KAAN 2025: Full Schedule

The KAAN 2025 Conference will take place at The Grand Hyatt in Atlanta, GA, on June 20-22. The theme this year is Growth and Change. As always, we offer an adoptee-only track alongside our general breakout sessions, which are open to all. We also offer programs for adults and youth (ages 8-17). All are welcome, including adoptees, birth families, family members (adoptive parents, spouses/partners, siblings and children of adoptees), service providers, and Korean Americans. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at tech@wearekaan.org.

Donate to KAAN
KAAN is a Project of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, fiscal sponsor. This permits KAAN to operate as a nonprofit under TFEC’s 501(c)(3) designation. The official registration and financial information of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, at 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. The Foundation for Enhancing Communities is registered in each state requiring such registration for charitable solicitation. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. Thank you!

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9:30am EDT

BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Creating Community

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Our workshop BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Creating Community, invites adoptees to explore and articulate their needs and hopes for our collective future. Through guided prompts, participants will visualize their unique journeys, contributing to our shared past and future. This adoptee-only session includes individual reflection, small group discussions, a "gallery walkthrough," and final debrief. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of our collective community's needs as well as their own place within adoptee community, clear vision for how the community can grow, and what they can do as individuals to contribute to make the community stronger and more inclusive.

Speakers

Liana Soifer

Liana Soifer is a transracial adoptee born in South Korea and raised in Oregon. She is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of BIPOC Adoptees VOICES, a grassroots nonprofit based in Portland, OR. With a BA in Human Services, Liana has worked as a Project Manager, overseeing web applications... Read More →

Mai Li O'Keefe

Mai Li O'Keefe (they/them) is a Portland based Korean adoptee that spends their time grassroots organizing, playing outside, and enjoying quality time with loved ones. They are a co-founder, board member, and active organizer for BIPOC Adoptees VOICES, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization... Read More →

Jill Mann

Jill Mann is a transracial, transnational Korean adoptee. She is an artist, writer, and musician, and a member of the BIPOC Adoptees team. She is also secretary of the board of Asian Heritage Association, a local community organization in McMinnville, Oregon, where she lives with... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am EDT

Healthy Boundaries, Secure Relationships

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Many adoptees struggle to form healthy meaningful relationships that allow them to feel known, seen, and valued. Why is this? Maybe you have been described as “distant” and find yourself “shutting down” in relationships. Maybe you’ve been told you are “too trusting” and find yourself in a pattern of hurt from relationships that feel one-sided. Navigating boundaries is essential for healthy, secure relationships and can be especially hard for adoptees. This session will explore ways the trauma of relinquishment is connected to our understanding of attachment and our ability to form healthy boundaries in relationships with others.

Speakers

Jodi Stelley

Jodi (she/hers) is a Korean American Adoptee and works as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in IL. She holds two degrees – M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and previously worked with underrepresented student populations... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am EDT

Holy Shift: Beliefs Beyond White Pews

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

This session offers a safe space for transracial adoptees to reflect on growing up in predominantly white religious households and how these experiences shaped their identities. We’ll discuss challenges like cultural erasure and the expectations of assimilation, as well as the role of faith narratives in adoption. Participants are invited to share their journeys—whether it's deepening faith, transforming beliefs, or exploring new spiritual paths. This session affirms diverse faith journeys, highlighting how personal growth, racial consciousness, and spiritual evolution intersect uniquely for adoptees.

Speakers

Tory Bae

Tory Bae is a Korean adoptee who grew up in Minnesota and has called North Carolina home for over a decade. She works as a personal injury paralegal and does work for undergraduate admissions. She is passionate about supporting liberatory work for adoptees, as well as the queer and... Read More →

Hannah Johns

Hannah Johns (she/her/hers) is a dedicated International Grants Professional, writer, and storyteller with a passion for adoptee rights, family preservation, and community services. As a transracial, transnational adoptee from China, she brings a unique perspective to her work. With... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am EDT

Reimagining Intimacy in Adoptee-Centered Relationships

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

Relationships play a major role in shaping our realities and sense of self throughout life. For adoptees who were relinquished, attachment-related trauma can influence many adult relationships. When we layer on options for non-monogamous relationships with friends, family, and partners, it can raise conflicts in self worth, identity values, and question how we embody belonging. Intersectionality provides a framework to better understand our needs as adoptees when navigating all types of relationships. Adoptee led, speakers will share personal experiences in non-monogamous relationships and invite attendees to engage with their own reflections on relationship identity.

