ISSUED: 12 February 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Speak Story Series, part of Shepherd University’s Appalachian Studies Program, and the Shepherd University Common Reading Program present “Pineapples and Kimchee: a program of Korean folk tales and personal stories about the Korean experience in Hawaii” with Japanese-Korean storyteller Alton Chung on Tuesday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Hall. Admission is $12 general admission, with express entry for Speak season ticket holders, and free for Shepherd students with a valid Rambler ID. Speak is for adult audiences, but mature youth are allowed at their guardian’s discretion.
Growing up in Hawaii, Chung listened to elders, friends, and family “talk story.” As a performer, Chung tells Asian folktales and Hawaiian legends with respect and authenticity. His finely spun stories, rooted in a unique culture and a one-of-a-kind perspective, are delivered with a deep sense of reverence and authenticity. He has performed across the U.S. and abroad, including at international storytelling festivals in the Cayman Islands, Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand.
In 2005, Chung was awarded the first J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award by the National Storytelling Network. His recorded work has won Storytelling World Honors, and he is the former chairman of the National Storytelling Network.
Hyeonseo Lee’s “The Girl with Seven Names: Escape from North Korea” is Shepherd’s common reading book. Lee’s story is rooted in the history of Korea, an ancient civilization that was divided into north and south after World War II. Lee, and later her mother and brother, escaped from North Korea.
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