hadn't heard of before and it got me interested in learning more styles that I haven't been taught.

I love to do art and have formed an interest in Criminology, which I’d like to learn more about; I hope to pursue it in the future.

My personal hero would have to be my mom. She has always been there for me and supported me through everything that I do and I hope to continue making her proud.

Shoes

“sturdy shoes will walk you to better places” mother told me so she stitched daffodils, storks, and crescent moons on the leather those shoes don’t fit me anymore, replaced with shoes bought with dreams

Ashley Park (Dix Hills, NY)

Rachel Crowe

Half Hollow Hills High School West

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division

2022 Sejong Writing Competition

Untitled

I scratch behind his soft ear as he slowly drifts off to sleep.

It’s been a long day for my best friend – my canine companion.

The vet pats my shoulder and says, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Christina Todd (Chattanooga, TN) 12th grade, Chuck Newell Notre Dame High School Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2022 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Christina Todd, and I am a senior at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

I plan on majoring in business and digital design at Furman University next fall. I am co-president of our school’s botany club and enjoy reading, skating, and playing guitar.

I learned about this competition through my AP English teacher, Mr. Newell. Writing this sijo allowed me to express my creativity and feelings about a very personal experience.

I’d like to say thank you to Mr. Newell who has been an amazing teacher this year and has taught me so much.

2022 Sejong International Sijo Competition

Grandmother's Hair

Your grandmother’s hair held secrets plaited into her crown,

Passed on to you as she braided stories upon your scalp,

Echoes of ages in her fingertips,

weaving laughter from faraway lands.

Katie Yen (Bentonville, AR, USA) First Place 2022 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I am a lover of language– written, spoken, and sung, which led me to study linguistics and foreign languages in college. My curiosity led me to study Korean culture and hangeul on my own, after which I discovered the art of sijo from the Sejong Cultural Society. The poetry form of sijo felt both freeing and limiting to me, in that I challenged myself to shape something beautiful and powerful with the succinct use of the most impactful words.

It is sometimes that which cannot be expressed with words that eludes us the most, which we attempt to express through other love languages– the sharing of food, an act of kindness, a warm embrace. In my sijo, GRANDMOTHER'S HAIR, I recall how there is an infinite history passed down to me by those loved ones who are no longer here, and how little of it was actually verbalized when they were still around. There is so much that I would ask my ancestors if I could, yet all their words are still here, written in my own flesh, and in yours, too, dear reader. I encourage you to share your own stories with your loved ones, whether through pages and pages of sijo or around the dinner table.

I am a mother, a writer, a novelist and a poet. You can find my work at katieyen.com and follow me @katiedowrite.

Untitled

“I see one low to the grass!” ”I see one, too up in the tree!”

Each firefly a miracle, children’s faces glow with pure joy…

In the dark, I stand surrounded with memories of past summers.

Sasha A. Palmer (Baltimore, MD, USA) Runner-up

2022 Sejong International Sijo Competition

Thank you, Sejong Cultural Society, for recognizing my sijo. Congratulations to the winner, and honorable mentions – I look forward to your poems! I read sijo both classic, and contemporary for enjoyment, as well as for a better understanding of this poetry form.

Although I have experimented with free verse, I prefer writing formal especially short form poetry. I find its technical, and thematic constraints liberating. They help me focus, and get rid of fluff, as I try to create a poem, in which every word is meaningful. A sijo is a challenge, and a lot of fun to write!

Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, I currently live in Maryland with my family. My kids are growing way too fast... Visit me online at: www.sashaapalmer.com

Father’s Chair

Rain patters down the patio. Drip- dripping on Father’s chair.

Puddle collects round plastic legs, a little lake to soak his feet.

Still I watch as days turn to months, for Father to come and sit back down.

Erica Fransisca (Jakarta Barat, Jakarta, Indonesia) Honorable Mention 2022 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I’m a born and bred Indonesian who studied English Literature in the UK. Today, I’m mostly a freelance writer but have also worked (or still do) as a narrative designer and outreach manager. Although I’ve always been fascinated by words and their ability to touch on our emotions, I never seriously considered publishing my own works until recently.

I came across both the sijo form and competition from a writing website and was immediately drawn to its rhythmic and lyrical quality. Indeed, this has inspired me to explore more forms of poetry and writing from different cultures around the globe, including my own.

My sijo was inspired by my maternal and paternal grandfathers who passed away within four years of each other one just before I started university, and the other after. Sometimes when I see the chair, the sofa, or the bed that was once “their spot”, I can’t help but wonder if some of us still hope for them to come back and be there again. It’s impossible, but I think there will always be a part of you that indulges in this sort of wishful thinking.

A socially distanced date

what are your hobbies she asks, sitting across from her blind date

i cannot, hear you i fear, the gentleman replies to her

i’m not deaf, but there are six feet, of a distance, between us

Seunghui Lily Ha (Naperville, IL, USA) Honorable Mention

2022 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I am a child of South Korean immigrants and moved to the US when I was one. My identity is composed of two nations. I am currently a high school junior from Naperville, Illinois. I serve as an executive editor for my school’s literary magazine and the assistant editor-in-chief of my school’s newspaper.

The arts, particularly poetry, have always inspired me. The passion and sentiment for them make me feel human. I enjoy reading poems in my daily life, and it brings calmness to the hectic and turbulent outside world. I love to experiment with different genres of poetry writing, though free verse feels most close to home. When I came across the Sejong Cultural Society and its resources, I was fascinated by sijo. Not only does it portray strong messages with powerful words, but also through the rush of emotions through short phrases. I have always had an interest in cultural interactions on a global scale, and since freshman year, I have been volunteering to teach Korean adoptees around the world the culture and language of Korea every weekend.

My sijo was inspired by the complexity that the Coronavirus Pandemic brought forth to us, and the idea of a twist for a date during social distancing came to me one day. Although the brainstorming process of a creative and fresh idea for a sijo took longer than expected, the final draft was nearly identical to my first. The COVID-19 pandemic brought confusion and anxiety to all of us and I wanted to create a poem in sijo form that depicted the situation in a more humorous and light-hearted manner.

In 2021, I was selected as a winner of the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Award, organized by Illinois Humanities in partnership with the Poetry Foundation, Brooks Permissions, and UChicago Arts. I have also won several awards in poetry for Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Baby Changing Station

We entered the women’s restroom, greeted with clucking fury, you can’t be a man in here, holding a sick baby girl. We washed her, through gender & health, loved and cherished, as a team.

Brittany Mishra (Battle Ground, WA, USA) Honorable Mention 2022 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I’m Brittany Mishra and I am a Senior Supply Chain Buyer for a medical device company. In my spare time, I write poetry in many forms and styles. My poems have been published in Painted Bride Quarterly, Spoon River Poetry Review, Chestnut Review, and in many other journals.

In June 2022, I heard about the Sijo form and this competition while attending the Community of Writers workshop just north of Lake Tahoe. I learned the details and specifics of the form through a friend and through the Sijo Competition website. I found the form and its restrictions inspiring. It forced me to make choices in language and image that I never considered before. I fell in love with how musical and rhythmic each line can become.

The inspiration of my poem came shortly after my husband was forced to change our daughter’s diaper in a woman’s bathroom because the men’s bathroom did not have a diaper station. The women in the bathroom were flustered and avoided eye contact with him. I came in to diffuse the situation, but in this modern age, my poem begs the question, why are we still stuck in the thought processes of the past? The Sijo form was perfect to create the tension and release in this poem.

Somebody

No flitting birds fill the tree, too many days of dry heat.

Only a bug, upside down, climbs tall grass in front of me.

Stem’s arced wide, bent by his slight life six-legged gospeler of green.

Deborah J. Shore (Easton, PA, USA) Honorable Mention

2022 Sejong International Sijo Competition

Sijo is a new form for me. Another writer had mentioned this competition on a social media group for poets. So I browsed resources on sijo at the Sejong Cultural Society page. I became curious about the form’s potential to introduce new creative writers to concepts important to Western forms such as word play, caesura, and turns while immersing them in another culture acting as a bridge between the two.

Since the three line format is more in keeping with the historical tenor of sijo, I began by writing this poem. Sustained meditations or simpler images seem to help maintain the integrity of a sijo’s long lines. I’ve also enjoyed the contemporary format where a sijo is divided into six short lines on the page in my novice experience, allowing for a higher energy poem with more diverse imagery. They’re both wonderful to explore.

I am housebound with illness but was fortunate to be inspired by an observation of the natural world from my apartment window. I’ve previously placed first in poetry competitions at the Anglican Theological Review and the Alsop Review.

2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Adult Division

Should the Blossoms Survive

She shovels winter’s ashes into a pail. Soft soot will feed

spring’s first pink tulips and the taproots of thistle. The queen bee sleeps. Her phone rings. Next month she begins a double blind chemo trial.

Jenna K Rindo (Pickett, WI) Grand Prize Adult Division 2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I’m grateful to the Sejong Cultural Society for both holding the Sijo competition and providing so many resources to writers unfamiliar with this form. I struggled with the limitations and challenges involved in writing Sijo and had to step away from many drafts for a couple months. Later, I was willing to cut both words and phrases. I am new to the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets which is how I found out about the Sijo contest.

I worked for years as a pediatric RN at hospitals in Virginia, Florida and Wisconsin. I write to better understand and appreciate the complications of the human body, mind and spirit. I am a runner and train for races from the 5K to the full marathon. I often arrange words and make revisions in my head as I run and bike. I now teach Swahili, Hmong, Spanish, Urdu and Kurdish students at Oshkosh elementary schools. My husband Ron and I raised our blended family of five children on a five acre parcel of land in rural Pickett. We tend orchards, gardens, hens and Shetland sheep.

I believe that all forms of art involve finding the balance between what to include and what to leave out. John Ruskin said it much more eloquently: “Nothing is ever seen perfectly, but only by fragments and under various conditions of obscurity.”

Sunrise Walk on the Ice Age Trail

This fall morning, steam off the drainage marsh copies my coffee cup.

