Two Fathers

Featuring Korean-American Poet Youn Seok Seo

Youn Seok Seo’s My Father's Diary

Working on Grace Cavalieri’s YouTube channel I’m exposed to a wider range of poets than I would ordinarily encounter. This week I was impressed by the intelligence and humility of Youn Seok Seo reading his poems. I was aware of Youn Seo’s poetry from my work on the Korean-American anthology, Songs in a Second Language. We featured this book on Everyday Poet last year when it came out. So I thought I’d take a shot at reading one of Youn Seo’s poems, from that anthology, My Father's Diary.

Parents provide us with answers. They leave us with questions. Thank you Youn Seo.

Mnemonics

I continue to write of the new authoritarianism. Here’s a poem that uses a figurative father and son to explore the tension between the ideas of “liberty” and “allegiance”.

I’m currently listening to a series of lectures on the causes of World War I and I’m seeing dangerous parallels between the madness of August 1914 and the fervor of nationalism brewing in so many flavors across the globe. If the 20th Century taught us anything, it may be that we cannot afford another 20th Century.

Coming Up

Saturday, May 17, 1PM-3PM, Poetry Open Mic, New Deal Cafe, 113 Centerway Greenbelt, Maryland.

Saturday, May 17, 2025, Gaithersburg Book Festival.

Monday, June 2, 2025, Café Muse Literary Salon Online will feature the 2025 Jacklyn Potter Young Poets Competition.

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Have a reading or event coming up? Let me know and I’ll pass it along. And as always, feel free to email me with questions or comments at henrycrawfordpoetry@gmail.com. Use the subject “Coming Up” Stay creative!

If you’d like me to list an upcoming poetry event in Everyday Poet, please let me know by emailing me at henrycrawfordpoetry@gmail.com. Use the subject: “Coming Up”.