AUTHOR PROFILE
Eisen Yoon is a poet and short-story writer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, much of his work focuses around the Korean-American experience and is an advocate for Asian-American representation in the arts. He earned his B.A. in English from UCLA. His work has appeared in Words & Whispers, Euphemism, and of course, Spank the Carp. He is an alum of Spoken Literature Arts Movement’s Cycle V workshop, taught by Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez and Alyesha Wise. A proud Bruin and Angeleno, he spends much of his free time rooting for UCLA Football, the Dodgers, and the Lakers... and fighting LA traffic.
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Eisen's work appeared in Pond 64
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Why do you write?
I feel compelled to answer this with 2 truths and 1 lie:
(Okay, these all might be truths)
- I write mostly as a form of therapy. It helps me make sense of a world that often doesn’t make sense. Writing has helped me through troubled times in my life, as I processed grief and heartbreak. It’s given me clarity when times were confusing. It’s helped me find a sense of self-worth and validation.
- I write because I want to entertain people with my musings on life and the world. I don’t want to change the world per se, but I want people to enjoy my work.
- I write because I have a deep-seeded need for attention. There’s an inherent desire for fame and fortune. I want to write the next great Asian-American novel that ends up on the NYT Bestsellers list and in Oprah’s Book Club; a book so massively popular that Netflix and Disney get locked in a bidding war for the rights. But alas, one can only dream.
(Okay, these all might be truths)
What other creative activities are you involved in?
Very amateur photography... Mostly iPhone photography... of my food.
Who is your favorite author and why?
My very writerly answer is Ernest Hemingway, for all the reasons that everyone loves Hemingway. But in more recent years, I’ve enjoyed the work of Fredrik Backman. His quirky characters are written with such humanity and tenderness that when you turn the last page, it feels like you’ve just read 300 pages of a warm hug.
Tell us about the mechanics of how you write.
First, I usually write a sentence, then jab furiously at the DELETE key until there’s nothing left on the page except the cursor. And then I repeat that process for several minutes. Then, comes the existential crisis, questioning all of my skills as a writer, my life choices, and why I’m even pursuing writing.
After I talk myself out of the existential blackhole, I usually set a timer and free-write for ten minutes or so and just let words spill from my mind and onto the page. That usually garners a visit from inspiration, at which point, I’m able to write a scene and just let the scene play out to wherever it takes me. Then I’ll go back and edit.
After I talk myself out of the existential blackhole, I usually set a timer and free-write for ten minutes or so and just let words spill from my mind and onto the page. That usually garners a visit from inspiration, at which point, I’m able to write a scene and just let the scene play out to wherever it takes me. Then I’ll go back and edit.
Finally, what do you think about Carp, the fish, not our website?
When I was a young boy, my dad took me fishing on a lake. We sat in the boat all day, the sun beating on our backs. Just as we were about to give up hope, a fish the size of my leg jumped out of the water and landed in our boat. It flopped around—well, like a fish out of water. My dad jumped on top of it and wrestled it into submission. Relishing his victory, my dad looked at me and said, “Carpe Diem.”
True story—or maybe I'm just being coy.
True story—or maybe I'm just being coy.