1st Place Winner

Britt Adams

Britt Adams was adopted from South Korea when he was six months old. Graduate from Georgia, Britt has changed his career from Columbia Law School, to Senior Analyst at Accenture, to Speech Director at UC Berkeley, and now, has discovered his true passion of storytelling. He loves shrimp and grits, Randy Travis, and will fish any day of the week.

Doug Kim

Born in 1956 in Minnesota to parents who came to the U.S. as students in 1949. Spent 20 years convinced being KA was not a good thing, and 40+ years since learning to understand and value being a product of two cultures. He has taught KA studies at San Francisco State University, raised twins, and serves as Director of SaeJong Camp, the longest continuously running KA youth camp in the country.

Ida Soon-ok Hart

Ida Soon-ok Hart is a retired educator and writer with a BA from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio and an MS in Education from Mount St. Mary College, Los Angeles. She is currently writing her memoir, “The Mountains of San-gok Dong.” Two stories, “My Dear Mother” and “Citizenship,” have been published.

Grace Cho

Grace P. Cho is a writer and editor, mother to two, and wife of a chef. She believes in the power of words to lead others, tell truth, and leave a legacy, and she does this through speaking, mentoring, and coaching. She seeks to find beauty in overlooked things and loves gathering people at the table to feed bellies and souls.

Angelica Yi

Angelica (she/her/hers or they/them/theirs) is a second-generation Korean American, queer/bi person of faith. She was born and raised in Maryland, and has called Los Angeles her home since 2013, having graduated from UCLA in 2017 with a B.A. in Gender Studies.

M.J. Kang

M.J. is mostly a stay at home mom. In another iteration, she's been an award winning playwright and actor born in Seoul, Korea and currently makes her home in Los Angeles.

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