Reading by Paul Yoon ’98
American fiction writer Paul Yoon ’98 returned to campus last Thursday evening to present an exclusive reading from his new book Galicia, which is scheduled to be relased sometime next year.
Since graduating from Exeter, Yoon has published three books: Snow Hunters, Once the Shore and At the Amusement Park. These pieces show the variety of Yoon’s work, varying from novels to a collection of short stories. This past year, Yoon was named a fellow at the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center along with 14 other applicants. His fellowship with the Cullman Center has granted him unlimited access to the library’s resources and entry to an environment that breeds creativity. Yoon will also be teaching, along with his wife, Laura van den Berg, at Harvard University beginning next fall.
Much of Yoon’s writing is inspired by social media and the access it provides to current, continous world events. It fascinates him how a terrorist attack that happened thousands of miles away pops up on someone’s newsfeed and becomes just as relevant to someone’s life as their dinner in just an instance.
To keep his audience enganged, Yoon also made the event interactive by opening up conversation with the audience and inviting them to ask questions thoughout the night. “He took the time to answer questions and talk to each of us, which made the event much more interesting,” senior Julia Bornemann said. Students question ranged from asking about his time at Exeter to the details of his writing techniques and strategy.
Indeed, Yoon was very open about how he approaches his writing. He described himself as a writer with an expanding creative vision, but not one who feels the pressure to adapt his style toward public demand. He also spoke of fiction writers that have inspired him such as Michael Odaatje and Alice Monroe. When asked about the difficulties of writing like writers block and how to overcome them, Yoon answered, “Don’t fight it.” He continued to emphasize that the most essential thing for a writer to do is to just put paper to pen and write as much as possible. He believes writing should be an organic process, even if it is just writing as little as one hundred words at a time.
Students were eager to hear about Yoon’s time at Exeter and learn more about how it propelled him into his writing. They were also curious to know what parts of his experience as a student at the Academy, and especially of the English department, had stuck with him throughout the years since he graduated in 1998.
When he reflected on his time at Exeter, Yon focused on how the senior year English curiculum influenced him as a young writer during and after his time as a student of the Academy. The unique senior english electives system allowed him to explore a variety of options and discover his passion for writing. The senior English electives were also specialized and specific, helping him prepare for the type of classes he would be taking in college and giving him an opportunity to hone in on different parts of his writing. “For me, Paul Yoon’s advice was helpful because he has been in our shoes – he graduated from Exeter and has been writing for a long time. I found his tips about writing from our instincts and not worrying about length, but instead letting a story flow and explain every little detail, useful and I enjoyed listening to him read his work to us,” upper Joel Lotzkar said.
Indeed, Yoon’s words were helpful for many. He ended the night by telling the students in the audience, “Don’t be afraid to be stubborn.” He insisted that as a writer and as a student it’s important to stay focused and not veer from what you find important and necessary, a piece of advice that has helped guide Yoon though his sucessful career.