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Singular poetry made through censorship, elusion, and language renewal

The astonishing poetry collection The Hell of That Star enlivens the horror of Korean life under U.S.-backed authoritarianism. Poems of blows and vomit, births and coffins alternate blithe confidence and trembling terror. When slapped seven times by a government censor, Kim responded with defiant poems. The death of language becomes a death of the writer; within death, Kim finds new life in fragmentation and reorientation. This singular volume provides a wild and rigorous study of the words of the nation-state and the self, as well as the deprivations, detainments, and surprises in between. In evading censorship, Kim's poems question, twist, and transmute; language is a site where the personal and political meet to escape containment, emptiness, and domestication. The book includes essays by the author and translator.

[sample poem]

The tough after all
we still remain
and just in gathering it is lovingly
even while building each other's tombs
while patting each other's backs

But when each bird turns around
their arms flung! open
embracing tightly what
they do not even recognize as their grave
and they hug and hold harder and harder
stretching four limbs out over the laid sleeping mat and blanket
saying I love you I love you even in their sleep
In this world from which crying birds have disappeared
only I am left

Across Europe and North America, far-right parties have strategically framed immigration as a threat to national identity and security, capitalizing on public anxieties around cultural change and economic pressure.

Part of the groundbreaking ethnoGRAPHIC series, Crossing Lines is a graphic anthology about human migration that challenges the rise of anti-immigrant populism. Research shows that it is difficult to counter these "us-versus-them" narratives with evidence alone. Blending visual and textual storytelling, this collection moves beyond traditional forms of communication to engage readers emotionally with the complex realities of migration.

Emerging out of a workshop held at the University of British Columbia's Centre for Migration Studies in 2022, this graphic anthology features eight powerful narratives, collaboratively created by migration scholars and comics artists. Crossing Lines considers the personal and social impacts of migration, offering nuanced perspectives accessible to a wide audience. Each comic is paired with discussion questions and annotated further readings to encourage dialogue and understanding in the face of polarizing public discourse.

Crossing Lines is a timely and indispensable resource for scholars, educators, and readers seeking to better understand migration in today's globalized world.