Speakers

Mikaela Smith

Mikaela Li Smith (they/them) is a transnational Chinese American Adoptee who grew up in the midwest. After moving across the country and graduating twice in a pandemic, Mikaela has used past challenges and individual experiences to navigate adoption topics through one-on-one conversations... Read More →

Laura X. Williams

Laura X. Williams (she/her+) is a transracial Chinese American Adoptee who is local to Verona, NJ and currently resides in Denver, CO with a nesting partner and two sweet cats! Relationship counseling, sex therapy, addiction counseling, and folklore/cultural sustainability are Laura’s... Read More →

Maze Felix

Maze Felix (they/them) is a kitchen table solo polyamorous, neuroqueer trans non-binary Chinese transracial Adoptee. Maze grew up in midwest Ohio, but in 2022 moved across the country to the west coast and is now a Los Angeles based working actor, model, and American Sign Language... Read More →

Sanjay Pulver

Sanjay is a transnational, transracial, and transgender adoptee. He was born near Hyderabad India, and was brought to the US at 13 months old. Sanjay is an only child to his adopters but has 4 older sisters, one older brother, and a fraternal twin brother biologically. He came out... Read More →

Kurt RuKim

Kurt RuKim He/Him, an educator, dancer, artist, and sex educator, brings his experience as a Korean adoptee and Network of Politicized Adoptees (NPA) steering committee member to co-create inclusive learning environments. Passionate about eradicating shame and ensuring access to accurate... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am EDT

Taking Action: AAPI Heritage Month Organizing*

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

Inspired by the “More Than Enough: Adoptees Leading Asian American Spaces” mainstage and thinking about how you start organizing in your own local community? Join this hands-on workshop to get inspired and take action! Learn from three transracial adoptees who organized AAPI Heritage Month events in Memphis, Cincinnati, and Albany. They’ll share valuable insights, practical tools, and strategies to help you plan an impactful initiative—no matter where you are or how you define community. Bring your idea and leave with a solid plan to bring your vision to life.

This session will also be held on Sunday at 9:45 - 11:00 AM.

Speakers

Rachel Hye Youn Rupright

Rachel is a Korean adoptee and adoptive parent. She lives in Albany, NY with her family, where she administers a small healthcare foundation.

Caitlin Jee Hae Behle

Caitlin is a multidisciplinary storyteller based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Caitlin was born in Korea and grew up in Kentucky as a transnational adoptee, an upbringing that instilled a lifelong curiosity about the connections between people, places, and the systems that shape their lives... Read More →

SunAh Laybourn

SunAh Laybourn, PhD is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Memphis, author of "Out of Place: The Lives of Korean Adoptee Immigrants" (NYU Press 2024), and TedX speaker. Frustrated by her hometown's lack of acknowledgment of their API community and inspired by... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

11:00am EDT

Bringing About a Global Adoption Movement*

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

This lecture is about my journey in discovering that my identity was switched with that of a child who likely passed away at my Korean Adoption Agency, KSS - and how my years long investigation into my and my likely twin’s switch cases led to the creation of the 2024 FRONTLINE / AP documentary “South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning”. Ultimately, my story is about swimming upward from the bottom of an ocean of gaslighting, and working for years to help birth a global level of consciousness about Korean Adoption corruption through the FRONTLINE / AP documentary and related international articles.

This session will also be held on Sunday at 9:45 - 11:00 AM.

Speakers

Rebecca Kimmel

Rebecca Kimmel (born 1975) was adopted through Korea Social Service. Since 2018, she has been investigating her own switch case, and since 2020 she has been investigating her likely twin’s switch case. Rebecca’s investigation into these cases led her to become a contributor to... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

11:00am EDT

Comfort Food: Nourishing Ourselves Inside & Out

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

The mindful act of cooking and preparing food can be a powerful tool to work through intense grief and a beautiful way to connect to one's culture and country of origin. Through this interactive discussion, the Emilys will share how food has helped them in their own paths to healing, as well as hold space for those wishing to use food as medicine in their own journeys. We will nourish ourselves with snacks from around the world and discuss the importance of somatic practices involving food. A short clip from the upcoming documentary, Tasting Heritage, will also be shown.

