Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL June Chapter Meeting & Workshops
Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Gwangju National University of Education (GNUE)
Creativity Convergence Building (창의융합관)
3rd Floor, English Cafe Lounge
Introduction to Event
What does it mean to belong—as a teacher, a learner, or a speaker of English—in a specific place? This June, Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL invites you to explore the ontology of place—the philosophical study of how place shapes identity, knowledge, and human experience—and its relevance for English language education. Through two engaging workshops, we will reflect on how poetic landscapes and lived professional geographies affect language, learning, and well-being. From Mary Oliver’s immersive engagement with Provincetown’s natural world to the ethnographic voices of expatriate English teachers across Asia, this session will connect global insights with our local context in Gwangju, a city known for its complex history, community resilience, and educational activism. Our venue, the GNUE Creativity Convergence Building, is an ideal setting to consider how placeness, poetic voice, and professional well-being can enrich the EFL classroom.
Workshop 1
Title: Placeness in Relation to English and Humanistic Education: Focused on Mary Oliver’s Poetry
Abstract: This presentation consists of two sections: an exploration of “placeness” in the poetry of Mary Oliver and a workshop centered around her poem “The Summer Day” for use in the EFL classroom. Provincetown, Massachusetts, serves as both a poetic and spiritual locus in Oliver’s work. Her deep engagement with the natural environment is central to her poetic voice and philosophical reflections. Through readings of “Blackwater Pond,” “The Summer Day,” and “Sleeping in the Forest,” we will examine how placeness manifests in her poetry. Attention to placeness in Oliver’s work can foster ecological awareness, emotional literacy, and deeper reader engagement. The follow-up workshop will provide practical strategies for integrating poetry into EFL instruction, demonstrating how Oliver’s work can be used to enhance language learning and humanistic education.
Bio: Yeonseong Park, Ph.D., is a scholar of English literature. She taught English courses at Chonnam National University for two decades. Her publications include dozens of academic articles and books, such as W. H. Auden (co-authored), Creative English Practice and The Story of Sol Go Yang. She currently serves as a member-at-large for Gwang-ju Jeon-nam KOTESOL and as an editorial board member of the Modern British and American Poetry Society of Korea.
Workshop 2
Title: Examining Well-being With Expatriate English Teachers in Asia: An Ethnographic Inquiry
Abstract: This ethnographic study explores issues related to occupational well-being among native English-speaking teachers in Asia. The study includes 10 participants in various countries, examining their stated experiences and perceptions related to their well-being at work. Topics include workplace relationships, gender, race, discrimination, power differences, privilege, and work-life balance. By examining the well-being gap through the voices of participants, it is hoped that the study will elicit key areas in need of attention.
Bio: Valencia Epps has a master's degree in elementary education from Mississippi State University and is a 2024/2025 Fulbright research grant recipient. Her research project is investigating well-being and collaboration among English language teachers in Asia.
Location:
https://koreatesol.org/content/02-chapter-meeting-venue-getting-gnue
Dinner after. Location TBA.
