Five Willows Literary Review

🌿 LITERARY CONSULTATION WITH KOON WOON

Guidance from an award‑winning poet, editor, and mentor

Why Work With Koon Woon

Koon Woon is one of the most original and uncompromising voices in Asian American literature. A Chinese American poet who emerged from Seattle’s Chinatown after decades of hardship, he writes with clarity, humility, and a rare honesty that resonates across cultures. His work is internationally anthologized and recognized by major literary institutions.

Writers seeking depth, courage, and craft will find in him a mentor who understands both the struggle and the art.

✨ Awards & Recognition

Koon Woon’s literary achievements have been honored by some of the most respected organizations in American letters:

🏆 American Book Award (2014)

Awarded by the Before Columbus Foundation for Water Chasing Water, recognizing its originality, cultural significance, and contribution to American literature.

🏅 Josephine Miles Award from PEN Oakland

Received for The Truth in Rented Rooms, a collection praised for its honesty, craft, and portrayal of immigrant and working‑class life.

📚 International Anthologies & Literary Presence

His poetry appears in major collections such as Premonitions: The Kaya Anthology of New Asian North American Poetry, cementing his place among influential Asian American writers.

These honors reflect not only literary excellence but also the cultural weight of his voice—one shaped by survival, community, and truth.

🎓 Education & Intellectual Background

Koon Woon’s path through education is as unconventional and compelling as his writing:

• University of Washington — Studied mathematics and philosophy, including modal logic.
• University of Oregon — Continued philosophical studies under the influence of analytic philosopher John Wisdom.
• Antioch University Seattle — Earned a Bachelor’s degree after returning to academia following two decades of mental illness and recovery.
• Fort Hays State University — Completed a Master’s degree in Literary Arts.
• University of New Orleans ---- Master of Fine Arts in Poetry.

This blend of mathematics, philosophy, and literary study gives his consultations a unique depth—analytical yet intuitive, grounded yet imaginative.

What You’ll Receive

📘 One-on-One Literary Consultation

• Personalized feedback on poetry, memoir, essays, or hybrid work
• Insight into structure, voice, clarity, and emotional resonance
• Guidance shaped by decades of reading, writing, and editing

🖋 Craft Development Sessions

• Techniques for imagery, pacing, and thematic coherence
• Strategies for writing from lived experience
• Support in developing a voice that is both honest and enduring

📚 Publishing & Editorial Advice

• Understanding the independent press landscape
• Submission strategies for journals and small presses
• Guidance from the founder of Goldfish Press and Chrysanthemum magazine

Who This Is For

• Writers seeking a mentor who understands resilience and survival
• Immigrant, diaspora, and working‑class writers
• Poets and storytellers wanting to deepen their craft
• Anyone who values direct, compassionate, and transformative feedback

Book Your Session

Start your next chapter with a mentor whose life and work embody endurance, clarity, and truth.
A consultation with Koon Woon is more than feedback—it’s an encounter with a literary mind shaped by philosophy, struggle, and community.

Contact:

koonwoon@gmail.com

1- (206) 380 - 4181