Speakers

Emily Flynn

Emily Flynn (AKA 양선미, she/her/hers), textile designer and Also-Known-As board member, resides in Brooklyn, NY with her partner, 2 kids and husky, Alkong. She has shared some of her story on a couple of podcasts (including This American Life), and is featured in 2 documentaries... Read More →

Emily Brillon

Emily Brillon (she/her/they) is a transracial and transnational adoptee born in Manila and raised in Massachusetts. Half-Chinese and half-Filipina, she has had a long relationship exploring sustainable food systems and methods. Most recently, she has earned a Community Composting... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

11:00am EDT

No Heirs?

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

What does it mean to have no biological heirs? How do we define our purpose and leave a legacy? Who will take care of us when we’re in need? Speakers will share their personal journeys, choices and circumstances leading to these life questions, as well as dialogue in smaller groups with attendees about being childfree. This is intended to be a brave space centering adoptees without biological children in order to build community and help normalize the childfree experience.

Speakers

Kerry Bondy

Kerry was born in South Korea and adopted to a Midwestern suburb in the US. Her involvement in the Korean adoptee community began in 2001 after her first trip back to Korea on a Motherland tour. Since then, she has participated on adoptee panels, volunteered at and co-facilitated... Read More →

Chris Wodicka

Chris Wodicka (he/him) lives in Philadelphia, PA, where he is pursuing a PhD in social welfare, with a research focus on U.S. tax and social policy. Since 2022, he has served on the board of Hamkae Center (formerly NAKASEC Virginia), a nonprofit organization in Virginia that organizes... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

11:00am EDT

Resilience & Change Through the 5 Bodies

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

In this workshop, we will learn to practice through the 5 Bodies Framework for Collective Belonging as a way to connect with ourselves and one another through life-long growth and change. Being and belonging happens through the body - and not just our own. We are constantly changing, growing and connecting through our physical, emotional, psychological, cultural and spiritual bodies. Through discussion, light facilitation and personal reflection and journaling, we will explore through each part of the framework. This practice helps builds resilience through becoming more aware of how our ongoing growth and change is both unique and deeply interconnected.

Speakers

Mindy Tsonas Choi

Mindy is a somatic artist and cultural organizer who facilitates circles of creativity, collective belonging and care. She believes that art-making is a medium for radical healing, connection, community care and social change, and has worked with organizations such as the Smithsonian... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

11:00am EDT

Workplace Resilience: Adoptee Identity & Navigating Growth

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

We spend a third of our life working. Our ability to hold a job and earn income directly impacts our ability to maintain wellbeing (i.e. access to healthcare, housing, etc). There is an adoptee community concern with job instability, burnout, and unsafe working environments whether it be mental, physical or emotional. We know childhood trauma impacts adult functioning including job stability and mental health.

This session would:
-explore how these traumas inform adult identities and workplace behaviors
-discuss the impact of these identities on mental health
-provide tools to identify unsafe working environments, establish healthier workplace boundaries and self-advocacy

Speakers

Jordan Bayer

Jordan Bayer (She/Her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Oklahoma. Her professional roles have included serving as an embedded therapist in a Public-School setting, acting as the Foster Care Program Director for the state's largest private foster care agency, and fulfilling... Read More →

Stephanie Fieldman

Stephanie Fieldman is a transracial Korean adoptee currently living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is a conference management professional with experience working with both privately held and publicly traded media companies and industry brands across multiple vertical markets. Stephanie... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

2:45pm EDT

BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Storytelling: Navigating Boundaries

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

In BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Storytelling: Navigating Boundaries, a group of Black and brown adoptees will share a story about boundaries. Following storytelling, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in guided reflection and group discussion. Stories and discussion could touch on lacking boundaries, creating boundaries, and learning lessons in our relationships with ourselves, family, friends, adoption, and more.

This adoptee-only session intends to continue expanding the adoptee community by uplifting BIPOC adoptee voices, integrating self reflection, and offering points of connection. We believe storytelling is a powerful tool for self expression, healing, and shared wisdom.

Speakers

Mai Li O'Keefe

Liana Soifer

Lisa MM Butler

Lisa MM Butler is a US domestic transracial adoptee from Wyoming. She is an illustrator, author, advocate, community organizer and library worker. Lisa is a board member of VOICES, a BIPOC Adoptee community organization. Lisa currently lives in the pacific NW.

