About Jennifer

I arrived in Korea in 1970, fresh out of college and with two months of Peace Corps language classes under my belt. In those days, Korea was in a rush to modernize, and people were pouring out of the countryside to work in the new factories and cities. I was curious about the folkways they were leaving behind, so I left the city where Peace Corps assigned me and moved to a town, and then a small village of thatch-roofed houses, to see traditional rural life up close.

After two years as a Peace Corps English teacher, I moved to Seoul where I worked at a small museum of Korean folk art, translating their publications into English. In all I spent seven years in Korea, including a couple of breaks at the University of Hawaii for an M.A. in Asian Studies, and some terrific snorkeling.

I came home to the continental U.S., became a lawyer and raised my two kids. It wasn’t until later that I began work on 10,000 Spirits, beginning with the mythical tale of the coming of shamanism to ancient Korea. While writing 10,000 Spirits, I’ve returned to Korea to visit modern shamans and witness their work. I’m happy to say that shamanism has evolved with the times and is still a vital part of Korean life today.

My husband and I now live in the mountains of Southern California with two dogs, two cats, a yellow rat snake named “Rover,” and a school of goldfish who keep busy dodging the local sashimi-loving raccoons.