Black birds balance on white-tufted cattails like the last few flecks of pepper in my mostly salty beard. Frost is forecasted soon.

Paul Walter (West Bend, WI) Runner-up Adult Division 2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I found out about sijo from Linda Sue Park's Tap Dancing on the Roof. Her poem "Summer Storm," with it's surprise 3rd line, made me fall in love with the form. I soon shared Park's book with the awesome middle and high school members of Slinger Authors' Club, which I facilitate, and we've been writing sijos ever since.

I discovered your Wisconsin Sijo Competition through the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, an amazing organization that has provided me with a poetry publication outlet through their Poets' Calendar and Sheltering with Poems publication.

I was especially honored and excited to be recognized this year because my daughter (and Authors' Club member), Abby, also won the Senior Division. Sharing the excitement with Abby has been one of the coolest experiences of my writing life! I'd also like to give a shout out to the rest of my supportive family and my friends from the Fox Valley Writing Project who have helped me continue to grow as a writer and teacher of writing.

2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Senior Division

Fading to the Farmhouse Bench

My quick-witted grandfather now asks if he’s had dinner. He asks the name of the grandchild beside him at the table.

Still, he recalls each meal on the farm between brothers Mike and Bill.

Abby Walter (West Bend, WI) Paul Walter Grand Prize Senior Division 2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

While I’ve always loved to read and write, poetry was the first form of writing that truly caught my interest. I became aware of both the sijo form and the Wisconsin Sijo Contest through my school’s monthly Authors’ Club, and I immediately knew that this form would become special to me.

It is concise enough that I must focus my ideas, yet the syllable count is generous enough for my sijos to convey emotion. I drew inspiration for my submission from my relationship with my grandfather, who, despite his fading memory, cherishes life and laughter more than anyone I know. This sijo focuses on the childhood memories he holds on to, even as the recent details blurr.

As a junior in high school who is currently making plans for the future, I find it especially important to uphold his level of optimism. After graduating from Slinger High School next year, I plan to pursue a career in nutrition so that I can share my passions for healthy cooking and living with those who need it. No matter what my future path looks like, I have no doubt that I will continue to write and enjoy poetry and the creative and personal outlets it provides.

Untitled

clouds stand still, they look painted on the canvas of the blue sky. soft grass tickles my arms and legs. birds chirp loud. not loud enough, to drown out the screams and yelling of my parents inside the house

Ella Forsterling (Hartland, WI) Elizabeth Jorgensen Runner-up Tie Senior Division 2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I'm Ella Forsterling and I'm a junior at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin.

I learned about this competition from my Creative Writing teacher, Elizabeth Jorgensen. This was the assignment I found most interesting.

I enjoy writing short poetry pieces and found this to be a power writing tool.

She

She holds our past, our love, our future. She knows our weakness and strength.

She dances with the stars and glimmers in the bright sun, floating above it all.

“The moon is quite beautiful, isn’t she?” "Yes, she's breathtaking.”

Carly Hytinen (Delafield, WI) Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School

Runner-up Tie Senior Division 2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

My name is Carly Hytinen and I am a student at Arrowhead High School. I enjoy performing on stage as well as reading, writing, listening to music, hanging out with friends and playing with my dog, Jack!

I will be attending University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the fall and I will be pursuing my love of writing by majoring in communications. I hope one day to be a journalist.

I was introduced to sijo through my creative writing teacher Ms. Jorgensen. I have never written sijo before but I completely fell in love with this format. I loved being able to be creative with a new form of writing and I can’t wait to keep learning!

2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Junior Division

Winter Nights

The pale moonlight reflects on the white snow, casting shadows. The tree branches hitting each other in an endless fight finally, peace for the rest of the night. I sleep until morning.

Celia Rademan (Pittsville, WI)

Kate Van Haren

Pittsville Elementary School

Grand Prize Junior Division 2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

My name is Celia Rademan. My teacher, Ms. Van Haren, told my about the Sijo competition.

I love to write and draw, so I was very excited to learn to write poems in this poetic style. In my free time, I like to be outside where I can hike, hunt, and fish. I also enjoy playing basketball, listening to music, and reading.

As I get older, I want to learn more about science. It is my favorite subject, and I love doing experiments.

Farm Life

Cows can be naughty and some can be nice but be careful!

It is hard to pick up after the cow but I can not give up.

When the power goes out it is hard to milk the cows by hand.

Gavin Hughes (Pittsville, WI)

Kate Van Haren

Pittsville Elementary School

Runner-up Junior Division

2022 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Ms. Van Haren told us about Sijo poetry in class.

I wrote it because I live on a farm and I know the experience of getting kicked by a cow.

My future goals are to try to get first place in the competition next year.

I learned that a sijo poem has to have 16 sllybles and 3 lines. It's fun to have lots of freedom to write, but have some rules.

2023 Sejong Sijo Competition

Adult Division

My Father's Change

Father, how much you like to talk

About how strong you used to be

How once, as a young man

You arm wrestled men in bars for quarters

Take my hand, the bathtub is slick

Pretend it's still all for quarters

Josh Poole (Lexington, VA)

First Place Adult Division

2023 Sejong Writing Competition

I was born in the Virginia mountains, and there I’ve stayed, accompanied by a notepad and pen while working for years as a line cook. The themes, musicality, and structure of my writing were all born in the kitchen, some during the height of a rush, and others in somber, exhausted interludes sitting on a milk crate. Someday, I hope to be a full-time novelist, as I’ve always had to sandwich my pursuits between multiple jobs, and often wonder what things I might’ve created with a bit more breathing room.

Perhaps we’ll see!

Creativity has always been an escape for me, and I often write poetry in conjunction with sculpting, drawing, or painting to see what amalgamations might result. I stumbled across the sijo form on social media, of all places, and decided to try my hand at it when I saw that the Sejong Cultural Society hosted a sijo competition. I wrote MY FATHER’S CHANGE while recalling the time I spent with my mom as she took care of her parents.

In his last few years, my grandfather had to let go of many of the things which once defined him, and through countless hours of fitting those complex feelings and myriad stories into just a few lines of words, writing this sijo helped me to reconnect with him.

Untitled

At the start a tiny spark, it grows and grows, and becomes fire.

It burns clear, bold and untamed, its want for life insatiable.

Where are you, bright days of my youth? My hair is gray, like ashes.

Sasha A. Palmer (Baltimore, MD) Second Place Adult Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

I read about the competition on the website of the Sejong Cultural Society. When I started my sijo, I did not know where it would take me. The very brevity of the form gave me direction. Youth is transient, but “to every thing there is a season,” and there is beauty in growing old.

My very special friend reminds me of this daily. She is Italian, her name is Joana, but she goes by Jennie. She is a hundred and eight years old, and she is beautiful. People often ask her, “What is your secret?” She usually shrugs her shoulders and smiles, but once she said, “Just live good.”

Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, I currently live in Maryland. Visit me online at: www.sashaapalmer.com

Icicles

Under the eaves of the heart, icicles cling like crystal swords.

Freezing with fear, sharp with sorrow, glaring with an icy stare.

But, with the steady gaze of the sunshine, the icicles drip tears.

Chong McDermott (Springfield, VA)

Third Place Tie Adult Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

I learned about the Sijo competition through the Korean Literary Society of Washington, where we meet monthly to share our work in Korean and English. The condensed format of Sijo poetry has helped me cultivate a minimalist mindset, which aligns with the lifestyle I aspire to lead.

Writing lyrics, poems, and essays about my family brings me great pleasure. I also really enjoy hiking, reading and singing. My sister is also an inspiration, having devoted forty years to teaching piano to children with diverse behavioral challenges and their parents while also accommodating financial hardships by charging less than average for lessons. Hearing about the lessons she learns through teaching is truly remarkable, revealing two sides of the same coin.

Now, my primary goal is to co-author a children's story with my granddaughter and share the Sijo poems she writes.

Overseas

Black waves bob against gold sky, bluntly trimming pale horizon

My dark hair, my Asian self, swept far away from motherland

People here cannot say my name. Washed out to sea, will I drown?

Daeun Sung (New York, NY) Third Place Tie Adult Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

I graduated from Columbia University, where I worked in the Graduate School of Journalism. I teach writing, English, and Korean, and enjoy singing and reading in my free time. I was aware of the Sejong Music Competition and came across the Writing Competition, where the thought-provoking, Korean poetic form that is sijo caught my interest.

My sijo conveys the sense of displacement, alienation, and cultural conflict that I felt when I immigrated to a predominantly white town in America. Ethnic features like hair and skin color are the first differences we notice and are used here as imagery to symbolize the dichotomy of my Asian heritage. It is a commentary on how white culture can sometimes dominate and erase the cultures of people of color, with the ocean as a representation of my experiences, evocative of not only physical, geographic migration but also cultural phenomena like whitewashing. Fitting this into the syllabic structure of sijo was a fun challenge since every word had to be intentioned. I'm always looking for ways to stay connected to my roots and share my culture - I appreciate that my parents instilled these values in me growing up. I'm honored that Sejong Cultural Society has given me the opportunity to do both through sijo, which I am eager to continue exploring.

Grandson

Six-year-old Oliver asks: “How did Grandpa die? How long ago?

Grandpa didn't know me. I wish he could visit as a ghost.”

Facing me, he says quietly: “Grandma! Hug your Teddy Bear.”

Haeja K Chung (East Lansing, MI) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

Eternal

They tell me everything changes: valleys and grass, mountains and bark.

The fingerprints of the river carve paintings into the cliffs.

Still the same sun rises and a quiet part of us remains.

Ana Reisens (Sister Bay, WI)

Honorable Mention Adult Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

I heard about the competition through a blog I follow that provides a list of unique writing contests and opportunities. I had never written a sijo, so more than anything, I thought it would be an enjoyable chance to explore an unfamiliar form. It was. I had such a great time scouring the web, reading as many translated and Englishlanguage sijos as I could, holding on to some to revisit. It's such a beautiful form that contains so much, and there's a musicality to it that I found very beautiful, as if the poems were begging to be sung.

