Sejong Book Club

Thursday, January 29, 2026 · 7:00 PM (Central Time, USA)

Format: Online via Zoom (open to participants worldwide)

About Sejong Book Club

The Sejong Book Club invites readers from around the world to explore Korean literature in English translation.
Led by distinguished professors of literature, our online discussions offer a welcoming space to connect through reading, reflection, and cultural exchange.

Each session highlights a major Korean work translated into English, examining its themes, historical background, and artistic vision.
Discussions are held several times a year, and all sessions are conducted in English.

Join us in discovering the depth and beauty of Korean literature—one book, one conversation at a time.

Book

"Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop" by Hwang Boreum

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER * NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER INDIE NEXT PICK
* Debutiful Most Anticipated Book of 2024
* Powell's Pick of the Month
* A Bookshop Best Book of the Year So Far

The Korean smash hit available for the first time in English, a slice-of-life novel for readers of Matt Haig's The Midnight Library and Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of AJ Fikry.

Yeongju is burned out. She did everything she was supposed to: go to school, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. In a leap of faith, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop. In a quaint neighborhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster-and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju-they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live.

A heartwarming story about finding acceptance in your life and the healing power of books, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a gentle reminder that it's never too late to scrap the plot and start again.

source:amazon.com

Hwang Boreum

Moderator

Professor Sarah Petrovic
(Professor, co-chair of the English department, Emmanuel University, GA, USA)

Sarah Petrovic

Sarah Petrovic, co-chair of the English department, earned her Ph.D. in English (2011) and M.A. (2005) in Literature and Film from Northern Illinois University and her B.A. in English Education (2003) from Taylor University.

She has taught courses in film, contemporary literature, British literature, world literature, YA literature, composition, grammar, media criticism, and science fiction, and takes classes to the U.K. to study culture, literature, and film.

Her publications include “Tipping the Odds Ever in Her Favor: An Exploration of Narrative Control and Agency in the Hunger Games Novel and Film” appearing in Space and Place in the Hunger Games: New Readings of the Novels (McFarland & Company, 2014) and “Changing Spaces of ‘Englishness’: Psychogeography and Spatial Practices in This is England and Somers Town” in Shane Meadows (Edinburgh UP, 2013). Other interests include, watching film and television; pop culture in general, K-pop especially; all manner of stationery; and reading, always reading.

source: https://eu.edu/employees/petrovic-sarah/

Registration

Registration is required — https://bit.ly/3KciXzE

Registered participants will receive the Zoom link, guided reading notes, and discussion materials by email.

Registeration QR code

Previous Book Club Meetings

11/13/2025 Human Acts by Han Kang |