Just One Thing with Tammy Heejae Lee

March contributor and second runner-up in our recent flash fiction contest Tammy Heejae Lee is currently working on a novel about expat culture in Seoul. If it’s anything like her story “Roe Soup Dance,” we’re all in! Here’s just one thing from Tammy about the piece:

“My grandmother and I knew each other solely through phone conversations for twenty-two years before I taught English in Seoul for a little while. Every time we saw each other, she would cook for me: stews, grilled fish, side dishes packed in plastic containers the night before. She was so apologetic that she couldn’t speak English or give me pocket money, so these meals were her way of telling me she was sorry, she missed me, she loved me. Even if the dishes weren’t according to my taste, I ate everything she made and gave strong reactions to show her it was delicious. It was my response to her: thank you, I’m here now, I’m listening.”