I'm a university professor and translator. I teach English and translation to non-native speakers. I love to travel and spend time in nature, and you can often find me hiking in parks or with my nose buried in a book. My sijo was inspired by the feeling I often get when out in nature - how the world seems to be constantly shifting, but there's always a part of us, deep within, that remains still.

My heroes tend to be women who lived quietly powerful lives, moving the world with their words, like Mary Oliver and Maya Angelou. In the future, I hope to keep teaching, enjoying the beauty of nature, reading, writing, and seeing as much of the world as I can.

Missing Ingredient

Jjigae boils, softly, blandly. My spoon clatters into the sink

Just outside the foggy window, magpies cackle, fly to heaven

Magpies wait! And take this message: ask my eomma* how to fix this.

* mother

Josephine Suh (Saratoga, CA) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

I learned about the Sijo Competition through a targeted social media ad. It was the first time I had heard of sijo at all, and I was delighted to learn about it. I appreciate how the form imposes a structure without shying away from deep emotionality.

My heroes are my grandfathers, who each in their own boldly pursued their dreams. One grandfather served in the Korean foreign service and the other grandfather studied abroad at Berkeley. Their examples inspire me to move forward confidently into unknown futures and uncomfortable spaces.

I work as a psychotherapist specializing in Asian American issues, but in my free time, I enjoy writing speculative fiction inspired by Korean culture and concepts in psychology. Most recently, I completed a short story set in an alternative universe where tal masks are imbued with magical fighting powers. My goal is simply to keep writing, keep improving, and keep creating. I cherish the art of writing fiction because it helps me transform all the thoughts and emotions sloshing around inside of me into something more organized, whimsical, and joyous!

2023 Sejong Sijo Competition

Pre-college Division

Untitled

Jade the stone is vivid green, smooth and sleek, translucent. This jewel symbolizes wealth, highly valued by nobility.

I am Jade; it is my given name

I’m just trying to survive.

Jade McMullen (Albany, NY)

10th grade, Robin Henderson Tocci Academy of The Holy Names First Place Pre-College Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Jade McMullen, and I am currently a sophomore at the Academy of The Holy Names in Albany, New York.

This competition was a writing project assigned by my teacher Mrs.Tocci, my first introduction to this genre of poetry. In appearance, the poem seemed so simple, but its structure proved more complex and challenging.

Rather than writing, one normally finds me on the lacrosse field. I love being outdoors and playing.

Writing this piece was special to me because Jade the stone is important in Korean culture, and it represents me since it is my given name and part ethnicity. I enjoyed writing this sijo and would like to hopefully write more poetry in the future. I am so honored to have received this award; it was a very pleasant surprise.

Man of the House

My brother complains that he is the only boy in the house–

Claiming that it would be nice to have a male presence for once.

He looks full of regret now, Mom brought her new boyfriend to dinner.

Siya Sinha (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Second Place Pre-College Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Siya Sinha and I am a senior at Arrowhead High School located in Hartland, Wisconsin. I plan to attend UW-Lacrosse in the fall to major in marketing, with a minor in media studies. In my free time I enjoy doing videography, as well as being on the dance team.

My creative writing teacher Ms. Jorgensen introduced me to this style of poetry in class. I found myself reading a great deal of sijo and was incredibly fascinated by all of the twists. Soon enough, I greatly enjoyed writing different sijo poems as well.

I would like to thank Ms. Jorgensen and the Sejong Cultural Society for this incredible opportunity.

Itaewon

Stumbling, crumbling, crashing of bones in a human wave,

Voices suffocated, engulfed so no one can be saved,

Here I am, weeping and hugging his lost shoe from that tragic day...

Eden Park (Las Vegas, NV) 11th grade, Nicole Kim

Ed W. Clark High School Third Place Pre-College Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

I'm Eden Park, a junior at Clark High School.

I heard about this competition when I was researching about sijos. Even as a Korean myself, I didn't know what a sijo was until this year!

When writing my sijo, I learned the importance of conveying every honest and genuine emotion through each and every word. With the limited number of syllables in a sijo, it was challenging for me to express this.

In my free time, I enjoy singing, dancing, and writing. Check out my journalism website here: voiceof.vegas .

In the future, I want to study psychology more extensively and pursue a career in the medical field.

Fixing Mistakes

Creative, my mind wanders, finds the answer, and shuts down.

Knowledgeable, problems arise that I can solve, I feel smart.

Book problems have correct answers; personal problems don’t seem to.

Tanner Harju (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Terri Carnell

Arrowhead Union High School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division

2023 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Tanner Harju, a senior at Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. My hobbies include but are not limited to, hockey, basketball, golf, and listening to music.

I was introduced to this competition through my English teacher, Mrs. Carnell, who also laid the groundwork for how I am meant to do my work and how to get my point across within my writing. This experience was very helpful and allowed me to look at life through a different lens and to create a meaningful piece of writing out of it.

In the future, I am attending and hope to progress through my ability to make writing pieces such as this one.

An Icy Relationship

Family! I love them all, and yet sometimes they annoy me.

My sister was made the queen, but she’s so cold. Literally. Disney films; so predictable. They all do fine in the end.

Sydney Kesselheim (Boston, MA) 5th grade, Julie Burke

Chestnut Hill School

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division

2023 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Sydney Kesselheim, and I live in Boston. I enjoy writing, reading, playing the flute, and playing ice hockey and softball.

I have been writing and publishing my own newspaper for my class since I was in second grade. This year in school, we had a poetry section led by Ms. Burke that I loved, particularly the haikus and odes. I was excited to take part in this competition because I had never heard of sijo before as a style of poetry. So it was fun to learn about it and try it out.

I'm so glad that you liked my poem.

Secrets

create a bond between friends that transcends all other bonds. have power and can test the true character of a person. can destroy relationships before you can even blink an eye.

Aidan Mickol (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen Arrowhead Union High School Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2023 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Aidan Mickol and I am a senior at Arrowhead Union High School. I play volleyball for my school and I enjoy golfing. I love watching movies and being active. I will be attending UW-Madison in the fall and I plan on pursuing a Master of Business Administration in the future.

I heard about this competition through my creative writing teacher, Ms. Jorgensen. I learned the importance of word and syllable count in sijo and I enjoyed the challenge that ensued. I also learned that despite the limited word counts, I could still be very creative in my writing.

2023 Sejong International Sijo Competition

Untitled

A bottle, tossed on the shore by someone’s hand, breaks to pieces, yet survives, worn by the waves, becomes sea glass, frosted and smooth. Shattered hearts do not heal with time their burning shards remain sharp.

Sasha A. Palmer (USA) Winner

2023 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I first learned about and felt drawn to sijo several years ago, when I came across the website of the Sejong Cultural Society.

A writer of short-form poetry, I appreciate sijo’s rigid structure, and simple language, which force me to discipline declutter my writing.

Tidying up is therapeutic. Thoughts, memories, emotions may be overwhelming. Sijo helps me sort through them, and find clarity, and relief.

Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, I currently live in Maryland.

Visit me online at: www.sashaapalmer.com

Appropriate appropriation

Western girl, what is that thing you’re composing - English Sijo?

Korean in heart and soul, thought and language, old culture’s voice -

Stranger's spark, tradition soaring: something quite new for the world.

Henrietta Hartl (Germany) Runner-up Tie

2023 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I am a journalist and writer living in a small coastal village on the German part of the Baltic Sea coast.

Actually, my first acquaintance with Asian poetry came with Haiku, then Pantun, and other forms. Writing English and German language poems in accordance with foreign poetic concepts, I was fascinated by the challenge of interlinking different languages, structures, and creative concepts. And when I read about Sijo a while ago I was immediately intrigued by its structure, which seems to me complex as well as simple (a contradiction, I know, but then it's poetry not maths ...).

After trying to write some Sijo I was delighted to learn about the international Sijo competition from a writer's blog listing competitions, ericaverrillo.com

I do have a website but I'm afraid it's in German (www.hartl-online.info).

When Life Wrinkles

The fabric of life is not silk but cotton; it wrinkles, shrinks, and fades.

Thoughts crumple, the heart heats up. I am a steaming iron.

An Iron, my heart shall be. I shall iron out crumpled thoughts.

Chong McDermott (USA) Runner-up Tie

2023 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I grew up in Korea and later moved to the US in my adult life. Often, I find myself grappling with the struggle to fully express my thoughts and emotions in English. Unexpectedly, poetry became my refuge, helping me cope with the grief and loss of loved ones. While sijo was originally meant to be sung, its rhythmic and melodic qualities were familiar to me. However, composing sijo in English presented an intriguing challenge. Despite this, I've found the lyrical nature of sijo to be both therapeutic and enjoyable. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to rediscover sijo and infuse it with a new English essence.

My introduction to the Sejong International Sijo Competition came through my exploration of online resources, provided by the Sejong Cultural Society. Currently, I am relishing the autumn of my life, fully aware that winter is an inevitability.

In Memory of Flave

Mourning clothes this darkest day

the gentleman has purred his last,

Whiskers slack, tuxedo-black fur

laid out on ice in the esky.

Schrödinger thinks to comfort us

but we know our friend is gone.

Jacob Edwards (Australia) Honorable Mention

2023 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I happened upon the Sejong International Sijo Competition while numb-surfing the ‘net, trying to phrase words of condolence for two of my dearest friends upon the passing of their cat, the incomparable Flave. Though the sijo form was unfamiliar to me, it piqued my creative interest with its tripart juxtaposition of structure, image and emotion. Before I knew it, my lines of thought had converged and I was writing ‘In Memory of Flave’ not a celebration of life (as I’d originally intended) but rather an expression of mourning. While this firstever sijo is one of sadness enshrined, I know I will forever associate subject and form. Future sijos will ipso facto recall to mind the gentleman puss in question. Over time they will conjure happier memories.

