The 2020-2021 school year has been immensely altered by COVID-19. Not surprisingly, the annual Baird English Symposium, a beloved event that features a talented author whom the entire KO community studies, looked different this year as well.
Albeit virtually, KO was fortunate to welcome Min Jin Lee, author of the novels “Free Food for Millionaires” and “Pachinko,” among shorter pieces of both fiction and nonfiction, on January 8. While in years past, Symposium authors were able to be physically present on campus, engage with both the Upper School and the Middle School in assemblies, and work with the seniors in KO’s select Symposium class, this year the program ran quite differently.
The program featured Zoom webinars for both the Upper School and the Middle School, an online masterclass for the Symposium students, and an after-school online Q&A available to interested Upper School students. Despite the many changes, this year’s Symposium certainly did not disappoint.
To initiate the day’s events, Upper School faculty and students engaged in a webinar in which Ms. Lee delivered an opening speech, read a portion of “Pachinko,” and answered various questions from Symposium student moderators. Although Ms. Lee was in her novel-filled office in Harlem rather than physically present with the KO community in Robert’s Theater, she was able to foster a strong sense of familiarity and intimacy.
As a professor at Amherst College working with students of similar ages to those in the Upper School, Ms. Lee was able to relate to high-school students. She remarked with confidence that she understands our generation and what we as teenagers go through. “Some of you have really big dreams,” Ms. Lee said, “… and you want to see dazzling new things. You want to set the world on fire with your ideas… And as a writer, it is my job to think about you… I am honored to be a writer in your midst, to be read by you, to be considered at all… I want you to know that with your stories, you are creators too.”
At the heart of Ms. Lee’s message was the idea of creating our own stories and doing so by paying attention to the world around us. She charged us to take hold of the extraordinary power we have – the power to be open to ideas, knowledge, and experiences and to “try to be one of those on whom nothing is lost,” which is a quote from Henry James, a 19th-century American novelist. With this, Ms. Lee urged us to never miss a moment and to always be aware so as to become more insightful, astute human beings.
Ms. Lee’s empathetic message resonated with many. “I really liked the appreciation she had for our generation, as well as the way she was able to relate to us as high-school students,” junior Garrett Gallup said. Senior Snehaa Ram, a member of the Symposium class, agreed. “Min Jin Lee was incredibly personable and was able to strike a chord with every student, even though we were virtual.”
Following these opening remarks, Ms. Lee proceeded to read a brief section of her highly-acclaimed novel “Pachinko,” which focused on the farewell between the protagonist – Sunja – and her mother as Sunja leaves Korea to start a new life with her husband in Japan. Although the majority of those viewing the webinar had already read the novel, Ms. Lee truly brought a newfound sense of elegance, emotion, and sincerity to the passage that allowed students to view the section in a new and much deeper light during her reading. “I really enjoyed listening to her read a portion of ‘Pachinko,” junior Katharine Doar said, “because although I had read the novel in the class, it was cool to hear the writer herself read her own work. I was able to gain a new perspective of the passage and understand what she was actually feeling in her writing.”
To close the Upper School webinar, Ms. Lee took the time to answer questions collected from the KO student body and compiled by Symposium students. The major topics Ms. Lee touched upon through the Q&A session included her inspirations for writing “Free Food for Millionaires” and “Pachinko,” the role of women in her novels, the value of reporting the truth, the significance of our role as students in history, and what readers should take away from her novels.
Ms. Lee answered each question candidly and carefully, aiding her listeners’ understanding of her writing and thought processes as well as her goals so as to impart a deeper insight into her work. “It was cool hearing her answer questions because I feel like I am now more in touch with the themes and ideas in ‘Pachinko’ specifically,” senior Adam Theodorou said. Garrett agreed. “Hearing her dissect the motives and action of the characters in ‘Pachinko’ was very helpful in my overall understanding of the book.”
Despite being unable to meet Ms. Lee in person, Symposium students were still afforded the opportunity to engage more directly with her. Following the Upper School webinar, both Symposium sections taught by English teacher Heather Wayne met with Ms. Lee via Zoom for a masterclass. Ms. Lee asked everyone to take out paper and a pen and simply write for 15 minutes about the time when a person was most mad at them. Writing in the presence of an esteemed author is no easy task, but Ms. Lee assured the students that their work didn’t need to be perfect, which put them at ease.
After the 15 minutes were up, students could volunteer to read what they wrote out loud. Seniors Ahana Nagarkatti, Braeden Rose, Christina Lu, Kate Beck, Chaitanya Karanam, and Mary Ellen Carroll rose to the occasion. “I picked a moment when I was around 10 when I said something rude to a family member and was met with anger from another family member,” Braeden said. “Ms. Lee asked me about the experience after I read my story, and I felt as if she understood me better by asking those questions. I initially volunteered because I was eager to get to speak with her and have her hear my writing because I love her works so much, and after we were done with the masterclass, I felt like I learned so much about storytelling and writing and also empathizing with other people.”
In addition to working with Ms. Lee in the masterclass, the Symposium students also had the opportunity to meet online with her in the evening on Thursday, Jan. 7 to play a Min Jin Lee themed game of Apples to Apples and share projects that they had created in class. This took the place of the traditional Symposium dinner that members of the Symposium class typically attend the night before the main event.
In the afternoon, Ms. Lee addressed the Middle School faculty and staff in a Zoom webinar. Her opening message was a bit different than her remarks to the Upper School. She shared her own history, specifically regarding her family’s choice to immigrate from Korea to America, underscoring the importance of unity and the understanding of different cultures. Ms. Lee feels that literature is the key to achieving this.
“Through literature, we cross borders, and we become united with the selves we did not know we could be, and we become reunited with the selves we had lost,” she said. “And I believe this is how we approach peace. With our arms held wide open.” The idea of literature as an avenue to becoming more aware, compassionate human beings resonated with students, who valued Ms. Lee’s wisdom. “I really appreciate how she showed her passion for reading and writing in her message” eighth-grader Hadley Crowther said. “I also loved hearing about her own personal history and how she was able to apply it to today.”
The day ended with an optional Q&A Zoom session with Ms. Lee that was open to all Upper School students. The Q&A provided a more intimate setting for faculty and students to ask their questions directly to Ms. Lee “face-to-face.” She engaged with topics including identity, the role of LGBTQ+ characters in “Pachinko,” the value of gender-identity discussion, and the importance of true, emotional vulnerability. Those who attended the Q&A really enjoyed it and felt that it was a great opportunity to learn more about Ms. Lee as not only an author but as an individual. “I really liked how interactive and raw she was and how she truly made an effort to connect with the group,” junior Amrita Natarajan said. “She was just very real.”
Despite the difficult circumstances and the numerous adjustments that had to be made due to the pandemic, this year’s Symposium event could not have been more successful. Dr. Wayne is extremely happy with how things went. “Min Jin Lee is so unbelievably warm and gracious,” Dr. Wayne said. “Somehow she managed to exude so much humanity through the screen, which is impressive, disarming, and charming, and Min Jin Lee’s remarks during the assemblies were powerful and inspiring.” Dr. Wayne went on to say that she was moved by how clearly Min Jin Lee’s words were crafted for a teenage audience.
“At the end of a truly dark and terrible week that followed a dark and terrible year, Ms. Lee’s visit was a beacon of hope and light,” she said.
