Writing is the backbone of this website—creative writing, short stories, essays, poems. Writing is my way of painting, of creating canvases that evoke the romance of unexpected encounters, and the unintended hilarity of unceremonious situations. Writing is my way of comprehending what can be comprehended, and my way of expressing vulnerability when I cannot comprehend. Writing is my way of showing others what is possible, my way to inspire and encourage. When writing, I do not feel any boundaries, I do not feel confined to one genre, one style, one voice. My writing draws inspiration from writing teachers, poet laureates as well as illiterate villagers, sleeping with cockroaches inside my mosquito net, and taking a 3rd class train across the scorching Indian plains at the height of summer (I don’t recommend it). Everything from the sublime to the ridiculous are fair game in my writing prompts.

STORIES FOR SMILY

Stories for Smily are stories I have written about my mother, for my mother. The saying that real life is crazier than fiction holds true: You cannot make this stuff up!

AYOUNG KIM: THE WRITER, TRAVELER, ARTIST

I lived in a Thai monastery deep in the forest. Every morning I woke to the sound of temple bells and deep drumming. I learned to bow to everyone and anything. I’m still bowing.