I live in Brisbane, Australia, and my writing encompasses creative and academic non-fiction, short stories, reviews and poetry. My work has appeared in journals, magazines and anthologies in Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada and the US. When not indulging my love of 80s synthpop, I may be found online at www.jacobedwards.id.au or tweeting/blue-sky-drifting @ToastyVogon. My monograph on The Romans (that jolly old Doctor Who story) is available from Obverse Books. My current labour of love is a 50th anniversary blogged re-watch of every episode of cult comedy TV classic The Goodies.

Dynamics

“Sforzando,” the music in front of me instructed.

Raising my violin bow I braced for the sudden loudness.

Yet how cruel, when you think of it, to wake the sleeping audience.

AJ Layague (USA) Honorable Mention 2023 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I’m a Filipino-American playwright and composer. All of my degrees are in musicand I did a post-doctoral fellowship in Asian Studies & Theater & Music.

I had been doing a lot of writing recently in rhyming couplets, and I went to look for more resources on poetry at Winning Writers. I came across this sijo competition and was fascinated by the form and flow of the sijo.

Thinking back to my days playing violin in a touring youth orchestra, I decided to express the sequence of sound and feelings that occur when playing in an ensemble with a sudden shift in dynamics. It can be exhilarating and sometimes jarring and funny. (Search for the video of an audience member’s reaction in the middle of Stravinsky’s “Firebird” for an example.)

I appreciate learning about sijo and look forward to writing more!

Visit me online at: www.Layague.com

The Wounds of Hope

Hatred spreads like a wildfire wind, while evil listens in.

Sounds of wailing pause to hear the challenge of a whisper.

Spread yourself as a bridge. Be open and wide as the wounds of hope.

Joseph (Pepe) Oulahan (USA) Honorable Mention

2023 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I Am Who I'm Not

A mask covers an unknown face no one seems to see through it.

Recognized by many, they think they know who I really am.

Greetings with smiles and hellos, They see me as someone I'm not.

Blake Riphenburg (USA) Honorable Mention 2023 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I am a senior in high school at Arrowhead High School. I will be heading to the University of Mississippi next year to study Business and Real Estate.

I learned about this competition from my creative writing teacher Mrs.Jorgenson who pushed me to submit my Sijo poem.

Perfection

Cover up the blemishes and be what they want me to be.

Show some more skin but do not look like you’re asking for it.

In a world full of imperfections they expect perfection.

Gianna Woida (USA) Honorable Mention

2023 Sejong International Sijo Competition

My name is Gia Woida, I am a Junior at Arrowhead High School. In school I enjoy getting involved with various club activities with my friends. I am also committed to my club and high school volleyball teams. In my free time I involve myself with volunteer work at a local hospital.

I wrote my sijo poem back in summer and was immediately intrigued by the writing style. The style is simple but elegant. I have written several poems before but not one quite like this. Poems have always been a fascinating play of words that narrate a story. There is so much creativity that goes into them. I love the fact that poems aren't so straightforward and you can write about anything that matters to you.

Writing has always been an outlet in my life to decipher thoughts and feelings. I have written so many different stories and poems about my life and now am honored to be recognized for my work! I can't wait to keep writing and I hope my poem inspires others to be brave and write about what matters to them.

2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Adult Division

Capturing Light

Departure sudden leaving, like early thaw, like low tide time

Looked for light, letters in drawers, lost messages, whispers in dreams

Your echo is a lightning bug, my memory is the jar.

Cristina Norcross (Oconomowoc, WI) Grand Prize Adult Division 2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I would like to express my deep appreciation and thanks to the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin and the Sejong Cultural Society, for providing this wonderful opportunity to explore the Sijo form and enter this contest.

I first heard about the Sijo competition through both the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, as well as from my younger son’s creative writing teacher at Arrowhead High School, Elizabeth Jorgensen. I was fascinated by the Sijo form, which I was unfamiliar with at the time. I am primarily a free verse poet, but have dabbled with pantoums and villanelles. The short form poem is one that both confines and liberates the writer in the most beautiful ways. The trimming back, pruning, and refining involved in the editing process can create the higher-self version of a poem. It can be an extraordinary, poetic journey.

I have been the editor of Blue Heron Review, an online poetry journal, for the past 10 years. I am one of the co-founders of Random Acts of Poetry and Art Day, celebrated annually on February 20th, since 2012. I am also the author of 9 poetry collections. My most recent book is The Sound of a Collective Pulse (Kelsay Books, 2021). I host an online writing prompt group, teach creative writing workshops, and often host open mic poetry events. When I am not writing, I design semi-precious stone and wire-wrapped jewelry, knit countless scarves in the winter months, and spend time taking long walks by the water, along Lac La Belle, where we live in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. (www.cristinanorcross.com)

Untitled

A wicked wind blows the golden autumn away today

Cardinal sways on the branch, feathered heart against spirals of snow

Takes its place for the winter, a burning candle in the cold.

Margaret King (Port Washington, WI) Runner-up Tie Adult Division 2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Thank you to the Sejong Cultural Society and UW Center for East Asian Studies for promoting sijo in our state! It's wonderful that this poetic form is being introduced to a wider audience through your efforts. I first heard about the statewide competition a couple years ago through our wonderful local library, WJ Neiderkorn Library. Writing different forms of poetry really challenges a writer to think more mindfully about syllables, word choice, and structure. As someone who tends to write free verse poetry, I'm not used to thinking about all those "nuts and bolts" of poem construction. Moreover, varying forms of poetry can tell us a lot about the cultural and social trends that shaped them. Poetry is a dynamic force, and it's fascinating to think about how different forms spread, change, and interact with our current world.

I did not start writing poetry until I was in my mid-30's, and have no formal background in creative writing. I'm passionate about letting people know that poetry is for anyone and everyone. Writing and sharing your poetry can feel intimidating at first, but across cultures, poetry has often been an informal, social form of entertainment and impetus for dialogue. Local poetry events are so important in that way, and I'm trying to get poetry programs off the ground at our local senior center--wish me luck! My other passions include teaching tai chi, postcard exchanging, drinking coffee, and spending time outdoors. In 2019, I published a poetry collection, "Isthmus."

What Did You Think Love Would Be Like?

Having left it on the sill, a bare breeze could blow it all away in an instant like a kiss, if I open the window a bare breeze could blow it all in, having been left on the sill.

Angela Hoffman (Jefferson, WI) Runner-up Tie Adult Division 2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I am very grateful to the Sejong Cultural Society for the opportunity to enter this contest and to learn a new form of poetry. Most of my poems are written in free verse so writing in form really challenged me. The Sijo poem is one in which every word and syllable matters, causing all the extraneous to be cut away. It is a Korean verse form comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each.

I learned about the Sijo contest through the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, an amazing organization and group of people. I first started writing poems in 2020 when the pandemic hit as a way to anchor my feelings of isolation. I have written a poem a day since then. I live in Jefferson with my husband and two cats.

I have been encouraged by so many other poets, many total strangers, who have gone out of their way to help me in my journey with writing poems. I live in the area where the great American poet, Lorine Niedecker, lived (1903-1970). She has been an inspiration to me. Her poetry, like the Sijo,is often very concise and condensed. Niedecker’s poems often reflect the sparseness and solitude of her life on Blackhawk Island.

2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Senior Division

Drugs

Teacher says, “Do not do drugs,” Yes, I’ll listen and understand

She lists off: “No Heroin, No Mary Jane, No White Cocaine”

Yet I am addicted to love, it’s the hardest drug there is

Killian Weston (Hartland, WI) Elizabeth Jorgensen Grand Prize Tie Senior Division 2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

My name is Killian Weston and I am a senior at Arrowhead High School, and I will be attending UW-Madison this Fall 2023 for Economics.

My creative writing teacher, Elizabeth Jorgensen, introduced me to this style of poetry and I was immediately intrigued. Sijo was interesting to learn for me because I wanted to continue to grow my cultural palette. Sijo is beautiful because it grants the ability to create a beautiful poem to my liking but it adds an extra hurdle or 2 due to the format, which is what I love. I love challenging myself and my mind so I can grow.

I would like to formally thank my family, Mrs. Jorgensen, Mrs. Carnell, and the Sejong Cultural Society for this opportunity.

Untitled

Red and green, presents under the tree. Grandma sits next to me.

Cinnamon, wafting from the kitchen, “Merry Christmas, Abby.”

But that’s my sisters name, not mine, “Merry Christmas Grandma”.

Ela Albrecht (Hartford, WI) Elizabeth Jorgensen Grand Prize Tie Senior Division 2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I found out about this competition through my creative writing teacher, Ms. Jorgensen.

I enjoy snowboarding and hanging out with my friends in the summer.

Some of my future goals include going to ASU. I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I am interested in something with business.

Lord Knows:

It’s Sunday, to church I go, it makes me better, I suppose.

It’s Friday, committing sins, I must repent, I suppose.

Saturday, argument with mom, I don’t believe. That I know.

Tanner Harju (Hartland, WI) Terri Carnell Runner-up Senior Division 2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Junior Division

Burning Trust

Fire, a valuable resource many use for warmth and cooking

You get a cozy feeling when sitting near the hearth, eating soup

Fire roars too and consumes everything in its path: backstabber!

Pavani Gupta (Slinger, WI)

Paul Walter

Grand Prize Junior Division 2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Hello, my name is Pavani Gupta, and I am an 8th grader at Slinger Middle school.

Mr.Walter, introduced me to this writing competition during one of our Authors club sessions. While writing, I started to notice the little things around me. This poem really taught me how to focus.

In my spare time, I like to draw and paint. I also like to hike.

I would like to thank Mr.Walter for introducing me to this topic.

Guitar Solo

Life is like a guitar; each fret is a chapter of our lives

You can read the music, and stick to the page, or rewrite it

But chords can blend to easily, so pluck the strings to stand out!

Taylor Keplin (Slinger, WI) Paul Walter Runner-up Junior Division 2023 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

2024 Sejong Sijo Competition

Adult Division

A Friend

Riding in an elevator, a child looks up at a monk,

"Are you God?" asks the young child. How sweet the innocence.

The monk smiles and answers the child, "No, but he is a friend of mine."

