Keywords

Nonfiction, Travel, Korean American, Loneliness, Urbanism, Globalism, Braided Essay, Reflection

Abstract

The Place Between Places is a collection of essays centered on belonging. Focusing on the composition of city streets, theme parks, and hidden pockets of wonder, belonging is explored as the product of place and culture. The perspective of the collection shifts between reflection and active exploration, using present moment journeys as catalysts to unravel the past. In every new discovery there is a ghost, past and present journeys fighting for their place in the constructed narrative called “self.”

The collection primarily makes use of braided essays and nonlinear storytelling. “Animal” blends together three night walks through New York, Seoul, and Osaka while “The Cities’ Bridges” merges Prague’s Vltava River with the Manhattan Bridge towering over New York’s East River. “Three Kids in a Church” uses a cult in Florida as a catalyst to explore heritage reaching back to California, then further back to a familial memory of South Korea. In “Carrying the Keyboard”, lugging a 100-pound keyboard through Greenwich Village opens the door to old and future performances. When the essays aren’t braiding past and present, they are embellishing moments of wonder. A washing machine at work, a Papa John’s Pizza at midnight, and a crab at the dinner table all become tools to expose joy and sorrow.

The Place Between Places is a desperate attempt to find significance in the mundane, joy in the gutter, and peace with absurdity.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Bartkevicius, Jocelyn

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

English

Format

PDF

Document Type

Thesis

Identifier

DP0053264

Download

Share

COinS
 

Accessibility Statement

This item was created or digitized prior to April 24, 2027, or is a reproduction of legacy media created before that date. It is preserved in its original, unmodified state specifically for research, reference, or historical recordkeeping. In accordance with the ADA Title II Final Rule, the University Libraries provides accessible versions of archival materials upon request. To request an accommodation for this item, please submit an accessibility request form.