About SK Tiao
SK Tiao draws her ideas from her background as the daughter of working-class parents of Chinese and Korean heritage. She has worked in schools with Vietnamese, Chinese, and Somalian children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and lived in Seattle’s International District, where her writing takes place.
Currently, she lives in San Francisco and longs for the misty forests of the Pacific Northwest. She volunteers with Sirens, a conference devoted to exploring gender and fantasy literature, and occasionally blogs for them.
About my inspiration
For years, I told my younger sisters bedtime stories. A different story every night, because I needed them to lie quietly and fall asleep, and my mom couldn’t do it because she had died when I was ten and my dad couldn’t do it because he was working long hours as a waiter at a Chinese restaurant where he was illegally paid less than minimum wage.
For as long as I can remember, stories have been my solace and a source of happiness. I continue telling stories in hopes that others can find joy and comfort in stories where they will be seen and feel heard.
About my background
I am what is known as hangughwagyo (한국화교) in Korean, and hánguó huáqiáo (韓國華僑) in Mandarin. In English, this translates mostly as “Chinese people in Korea.” My paternal grandparents were born in China and emigrated from Shandong province to Incheon, Korea. My maternal grandfather was born in Shandong province and moved to Busan, Korea. My maternal grandmother was born on Jeju Island.
Both of my parents were born in Korea.
What does this mean for me?
It means that I am a random mix of cultures and traditions. I can speak Mandarin (badly) but can only understand the tiniest bits of Korean. I grew up hearing Korean folktales from and watching Korean dramas with my mother, but I’m baffled when it comes to Chinese ghost stories and traditions—but I’m learning! I had kimchi on the table every night to go with dishes like hóngshāo ròu (red braised pork - 紅燒肉).
As countries, China and Korea have difficult relations with each other. But I have always been proud of both aspects of my Asian culture.