Kim Ae-ran: Eighteen is in progress

This is the 47th poetry collection in Changbi’s Youth Poetry series and a new work by poet Kim Ae-ran, who broadened the scope of youth poetry with warm depictions of young people outside the school system in I’m a Kid Outside School (2017) and I Walked with Pride (2019). This collection presents, in a calm yet vivid way, the lives and voices of “eighteen-year-olds” living under vague and complicated labels such as young family caregivers, teenage single parents, and young adults preparing to live independently. The poet realistically portrays the isolation, sense of loss, and anxiety felt by young people who are themselves in need of care while also caring for others. She shows that they are not “others” seen only in the news, but “neighbors” we should pay attention to. The speakers struggle through harsh realities, yet continue to understand, comfort, and reach out with care to other beings in the world. Through them, the collection explores the meaning of genuine growth and offers warm support and encouragement for their future. Literary critic Oh Yeon-kyung said, “In this collection, we can see young people finding their place and abilities in the world, discovering the possibility of other forms of care where the official support system has broken down, and sometimes becoming caregivers themselves.” Reading Eighteen Is Still Unfolding can give readers time to notice people around them who need care and reflect on what it means to become an adult who grows while caring for themselves and those around them.

Korean title: 열여덟은 진행 중

Korean author: 김애란

Korean publisher: 창비교육

ISBN-13: 9791165702533