.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
.W.o.W. #77
Melanie Hyo-In Han
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
Write so others who feel isolated can find a sense of home and belonging.
Describe an early experience where you learned that language has power.
I grew up in East Africa where I spoke Korean at home and Swahili in the community. When I was five years old, I started learning English for the first time at school and became frustrated by the fact that I couldn’t communicate effectively. I wanted to play with my classmates but could only point at things or smile, and that’s the first time I realized how much power language has. As a kid, I obviously picked English up really quickly, but it wasn’t until I was much older that there was a lot of resentment I’d felt not being able to express myself and then the eventual freedom that came with being able to talk to others.
What word do you find yourself using most often in your writing?
Probably the word “home” since, in my writing, it’s sometimes a tangible place, but most often, it’s a feeling or an abstract location that I seek to explore.
How did you last publish your writing (before Yellow Arrow) and what was it?
It was a chapbook of nature-related poetry titled Abecedarian: Banff, Canada by kith books. I was invited to participate in a writing residency last summer at Banff Centre for Arts in Creativity, and though nature poetry isn’t my usual forte, I was so inspired by the beauty of Banff that I decided to write some poems about the flora and fauna of the national park. I sent the chapbook manuscript out to several publishers and was lucky enough to have it picked up by kith books, and it was released just this past March, which is very exciting!
Born in Korea and raised in East Africa, Melanie Hyo-In Han recently moved from the U.S. to the U.K. She is the author of Abecedarian: Banff, Canada (kith books), My Dear Yeast (Milk & Cake Press), and Sandpaper Tongue, Parchment Lips (Finishing Line Press), as well as the translator of several collections of Spanish poetry (Hebel Ediciones). Melanie has been awarded fellowships from Gladstone’s Library, The Society of Authors, Sundress Academy, Banff Centre, and Casa Uno. She is the Coeditor-in-Chief of Flora Fiction and the Two Languages Prize Editor at Gasher Press.
Yellow Arrow published Melanie’s piece “An Apple as Apology” in Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. X, No. 1, UNFURL. You can find her online on Instagram @melhan and at melaniehan.com.
Recently, Melanie published a chapbook with boats against the current entitled Passing Notes in Secret. We absolutely enjoyed reading the chapbook; make sure to get your copy at boatsagainstthecurrent.org. Congratulations Melanie!