S as in Samsam by Sowon Kwon

S as in Samsam by Sowon Kwon Edited by Triple Canopy Published by Secretary Press and Triple Canopy, May 2017 Perfect-bound with embossed cover, 60 pp, 6" × 7" Offset printed, full color throughout ISBN 978-0-9971206-2-2 Sowon Kwon begins S as in Samsam by recounting her twentysomething cousin visiting New York City from South Korea. Having not seen the cousin since she was a girl with ribbons in her hair, Kwon wonders about the degree of formality with which to address her. She notes the importance, in Korean, of “establishing the correct amount of distance between you and another.” She goes on to ponder the coincidence of the homophony of the Korean slang term of respect and affection for teacher, Romanized as sam, and the diminutive of the name Samuel. Sam seems to crystallize the traffic between formality and intimacy, and even the touching of disparate language families. In pursuit of such interplay, prompted by viewings of operas and sitcoms, aided by search algorithms, Kwo