Gregory Tudor (Springfield, VA) First Place Adult Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Greg Tudor. I found out about this competition from my daughter who has been studying Korean for the past 4 years and has introduced me to many aspects of Korean culture. We decided to both enter the competition for fun.

I’m not a writer, so the lesson I learned while writing my sijo was that happy memories make the best (and easiest) sijo’s to write! My sijo is a true story about a day my 2yr old daughter came to work with me. She was the child mentioned in my sijo that was riding the elevator to my office that morning when she saw the monk.

My goal is to be a supportive and loving father that my daughter can be proud of. My daughter is my hero. I am constantly amazed by the incredible person she is every day.

Untitled

On the night I was born, my father bought two bottles of champagne.

He drank one and saved one to drink with me when I turned twenty-one.

He didn’t know that champagne wouldn’t keep that long nor would he.

David Jibson (Ann Arbor, MI) Second Place Tie Adult Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

I began reading and writing poetry seriously after retiring from a 35 year career in social work, most recently with a hospice agency. I am published in many online and print journals. My full length collection Protective Coloration was published by Kelsay Press.

I am managing editor of 3rd Wednesday Magazine, an independent quarterly journal of poetry, fiction and visual arts. I am a coordinator of The Crazy Wisdom Poetry Circle which organizes poetry readings and workshops in Ann Arbor, Michigan and serve on the board of the Poetry Society of Michigan. My author website is https://davidkjibson.com/

I was looking online for examples of Sijo poetry after reading one. In my search, I came upon the Sejong Cultural Society and the annual contest. I had been studying and writing Sijo for about a year, had written quite a few and was in the process of putting some of them into a chapbook to give away to friends. As I was worked on that project, I sorted through many old poems looking for pieces that might be adaptable to the Sijo form. I trimmed away about 80% of an old poem and did some rewriting to create an entirely new poem for my contest entry. It is the need for “compression” that most attracts me to Sijo.

That my poem was well received by the judges has affirmed for me that I have some understanding of the Sijo form and philosophy.My roots are in the mid-west so my poetic heroes include Ted Kooser, Jim Harrison, James Wright and Philip Levine.

Untitled

He sits at the table, newspaper open, his back to me.

My arms like a shawl around his shoulders, I weep into his neck.

Even my dreams know my father's dead, know he’s only visiting.

Anne Marie Wells (Warrenton, MD) Second Place Tie Adult Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

I found this competition through an online blog that I follow.

The lessons I learned while writing my sijo for this event, - I wouldn't necessarily say it's a "lesson," but sijo requires the expansion of an idea within a condensed form so is a meditation in word economy.

My goal with poetry is to connect with other people and remind myself and others of our shared humanity.

My father will always be my hero. He was a great man, not because he was a millionaire or had a fancy job. He didn’t drive a luxury car or wear the best clothing. He did not hold rank, title, or office. He did not start a movement. He was a great man simply because he was kind.

In which I rename his cat

"Sweet Sorrow." Then when I call

four paws patter like soft teardrops.

"Come, Sorrow," I coax. "Come home."

And your gray cat trots toward me.

He's your ghost: small, solid, still here.

I kiss his nose. Our eyes smile.

Cynthia Pederson (Mound City, MO)

Third Place Adult Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

Writing in any form sonnet to sijo to senryu is an instructive challenge and a way to understand more about various cultures. I have spent many years caregiving--most recently for my good husband and my mother, snatching bits of time to write. After their deaths, I found an odd solace in ancient Asian poetry. As a Teaching Artist with Kanas City Young Audiences, I searched for educational opportunities related to this interest and enrolled in an online sijo course offered by the Sejong Cultural Society. Currently I am enrolled in Poetry in the Classroom: Japan, a series of classes offered through Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA-NCTA). I write to learn. I teach to share what I’ve learned and to learn more.

Prior to an intense decade of caregiving, I had several chapbooks published, including Caught By Currents (Pudding House Press, 2009). This volume features my original nature prints along with poems, memoir and recipes. In addition to caregiving, teaching, writing and nature printing, I manage our centuryold family farm in NE Kansas as a Tallgrass Prairie Restoration through a USDA Conservation Reserve Program. One of my heroes is George Washington Carver who worked tenaciously to improve the soil and thereby the lives of farmers as well as to promote environmentalism.

A Tree Seed

Winter comes, father planted a tree seed in the garden.

I'm confused. Why in Winter? Seed may die in cold weather.

Father said, if the seed survives, the tree must be very strong.

Yuqi Cai (Syracuse, NY)

Honorable Mention Adult Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

Weeds

Words like seeds land in my ears taking root there against my will.

Suddenly I find myself spitting them out of my own mouth.

I wonder, what have I planted in fertile minds, carelessly.

Jerri Hardesty (Brierfield, AL)

Honorable Mention Adult Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

I believe I found this competition on WinningWriters.com, a website I often visit for great information. I have loved learning the rhythm and sense of moment in the sijo form. I read, studied, and practiced sijo over and over, until I felt I could give myself over to the flow of it. The result is always satisfying. I aspire to continue to live as a poet, embracing new forms and experiences, and I hope to leave something beautiful behind when I go.

I received a BS and MA at the University of Montevallo in Alabama, and I currently live in the woods of Alabama with my husband, Kirk, also a writer. We run the nonprofit poetry organization, New Dawn Unlimited, Inc. (NewDawnUnlimited.com).

I have had over 600 poems published, and have won more than 2200 awards and titles in both written and spoken word poetry. My hero was my mother. I'm only here because of the strength of her spine.

I Count the Days Without You

The calendar lied to us, saying twelve months make a year.

By instead counting weeks or moons

I find thirteen, and not one less.

But I would give my missing month for one more hour with my love.

Casey Lawrence (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada ) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

I discovered the contest through the tireless work of Erica Verrillo, who curates a monthly list of writing competitions and calls for submissions on her blog. I had never written a sijo before, but was intrigued by the formal constraints of the genre, and decided to give it a try for the first time with my poem, "I Count the Days Without You." After reading many examples of sijo, I got a feel for the unique rhythm of the form. The subject matter was inspired by the fact that it is a Leap Year, which brought about many discussions about the calendar. I was also thinking about the fact that the human menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, the length of a lunar month, and that there are thirteen lunar months per year. There are many important women who I consider heroes in my life, but the one I wish to honour here is Maya Angelou, whose poems never cease to light a fire in me.

Casey Lawrence is a novelist, essayist, and poet from Ontario, Canada. She has a PhD in English literature from Trinity College Dublin and works as a freelance editor while pursuing her creative writing. She published her third YA novel with JMS Books in 2023.

Promised Picnics

You smile, grasping the cord that cradles our picnic basket.

Bending low, you spread our quilt and swear an oath we'll return here.

By your grave, I keep our promise; silence cannot conquer love.

Crista Penrose (Amston, CT) Honorable Mention Adult Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

I am an avid reader, life-long writer, and current World History teacher at RHAM High School in Connecticut. While developing interdisciplinary lessons for my students, I stumbled across the Sejong Cultural Society and the Sijo form. While all forms of poetry are captivating in their own right, Sijo's structure and brevity is a unique format that is accessible and impactful to all who wish to practice this poetic style. In writing my piece, I focused on the most powerful force I know: love. Through the history lessons that I teach each day, I have come to the deep understanding that there are undeniable truths in life including the unconquerable nature of the human spirit, the far-reaching impacts of companionship in times of darkness, and the power of storytelling to change lives.

While writing "Picnic Promises", I contemplated what aspects give my existence the greatest meaning. I quickly passed by the traditional measures of success to the final conclusion that no time spent on love or with those we cherish is ever wasted.

Poetry is a tool that has transcended time to help both authors and readers learn more about themselves and their place in this world. I plan to continue to share my love of literature with students and empower them to express themselves for decades to come. As tremendously humbled as I am by this honor, I know that my own achievements wouldn't have been possible without my family that gifted me with an unquenchable love of learning, the phenomenal teachers that raised my talents, and the countless inspirations that I have drawn from other authors. In particular, I send unlimited gratitude to the modern poet Stephen Pozzato for the message of hope in his epic, Viridian, and for encouraging me with the following message which I, in turn, pass on to every reader here as their invitation to grab a notebook, begin writing without reservation, and accept the challenge that "This place for poems, this lined book of verse / Should fill up quickly, for better or worse!"

2024 Sejong Sijo Competition

Pre-college Division

Papa

Papa smiles ear-to-ear, his age showing but not known.

His eyes twinkle he is wearing his favorite button-down.

I step back from the paper; if only my drawing was real.

Karly Turinske (Hartland, WI) 12th grade, Elizabeth Jorgensen

Arrowhead Union High School First Place Pre-College Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Karly Turinske and I am currently a senior at Arrowhead High school in Hartland, Wisconsin. I love animals, running, cooking, spending time with family, trap shooting, hunting, being outdoors, and making art. I plan on majoring in Biology so I can pursue a career in life sciences.

I first heard about this Sijo Competition from my Creative Writing teacher Ms. Jorgensen.

I have never heard of Sijo before this class. When we began our unit on Sijo, I was intrigued by the style, format, and endless possibilities associated with these poems. I learned that the best poems are written from the heart and that a poem doesn’t have to be long to convey a desired message. I also learned how to incorporate my thoughts and feelings into a limited amount of words.

In the future, I would like to enter more writing competitions like this one to improve my writing and creativity.

My personal hero is my mom. She is always there for me and pushes me to do my best.

Deathbed

The clock ticks and he glances around the room, searching for someone.

In despair, he starts to weep and cries for mama and papa.

Silently, they sit around him. “Dad, we’re here,” his children say.

Alexandra Brunner (Oconomowoc, WI) 12th grade, Terri Carnell Arrowhead Union High School Second Place Pre-College Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Alexandra Brunner and I am currently a junior at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, singing, reading, and baking! Currently, I plan on majoring in nursing, hopefully at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI.

I first heard about this Sijo Competition from my Creative Writing teacher Mrs. Carnell. As we worked on Sijo poems throughout class, I found myself more and more fascinated with the structure and simplicity of Sijo poems, while also involving both subtle and dramatic plot twists! I have discovered that Sijo poems are definitely one of my most favorite types of poetry.

