AUTHOR

Sun Yung Shin

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신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin is an award-winning poet, writer, editor, children’s book author, and cultural worker. She was born in Seoul, raised in the Chicago area, and lives in Minneapolis.

She is the author of the creative nonfiction book Heart Eater: A Memoir of Immigration, Language, and Belonging, forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press in May 2026. Her fifth and most recent poetry collection is Six Tones of Water (Ricochet Editions), co-authored with poet, novelist, and visual artist Vi Khi Nao. She is the editor of the anthologies A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota and What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories on Food and Family (Minnesota Historical Society Press). She is a co-editor of the groundbreaking collection Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption (University of Minnesota Press).

She is the author of four Coffee House Press poetry collections: The Wet Hex (winner of a Midland Authors Society Award, finalist for a Minnesota Book Award); Unbearable Splendor (finalist for a PEN USA Literary Award, winner of a Minnesota Book Award); Rough, and Savage (finalist for The Believer Award); and Skirt Full of Black (winner of an Asian American Literary Award).

Her books for children include the bilingual (Korean/English) picture book Cooper’s Lesson (Lee & Low Books, National Parenting Publications Award, Booklist and School Library Journal Starred Reviews) and co-authored picture book Where We Come From (Lerner Publishing, winner of a Carter G. Woodson Award, finalist for a Minnesota Book Award).
Her forthcoming picture book, Revolutions are Made of Love: Grace Lee Boggs and James Boggs (Lerner Publishing), co-written with Mélina Mangal and illustrated by Leslie Barlow will be published on November 4, 2025.

Her poems, nonfiction, and visual arts writing have have been published widely in places such as POETRY, BOMB, the 광주 Gwangju Biennale, Frieze Week, American Craft Council, American Composers Forum, and elsewhere.

Shin is a current McKnight Foundation Fellow in Creative Nonfiction judged by Valeria Luiselli and is a recent MacDowell Fellow; she has received artist grants from the Bush Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and elsewhere. She co-directs the community micro-organization Poetry Asylum with poet Su Hwang.

Sun Yung Shin is represented by literary agent Tia Ikemoto at Creative Artists Agency and her speaking agent is Anya Backlund at Blue Flower Arts.
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