writing
poems. essays. short stories.
cultural identity, etymology, language, translation, science as metaphor, pop culture, location, mental health
poetry
A Flower Petal Space (2018)
Winner of the Iowa Chapbook Prize
“‘A Flower Petal Space’ is a creative mix of English and Korean that explores Ashley’s mind as she uses experimental poetry and personal prose to understand her hyphenated identity as a Korean American.
​
What is it like from the perspective of a constant whirlwind of evolution? What could possibly grow there? And if anything does grow there, does it last?” ~from the editors
Reading at Prairie Lights in Iowa City for Iowa Chapbook Prize event
Within Sight (2019)
Collaboration with jazz composer Alexandro Cazares
This collaboration started by coincidence; Ashley went to a performance where Alexandro played, wrote a poem in response to it, then sent it to him. From there, the idea came to create a poetry collection to parallel Within Sight, Alexandro's debut album and capstone project for his masters in Jazz Studies at the University of Iowa.
Ashley wrote the poems as a response guided in part by Alexandro's process. The hope is that the poems will supplement the pieces and create a deeper level of experience for Within Sight.
Ashley, Alexandro, and Within Sight
Within Sight was shared with the world at an intimate house party where Alexandro performed select pieces and Ashley read through the collection. The event was recorded live and is available to listen through.
Within Sight album listening party
articles
written
interviews, features, listicles
 Gathe Raho: South Asian a cappella in the Midwest |  Jimin x Jamie is staying true to herself |  To read is to begin to understand: 10 great books by Black authors to read |
|---|---|---|
 Going solo with violinist Hyeyung Yoon |  Pride in writing: sexuality and Asian representation in Lyla Lee's works |  K-Pop the Odyssey: A journey through law, music, and identity |
 12 books by Asian authors for your holiday gifts and beyond |  To start again: singer Sunmin Baek's story |  Author Katie Zhao on her career, Asian representation, and The Dragon Warrior |
edited
personal essays, reviews, interviews, and more
 Reflections on raising my Filipina baby girl |  Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic as a sexual assault survivor |  Identity through the eyes of a Black Asian |
|---|---|---|
 Mental health: the inspiration behind Dina Calligraphy |  Hip hop in China, its silence on Black Lives Matter, and Chinese Canadian allies |  Of animals, magic, and mothers: K-Ming Chang's world of Bestiary |
 Ip Man: Kung Fu Master: punching hard, hitting air |  From personal to popular: the Westernization of traditional Chinese medicine |  14 emerging Asian Canadian female artists for International Women's Day |
projects
Welcome to MADANG:
an anthology
fractals of identity:
an exhibition
an anthology of twelve pieces of writing, art, and music by Korean diaspora on the theme of home.
a collaboration with composer Jacob Heeren and visual artist Gabrielle Kershaw, featuring alternative translations (English to Korean) from Ashley.