My personal hero is my younger sister, Peyton. Through all of our ups and downs in life, we have always stuck together and she has been my rock. Whenever I feel sad or angry about something, I know that I can always go to her and she will without doubt make me laugh with real joy. I could not imagine a more supportive, generous, and caring best friend on our journey together through life!

Sepia Photography

The photo, soft around the edges from wear, is wrinkled, old.

The groom holds, in his photo-brown coat, his bride in a dark white.

She’s alone now, looking back. Through his eyes, she remembers his love.

Evelyn Keefe (Syracuse, NY) Mathew Phillips

Third Place Pre-College Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Evelyn Keefe, and I am a senior at Jamesville-DeWitt High School in Syracuse, New York. I was introduced to this competition through my English teacher, Mr. Phillips, and he encouraged my class to submit a sijo that we had worked on outside of school. I enjoyed reading the various examples of sijos that we were given in class and I wanted to try to write one on my own. In writing my sijo, I learned to use imagery effectively, which was important because of the limited words used in this form.

Outside of class, I enjoy reading, running, and listening to music. My biggest role model is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, because she accomplished so much and always stayed true to her morals to make the world a better place.

In the future, I plan to attend a SUNY college and major in meteorology, chemistry, or another physical science.

Eyes on Me

On the stage I dance and sing

The audience gazing upwards

I’ve always loved the eyes on me

A token of deep attention

Except here, sitting on the bus

The old man’s stare worried me

Anna Accousti (New Orleans, LA)

Sarah Westfall

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Anna Accousti and I am a junior at Louise S. McGehee, an all girls school in New Orleans, Louisiana. I learned about this contest through my creative writing teacher, Ms. Westfall, who introduced the Sijo structure to our small class and encouraged us to enter our works. The poem structure seemed simple at first, but as I began trying to follow the syllable requirements, I learned that there is so much complexity behind writing poems like the Sijo.

I often enjoy exercising my creative side through making videos, playing piano, and performing on stage. I wrote about this love I have for creative expression in my poem, but I also decided to tie in an uncomfortable experience I share with many girls around the world. My all-girls school encourages exploration of themes related to the female role, which influenced my decision to incorporate such themes in my writing. The creative writing class that I am in has truly allowed me to express this version of myself, and I am forever grateful for my encouraging classmates and teacher.

I am still figuring out what path I would like to go down in the future, but I am certain that I want to continue expressing my talents and creativity- realms in which my school has done a great job building me up. I would say that my hero is my mom, who is a freelance writer, and always encourages and inspires me to nurture my love for writing too.

Black History Month

February is Black History Month and shortest month of all.

We need to know all the people who died for us.

Oh, we have one more day to think about them this leap year.

Ryleigh Glover (Milwaukee, WI) Jung-Eun Lee

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

Hi, My name is Ryleigh Glover. I am a 3rd grader at MacDowell Montessori in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I learned about this competition from my teacher Ms. Lee. Some lessons I learned from this competition is to be creative, expressive and confident in myself.

My goal is to write again next year for this competition. If I had to choose a hero it would be my mom, she inspires me to be bold, confident and caring. She shows me that anything is possible if I believe.

To my Grandmother

Your memories float far away with the gentle wind

tomorrow you’ll say again: “you’ve grown since I saw you last”

but I’ll just smile and tell you how much I love you

Mary Evelyn Pearce (Signal Mountain, TN) Chuck Newell

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Mary Evelyn Pearce, and I am a Senior at Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I love music, art, dogs, writing, and I am a coxswain on my school’s rowing team!

I found out about this competition through my English teacher, who encouraged my English class to submit our sijo poems. I was completely unfamiliar with sijo poems, so I learned a lot! In writing my sijo, I was challenged to communicate a deeply personal issue in my life in a concise yet artistic manner.

In the future, I hope to be a nurse practitioner after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and I hope that I will make my family proud.

Speaking of family, I wrote my sijo about my personal hero: my grandmother. As a little girl, I spent the summers at her home in south Georgia, where I learned to cook, garden, and paint. More importantly, though, my grandmother taught me kindness, poise, and joy.

I feel so honored that people enjoyed my poem. I would like to thank my English teacher, Mr. Newell, the Sejong Cultural Society, and my grandmother, Betty.

Bad Grammar

I hate people with bad grammar, like speak properly, please.

It's as simple as knowing the basic rules of your language.

So I ain't wanna hear nobody speak uncorrectly to me.

Conor Sharpe (Lakewood, CO) Rush Daly Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Conor Sharpe and I was introduced to this competition by my 9th grade Eastern Civilizations teacher, Mr. Rush Daly. I got to learn what a sijo poem is and the history surrounding it.

My goal is to keep producing and learning about art, especial visual arts. One key individual I have always viewed has a hero to me is my elementary school art teacher, Mr. Joe Adducci, who is a beloved teacher of many and also owns a stained glass business.

The Challenge

The shuttle soaring overhead, taking us to the stars.

Millions are watching it fly, all are holding their breath.

A single mishapen O-ring, and the sky is filled with death

Wesley Shelly (Littleton, CO)

Kari Newell

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

My East Civ teacher recommended us to give it a shot.

Poetry doesn't have to be hard, it can be just whatever pops into your mind while you're in the mood.

I have always had an interest in pretty much all forms of art (Poetry, Music, Drawing), but I have decided I want a more science-related career and wish to pursue a degree in physics. However I still love to do various arty things, and I'm super happy I managed to get such a high ranking in this competition.

As for my hero? I don't really know. I'm tempted to say my Dad, but that seems perhaps a bit too cliche. I'm gonna say science. It's an endless and incredible field that opens endless possibilities, pushing the limits of everything. One of my favorite quotes is "Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools" - Napoleon Bonaparte

Ready?

Don’t want to think–or work on it–school is very tiring.

Endless nights filled with homework, tears, and hoping for something better.

I’m ready to leave, but where, do I even want to think about it?

Georgia Tilmont (Hartland, WI) Elizabeth Jorgensen

Honorable Mention Pre-College Division 2024 Sejong Writing Competition

My name is Georgia Tilmont and I am from Hartland, Wisconsin. I found this competition from my teacher of Creative Writing, Ms. Jorgensen. She taught our class about this unique style of writing I had never heard of before and allowed us to flourish with it. I learned that there's more than one style of writing to be able to express yourself.

Next year I am attending Indiana University-Bloomington to major in Biology and minor in Spanish and Sociology on a pre-medical track to become a Neonatologist! I consider my parents my heroes because they have taught me so much and have worked so hard for my sister and me

2024 Sejong International Sijo Competition

The Distant Land of Morning Calm

Years ago, I said goodbye to my home in South Korea.

There are days when I long for the distant land of morning calm.

But at night, I’m at home again when Moon Rabbit is above.

Keri Switzer (Canada) Winner 2024 Sejong International Sijo Competition

South Korea has a special place in my heart. When I was young, I answered an ad in the newspaper that would connect Canadian and South Korean children as pen pals. So, from an early age I had deep affection and curiosity for the country. After graduating from university, I got the chance to experience the amazing place for myself and had the incredible opportunity to live and teach English there from 2007 to 2011.

As much as I love Canada and my home in Grimsby, Ontario, nothing could have prepared me for how much I would miss Korea upon coming home. Almost 15 years later, I still crave a bowl of Bibimbap on a cold day or wish I could hop on the subway for a fun afternoon in Seoul. My Sijo reflects how much my time in Korea has stayed with me and impacted my worldview.

I have sought ways to stay connected to Korea’s beautiful people, culture, language, and literature. It was that exploration and research that led me to find the Sejong Cultural Society and to learn about the Sijo poetry form. I’m so honoured that I have been able to be a part of the poetry form and pass along my admiration of Korea and Sijo to others.

Balance

The floating ballerina, the sylph Giselle, flees rehearsal.

Her pointe shoes, once a fulcrum, abandoned at the gym entrance.

Too much yin, she says lacing up boxing gloves; not enough yang.

AJ Layague (USA) Runner-up Tie

2024 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I was thrilled to get an Honorable Mention in the 2023 Sejong International Sijo competition after discovering the art of the sijo last year, and am very honored to be a Runner-up this year.

I’m a playwright and composer, and much of my writing is in long rhyming verse, so it was a nice challenge to express a story, in essence, in so few lines and syllables, especially with a twist ending. To me, the sijo as an art form means striving for an intriguing and symmetrical microcosm of balance. Kind of like a ballerina aiming to become a boxer.

My website: www.AJAJyesyesyes.com

dumped

You chewed me up and spat me out like gum that’s lost its flavor.

Split in two, my torn heart leaks red as the streets of Pamplona.

Eyes cried dry, my wry stoic smile is wishing you sticky shoes.

Pat Saunders (Australia) Runner-up Tie

2024 Sejong International Sijo Competition

How astonishing to discover my first ever sijo is among the winning entries of this year’s Sejong International Sijo Competition!

I stumbled upon the competition whilst perusing the Winning Writers’ newsletter. Investigating further, once I read sijo described as ‘haiku’s Korean cousin’ I knew I had to give it a try.

I enjoy the challenge of structured poetic forms, whilst appreciating the often simplicity of language used. The ‘sing-songy’ style and rhythm of the sijo form is particularly pleasing to my ear.

I was a joint winner of the 2023 Victoria Park Local History Awards (Poetry or Performance Work) with my poem McCallum Park Lockdown. I’ve had tanka published in Catchment: Poetry of Place online journal; a haiku featured in Verge 2024 : Click and a free verse offering appears in redrosethorns.

My short fiction features in the recently released anthologies The Heart Will Find A Way, Voices of the South, and Yah! all queer. Humorous rant A Short-Arse Chick in a Big-Bloke’s World appears in witcraft 24.

I’m a film and television editor from Perth, Western Australia, currently cutting news for Channel Nine. I work nights sorting parcels and mail for Australia Post.

