#96 From Blog to Book

[스티븐스 대사]

For those of you who read my blog and have taken the time to share your thoughts with me, I want to share some news with you.  If you are in a bookstore, you may see my face on the cover of a new book!  In Korean, it’s called “내 이름은 심은경입니다 (My name is Shim Eun-Kyong),” and in English, “An American Ambassador’s Reflections on Life in Korea.”  Thanks to your interest over the past two years, what has appeared on this blog has been consolidated into a book, with some added material about my life before Korea.

An Embassy staffer visited a bookstore on release day and spotted the book.

When I started this blog more than two years ago, I was not sure how it would go, or even if I could sustain it.  While it is always difficult to set aside the time to write, I now have a journal of memorable experiences over the past two years.  More importantly, the blog has turned out to be an excellent way to communicate with a wide variety of people throughout Korea and even beyond.  I much appreciate the comments I receive on-line, and those I hear in person every day about something I have posted.

We launched the book on Wednesday, November 17.  A group of journalists came to Habib House for a conversation about the book.  We called it “Blogs, Books & Biscuits.”

I was delighted to welcome reporters to the residence and introduce the book.

“It Takes an Embassy” to write an Ambassador’s blog.

I admitted to the journalists that although the book is in Korean, I write my entries in English.  I do read the Korean text, though; it’s a good way to find my Korean voice and to learn from the Embassy extraordinary bilingual staff how to express myself more fully and naturally in Korean. 

You may know that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton some years ago wrote a book called “It Takes a Village” that described how raising children right requires the commitment and attention of an entire community, an entire village.  From my own experience as a parent, I know that is true.  What I’ve also learned is that “It Takes an Embassy” to produce a blog.  I want to thank the dedicated and talented staff of the U.S. Embassy, Koreans and Americans alike, who have brought their energy and imagination to creating this blog.  My name is on the book, but it is their book, too.  I hope you enjoy it.

 

[오영규]

심대사님 출판을 축하합니다. 혹시 영문판은 출판하지 않으셨는지요. 영문판을 출판하시면 학생들 영어지도를 위해 유용하게 쓸 것입니다.

[스티븐스 대사]

오영규님, 아쉽게도 영문판은 출판하지 않았습니다. 하지만 Cafe USA(cafe.daum.net/usembassy)를 방문하시면 언제나 제 블로그를 영어로 읽으실 수 있습니다. 관심 가져주셔서 감사하고 행복한 연말연시 되세요!

[bada]

대사님! 블로그에 관련된사연에 대해 책을 출간하게된것을 축하드립니다.