I’ve been asked to write a book on Korean poetry. Do you think I should? I do not know Korean poetry well, but I do know what I like, and I have had several impactful experiences that have informed me of the power of poetry. The first experience came when I was at a banquet in San Francisco on the heels of a day-long conference. Sitting across from me was a businessman who was supporting the conference, but who was not an academic. It was clear from his conversation that he did not understand the academic issues being discussed at the conference. But as a financial supporter of the event, he was interested in talking to me. He asked who I was and where I was from. The banquet was attended mostly by Korean Americans — I was one of only three Caucasians in the room. The businessman sitting across the table from me asked about my position. I told him I taught Korean history and literature at Brigham Young University in Utah. Though I said “history and literature,” he picked up on the literature part and asked what I taught. I responded "hyangga," "sijo," "gasa" and folk tales in m