Given the success of my first sijo attempt, it certainly won’t be my last!

Echoes of Her Dad

As my hand strokes an old bow, a violin unfurls a tone.

Golden sights embrace the strings, caressing skin with gentle touch.

A quick flash graces upon mom’s face, sensing echoes of her dad.

John Shin (USA) Runner-up Tie

2024 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I was born in Korea but I have lived in the United States most of my life. My maternal grandfather wrote poetry and a distant relative of my father's side was involved in Pansori.

I wrote poetry in high school but I soon got busy with my studies and eventually became a physician. I am at a time of my life when I have more time for myself.

I looked online for poetry contests and that was how I found about the Sijo competition. It was an enjoyable experience to express my inner voice through words. I want to thank the Society for this opportunity.

Perhaps, there is a little Korean in all of us.

Digital Erosion

Pixels peel from my childhood photos, memories pixel by pixel decay.

I reach through glass, grasping at fading smiles lost to time.

In this data-cloud haze, we dissolve, whispers in the static.

Iram Choudhary (India) Honorable Mention

2024 Sejong International Sijo Competition

The Sejong International Sijo Competition was my first introduction to sijo, and it has been an eye-opening experience.

Crafting a sijo allowed me to blend creativity with structure while discovering a unique poetic form that reflects Korea’s cultural essence.

I am incredibly grateful to the Sejong Cultural Society for providing this platform, and I look forward to deepening my understanding of sijo and Korean literature in the future.

Snow, Wind, and Plums

Our plum tree's always breaking and growing back. Snow, wind, and plums.

Bees adore her double blooms so she ripens flesh upon stone.

Plums, plums, plums! No wonder she breaks! Snow, wind, and plums, our daughter.

Joseph Howse (Canada) Honorable Mention 2024 Sejong International Sijo Competition

I am a writer, computer scientist, and keeper of cats, honeybees, and fruit trees. Home is a fishing village on Canada's windy Atlantic coast.

My biggest project is a series of novels called Next Year's Snow, which follows the friendship and strife of two families in the Soviet and post-Soviet world. You can read about it at https://nummist.com/stories/. The central character, Nadia, is a young linguist and, during the second novel, she starts to write haiku or senryu in her head. Thus, she introduced me to Asian poetic forms.

My characters (even the trees) are ambitious people and they always push their author to enter contests, no matter how green he may be. I found the Sejong International Sijo Competition via a search engine and, happily, this event has given me the chance to write and share my first sijo. I love the songfulness and emphatic feeling of this form. Thank you for welcoming me and my poetic characters!

2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Adult Division

Take From Creative Writing

rule of thirds; anaphora; synesthesia; innovation.

dialogue; hyperbole, repetition; powerful ends.

the knowledge: your voice has power; your words matter; you matter.

Elizabeth Jorgensen (Waukesha, WI) Grand Prize Adult Division 2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Mirror Luna

The flowers bloom in spring, as the world wakes into a bright view.

Sometimes the rain falls, and the skies turn gray and I think of you.

For us who grieve, the seasons may change, but the pain feels brand new.

Roman Montemorano (Madison, WI) Runner-up Adult Division 2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I found the Wisconsin Sijo Competition in the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets newsletter. While most of my poetry is free verse, I enjoy writing with constraints. I developed a finer sense of both crafted surprise and rhythmic narrative working with the Sijo form, and felt free to connect the personal to the cosmological. I aspire to write poetry for the rest of my days, and in doing so, enhance my connection with language and its users. I consider Zhuangzi, the 4th-century BCE philosopher, my hero. Zhuangzi's unconventional parables on usefulness, success, and metaphysics are important guides for my journey.

Please let me know if there is anything else you need. Thank you for putting together this competition and for considering & selecting my work.

2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Senior Division

Natural Beauty

Roads unfold like untold stories, each turn a new surprise.

Oceans, beaches, whispering tales under the clear blue skies.

The greatest journey is finding comfort in being alone.

Payton Teel (Hartland, WI)

Elizabeth Jorgensen

Grand Prize Senior Division 2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

My name is Payton Teel and I go to Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. I discovered this competition through my Creative Writing class, taught by Ms. Jorgensen. When initially introduced to sijos, it was different than any other poetry style I’ve seen before. I learned that I could use my creativity to my advantage and make a clever twist for the short piece. I aspire to attend UWMadison and become a part of the School of Education.

I want to be an elementary school teacher when I’m older. The person I would consider to be my hero is my brother Connor because he is a very intelligent individual and constantly puts his best effort forward. He graduated from the University of Minnesota as an engineer and is living out his dreams in Denver, Colorado. He is a friend to all, makes everyone smile, and is overall an amazing human being.

Fireworks

I sit under the navy sky, watching the bright lights explode.

Beautiful colors, patterns. People are like fireworks, I think.

After you’re mesmerized by their bangs, their colors change.

Jessica Heckenkamp (Delafield, WI)

Elizabeth Jorgensen

Runner-up Tie Senior Division 2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

I got the inspiration for this poem while lying on the beach under Fourth of July fireworks. I had just learned what a sijo poem was per my Creative Writing summer course offered by Arrowhead High School and I loved learning how to write so concisely and intently. Creative Writing not only introduced me to contests such as this one, but it taught me how many different styles of poetry there are. I’ll be forever grateful to Ms. Jorgensen, the instructor of this class, for diversifying my writing experience in this way.

Moving forward, my goal is to continue learning as much as possible about the variety of ways to express myself through writing.

Untitled

The flowers bloom in spring, as the world wakes into a bright view.

Sometimes the rain falls, and the skies turn gray and I think of you.

For us who grieve, the seasons may change, but the pain feels brand new.

Elyse Jungbluth (Hartland, WI) Elizabeth Jorgensen Runner-up Tie Senior Division 2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Hi! My name is Elyse Jungbluth and I am a 17 year old junior at Arrowhead high school in Hartland. I found out about this competition during my Creative Writing summer school class this past summer while we were in our Sijo poem unit.

This contest helped me to realize that drawing inspiration from your emotions is one of the best ways to write about what's important to you and something that helps build a connection between you and the reader. This also ties into what I want to do with the rest of my life, psychology. This contest really showed me how big of a role our personalities and experiences play in all sorts of areas in our lives, even if we don’t realize it. Additionally, it’s not just our experiences that influence our lives, or in this case writings, it’s also about the people who surround us.

My mom has been my biggest supporter since day one and I have her to thank for my hard working attitude and for her making me believe I can be whoever I want, even if it’s something I had never thought about before, like a poet..

Electric Midnight

A cold stillness - snow on the ground and a shroud of silence.

Glowing icy green - the frozen floor charged alive with shadows.

I face the moonlight and see what robs the night of its darkness.

Landon Kozlowski (Hartland, WI)

Elizabeth Jorgensen Runner-up Tie Senior Division 2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Junior

Division

The Sun and the Moon

The moon, a thief in the night, stealing all of the sun’s light.

The sun, an ember in the sky, or a king for all that pass by.

When they meet, darkness for a bit until the sun rises.

2024 Wisconsin Sijo Competition

Carder Phillippi (Arpin, WI)

Kate Van Haren Grand Prize Junior Division

17321-012, 54

AA Broken Home, 67

A Fleeting Moment of Profound Relief, 75

A Friend, 250

A Kisaeng’s Sijo, 115

A label, 147

A Recall to Nature, 144

A Sijo for The Martians, 111

A socially distanced date, 201

A Tree Seed, 254 Abandoned, 107 Absentee Parents, 114 Alice, 33 Alone, 88

Alzheimer's, 166

An Icy Relationship, 227 Appropriate appropriation, 231 Arbor, 129

As the Rain Falls, 153 Ava, 177

BBaby Changing Station, 202 Back in New Orleans, 76 Bad Grammar, 264 Balance, 270 Beach Vacation, 87 Beauty in a Black Pond, 45 Belated Breakfast, 104 Black History Month, 263 Bracelet, 21 Brothers, 23 Burning Trust, 247 but today, I hear, 128 Butterfly, 191 C

Canadians, 98 Cancer, 46

Capturing Light, 239 Chaos Theory, 68 CNA, 190 Coming home, 135 Contemporary Love, 109 Cuisine?, 5

Index of Titles

Dandelions, 151 Danger, 103 Daydream, 102 Dazed, 97

Death in a Terrible Year, 172 Death of a Beetle, 96 Deathbed, 260

Digital Erosion, 273 Downsizing, 123 Dreaming of Friends, 36 Dreams on a Lake, 7 Drugs, 243 dumped, 271 Dynamics, 233

Echoes of Her Dad, 272 Electric Midnight, 282 Emma, 71 Eternal, 220 Euphoria, 154 Ex-Con, 85 Eyes on Me, 262 F

Fading to the Farmhouse Bench, 208 Family Arguments, 119 Farm Life, 213 Father’s Chair, 200 Fireworks, 280 Five More Minutes, 150 Fixing Mistakes, 226 Flowers, 63 For the World, 66 Forever Gone, 74 G

Goodbye Old, 178 Grandmother's Hair, 198 Grandson, 219 Great Grandpa, 177 Guitar Solo, 248

Heaven, 111 Hope, 165 Hot Coffee, 187

Hunger, 101

I Am Not A Virus, 159

I Am Who I'm Not, 236 I Count the Days Without You, 256 I Have Heard, 32 I was Asian and Agorophobic Before 2020, 146 Ice Cold, 90 Icicles, 217 In Memory of Flave, 233 In Middle School, 137 In which I rename his cat, 253 Industrial World, 164 Internet, 37 Itaewon, 225

Joy Ride, 126 June 26, 2015, 192

Kite, 34

Lao-Ye (Grandfather), 55 Late night witchcraft, 193 Lone Wolf, 50 Lord Knows:, 245 Lost Letters, 131

Make a Wish, 92 Man of the House, 224 Met By A Breeze, 166 Mirror, 73 Mirror Luna, 277 Missing Ingredient, 221 More Than A Bird, 182 Mourning My Mom, 186 My Father's Change, 215 My Grandmother's Hospital Room, 38 My Mom's Perfume, 183

