Quick Facts
Biography
Brenda Paik Sunoo is a third generation Korean-American. She is a writer and an award-winning freelance journalist, former senior editor of Workforce magazine. During the 1970s, Brenda and her husband were anti-war and human rights activists, particularly advocating for Korean unification. Paik Sunoo co-founded the non-profit organization Compassion At Work.
Brenda Paik Sunoo graduated from University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. in sociology; in 1999, she received her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles.
Her memoir on loss and healing, "Seaweed and Shamans: Inheriting the Gifts of Grief," has been published in English, Korean and Vietnamese. Her photo essay collection "Vietnam Moment" conveys her knowledge of and affection for the Vietnamese people. The photos in the book was taken during her stay at Vietnam from 2002 to 2008. The book is also printed in three languages --- Korean, Vietnamese and English
Books
- Beyond the crucible: Responses to anti-Asian hatred, Ecumenical Working Group of Asian Pacific Americans and Canadians, 1994
- Da Lat: City of Eternal Spring, The Gioi Publishers, 2004
- Seaweed and Shamans, Seoul Selection, 2006
- Vietnam Moment, Seoul Selection, 2009
- Moon Tides: Jeju Island Grannies of the Sea, 2011
- Stone House on Jeju IslandImprovising Life Under a Healing Moon, September 2018
Awards
- Maggie Award recognition in the Public Service category