Natural Beauty, 279 Nature Walk, 127 Night Music, 185

Obscure Piano Music, 35

One More Day, 121 Origin Myth, 167 Our Beloved Tree, 89 Overcoming the Limitations, 61 Overseas, 218

Papa, 259 paranoia, 59 Perfection, 236 Perplexing Situation, 39 Priorities, 175 Promised Picnics, 257 Pulaski, Tennessee, 44

Quarantine After Life, 143

Rain, 162 Rain Dance, 108 Reach for the Stars, 86 Ready, 266

Seamstress, 140 Season That Never Comes, 105 Secret Song, 11, 15 Secrets, 227 Sepia Photography, 261 She, 210 Shift Work, 14 Shoes, 195 Should the Blossoms Survive, 205 Sijo Sijo, 20 Sister, 133 Snow, Wind, and Plums, 274 Social Distancing, 125 Sol et Luna, 81 Solitude, 69 Somebody, 203 Still American, 42 Sunday in the Park with Me, 132 Sunrise Walk on the Ice Age Trail, 205

Take From Creative Writing, 276 The Cellist, The Emancipator, 51 The Challenge, 265 The Distant Land of Morning Calm, 269 The Forever Game, 118 The Game, 62 The Grandmaster's Immortal, 94

The Great Color, 144 The Life of a Book, 24

The Monsters, 27

The Rock and the Tree, 157

The Sanctuary, 72

The Snow, 150 the sun (and its arms), 189

The Sun and the Moon, 284

The Veteran, 58

The Wind, 30

The Wounds of Hope, 234 To my Grandmother, 263 Too Long, 49

Toothbrush, 16 Transformation, 48 True Beauty, 6

Unique, 95

Untitled, 10, 12, 17, 19, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 39, 43, 47, 53, 56, 64, 65, 78, 79, 80, 83, 84, 110, 116, 117, 120, 134, 138, 141, 142, 145, 155, 158, 161, 163, 170, 171, 173, 181, 194, 196, 199, 209, 216, 223, 230, 240, 244, 251, 252, 281

Valor, 77

Viral Transformation, 124

Waiting For The Call, 176 Waves and the Twilight, 57 Weeds, 255 What Did You Think Love Would Be Like?, 241 When Life Wrinkles, 232 Who Am I? Who Are You, 8 Why Now, 136 Winter Nights, 212 Winter Wonderland, 90

You'll See, 156 Young Love, 99

A

Abel, Harper, 181

Accousti, Anna, 262

Ahn, Philip, 74 Alaniz, Sean, 14 Albrecht, Ela, 244 Andrews, Zachary, 56 Arshem, AJ, 22

B

Baltzan, Sophie, 116 Bator, Zoe, 23

Bierman, Sarah, 176 Bok, Serin, 57 Bolognese, Jeffery, 127 Boyle, Aidan, 84 Breaux, Elise, 47 Brooks, Briaja, 138 Brunner, Alexandra, 260 Burton, Caleb, 58

C

Cai, Yuqi, 254 Caldero, Mari, 97 Carnell, Terri, 141 Chan, Winnie, 171 Chapin, Lillie, 65 Chen, Sarah, 12 Choo, Aidan, 94 Choudhary, Iram, 273 Chow, Melissa, 66 Chung, Haeja K, 219 Chung, Michael, 7 Clauser, Creasy, 10 Clemmer, Elizabeth, 24 Copeland, Gigi, 98 Cunningham, Pierce, 163

D

Dalton-Fenkl, Bella, 72 Daniel, Meklit, 25 Daniels, Lily, 107 Davidson, Alice, 123 Diamond, Jacob, 5 Dieball, Joshua, 59 Dolan, Brett, 26 Dorazio, Kate, 118 Drummond, Sharon, 140 Duncan, Nicholas, 19

Index of Authors

Dunning, Meredith, 154 Dyer, Rebecca, 48

EEckler, Luke, 96 Edwards, Jacob, 233 Edwards, Taylor, 11 Ells, Ashley, 164 Elrod, Dalton, 136 Esser, Madelyn, 162

Fahndrick, Alena, 87 Flesch, Elizabeth, 132 Forsterling, Ella, 209 Foster, Joshua, 143 Foulk, Gabe, 95 Fransisca, Erica, 200

GGallup, Kaycee, 16 Gardner, Allison, 152 Gersabeck, Clint, 83 Gill, Elizabeth, 192 Glover, Ryleigh, 263 Graves, Bennett, 49 Griffin, Alex, 20 Griffis, Ben, 187 Grossenbacher, Laura, 172 Groth, Abigayle, 155 Gupta, Pavani, 247

Ha, Seunghui Lily, 201 Hansen, Curtis, 165 Hardesty, Jerri, 255 Harju, Tanner, 226, 245 Harris, Brandon, 44 Hartl, Henrietta, 231 Hartong, Mary Liza, 17, 33 Heberlein, Sidney, 177 Heckenkamp, Jessica, 280 Hoffman, Angela, 241 Homrig, Emma, 193 Hong, Eunice, 35 Howse, Joseph, 274 Huang, Livia, 150 Hughes, Gavin, 213 Hytinen, Carly, 210

Jaalouk, Dana, 27 Jasper, Kim, 124 Jerger, Izeabella, 194 Jibson, David, 251 Jorgensen, Elizabeth, 173, 276 Julian, Sarah, 144 Julius, Julianus, 166 Jung, SangHoon, 167 Jungbluth, Elyse, 281 Jurewicz, Kaitlyn, 108

Karanth, Meghana, 100 Keefe, Evelyn, 261 Kein, Emma, 62 Keplin, Taylor, 248 Kesselheim, Sydney, 227 Kim, Esther, 137 Kim, Hannah, 128 Kim, Hyo Rhi, 168 Kim, Phillip, 50 Kim, Sung Jung, 101 Kim, Suzan, 75 Kim, Zion, 61 Kindahl, Alexandra, 54 King, Margaret, 240 Kirkman, Dante, 76 Konen, Gianna, 178 Korpela, Jordan, 179 Kozlowski, Landon, 282 Krueger, Derek, 77 Kuemmerle, Dorthea, 117 Kwon, Hapshiba, 53

Laufenberg, Kaitlyn, 119 Lawrence, Casey, 256 Lawrence, Claire, 102 Layague, AJ, 234, 270 Lee, Hye In, 115 Lee, Jiyoung, 145 Levenstein, Jordan, 15 Liaw, Sofia, 114 Lodle, Laura Jan, 142 Lok, Brian, 45 Luna, Lucy, 146 Luther, Susan, 129

Mader, Reilly, 156 Malley, Stephanie, 186 Malo, Amy, 46 Manion, Amy, 147

Manzelli, Sean, 28 Maurer, Emma, 88 McDermott, Chong, 217, 232 McFarland, Katie, 78 McMullen, Jade, 223 Merideth, James, 6 Meyer, Melanie, 175 Mickol, Aidan, 228 Miller, John, 157 Mishra, Brittany, 202 Montemorano, Roman, 277 Mork-Cardon, Keiagane, 67 Morrissey, Trace, 135 Murphy, Nora, 153

Ngo, Binh Anh Khoa, 161 Nguyen, Cathy, 191 Nguyen, Vivian, 73 Norcross, Cristina, 239

Oulahan, Joseph (Pepe), 235

Paegle, Lukas, 158 Palmer, Sasha A., 199, 216, 230 Park, Ashley, 195 Park, Eden, 225 Park, Grace, 36 Pearce, Mary Evelyn, 264 Pederson, Cynthia, 253 Penrose, Crista, 257 Peterson, Isabella, 182 Phillippi, Carder, 284 Pohl, Hannah, 43 Poole, Josh, 215 Poulosophos, Megan, 37

Qiu, Jeanna, 51, 55

Ra, Alice, 34 Rademan, Celia, 212 Reese, Mike, 126 Reisens, Ana, 220 Rensch, Kimberly, 110 Rhone, Hollister, 32 Riggan, Decker, 89 Rindo, Jenna K, 205 Riphenburg, Blake, 236 Rochlin, Talia, 64

Rodriguez, Manuel, 21

SSaiza, Ian, 120 Santos, Roberto, 42 Sasso, Richard, 111 Sasson, Emmanuelle, 112 Saunders, Pat, 271 Senkbeil, Emma, 85 Sharpe, Conor, 265 Shelly, Wesley, 266 Shin, John, 272 Shipshock, Maddie, 86 Shore, Deborah J., 203 Shute, Julie, 125 Siepmann, Cole, 103 Singleton, Thom, 170 Sinha, Siya, 224 Skiles, Jared, 63 Smets, Ray, 29 Smith, Toni, 104 Snell, Austin, 71 Stemper, Sydney, 151 Stuhr, Derek, 38 Suh, Josephine, 221 Sung, Daeun, 218 Switzer, Keri, 269

TTajuddin, Sarina, 90 Tamazian, Meghedi, 68 Taylor, Riley, 134 Taylor, Samantha, 91 Taylor, Sarah, 148 Tedstrom, Haley, 79 Teel, Payton, 279 Thach, Daniel, 39 Tilmont, Georgia, 267 Todd, Christina, 196 Torres, Janelle, 8

Toussaint, Bryce, 105 Tudor, Gregory, 250 Turinske, Karly, 259

Umhoefer, Matthew, 133

Vallone, Duncan, 80 Vanevenhoven, Erin, 121 Vogt, Natalie, 190

Walter, Abby, 208 Walter, Paul, 206 Weber, Abagael, 81 Wells, Anne Marie, 252 Westervelt, Elise, 69 Weston, Killian, 243 Whitney, Justin, 30 Willitts, Martin Jr., 185 Wincherhern, Gabrielle, 189 Woida, Gianna, 237

Yen, Katie, 198 Young Shin, Ha, 109 Yun, Allison, 159

ZZakian, Danielle, 40 Zhao, Andy, 131 Zhou, Rose, 92 Zimdars, Julia, 183