Trishna Malick

Trishna Malick is a singer, actress, and model in Los Angleles CA. Not only has her singing taken her places she’s never thought, but she’s also an actress and featured in tv and films.Trishna gets to be part of representation for her community. Everytime she picks up a mic to... Read More →

Madelaine Reis

Madelaine Reis, a transracial Puerto Rican adoptee, is the Assistant Director of the BIPOC Disability Collective, where she drives education, leadership development, and skill-building for activists of color. She partnered with BIPOC Adoptees to ensure accessibility at their national... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

2:45pm EDT

Discovering Our Power Through Peer Groups*

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

This panel-style workshop will feature an open dialogue and facilitated conversation around the formation and impact of diverse transracial adoptee peer support groups. Panelists will share insights on organizing their specific groups, offering guidance and lived experiences that highlight the transformative power of connection, healing, and liberation within adoptee communities. This discussion will address key topics such as inclusivity, growth, change, and coalition building, with a focus on fostering a unified and supportive network. Recognizing that many adoptees experience isolation and that groups can sometimes become siloed, this panel aspires to build bridges and promote solidarity across adoptee communities.

This session will also be held on Friday at 12:00 - 1:30 PM.

Speakers

Anna Mae Hee Kiesnowski

Anna (she/her) is a highly sought-after LGBTQIA+ educator, known for creating engaging learning experiences that challenge assumptions and promote a more equitable, safe future. As a licensed clinical social worker, she offers psychotherapy, supportive group processes, and gender-affirming... Read More →

Sunia Won

Sunia Won is a dynamic leader and creative visionary bringing visibility at the intersection of faith, arts, and justice. With over 25 years of experience leading non-profits, she is the founder of OMIJA, fostering courageous conversations and connections for Asian adoptees, and the... Read More →

Megan 고은 Tulius

Based in the Twin Cities, Megan 고은 Tulius facilitates a monthly support group for transracial adopted people. She studied Korean language and literature at the University of Minnesota, and is currently an LMFT graduate student at the University of St. Thomas. Inspired by discussions... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

2:45pm EDT

Finding Home: Navigating Cultural Betrayal Trauma

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

By defining what Cultural Betrayal Trauma (CBTT) is and looks like, adoptees can receive validation, engage in self-reflection of their unique and shared experiences, grieve the pain/loss that comes with (CBTT), and identify and grow a healing community for themselves.
We will create and hold contemplative space for sharing, witnessing, and collective healing through discussion, writing, and connection. We will learn about CBTT on an individual, relational, and community level, and provide pathways for healing in connection with each other.

Speakers

Becky Jenkins

Becky is a Korean American Adoptee and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Chicago, Illinois. Her work with individuals who have experienced trauma has profoundly transformed her work as a practitioner, and her life a human being. Becky enjoys cooking, spending time outdoors... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

2:45pm EDT

NaviGAYting Queer Adoptee Experiences*

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

This session will give attendees an opportunity to meet other LGBTQ+ adoptees and provide a space to talk about navigating the adoptee experience. Once out of the fog, how do we come out as adoptees? How do we manage the co-existence of multiple chosen families? How do we work through internalized racism, and how does that impact our dating preferences? How does our queer identity impact the relationship with our birth countries? How can we challenge heteronormativity and contribute toward building a more inclusive adoptee community? Let’s learn from each other and strengthen our collective voice.

This session will also be held on Friday at 12:00 - 1:30 PM.

Speakers

Jimmy Byrne

Jimmy Byrne (he/him) is a Korean adoptee who grew up in Central New York and currently lives in Chicago. He has served on the boards of KAtCH (Korean Adoptees of Chicago) and Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, and he is currently the Director of Development at a Korean-led immigrant justice... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

2:45pm EDT

Relationship and Movement

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

People with a history of adoption often experience ongoing grief and loss of connection to their biological family. It is not uncommon to experience the impact of relationship disruptions throughout their life. How can one change their relationship to the experience of relationship disruptions? Our lived experiences are stored in our body according to The Body Keeps The Score by van der Kolk. Identifying relationship patterns when engaging others and repatterning the dysfunctional reactions are one of the ways we can make changes in relationships. Embodiment of change via experiential exercise is the essence of Somatic Movement Therapy.

Speakers

Mihyun Lee

Mihyun Lee studied Korean Dance, Counseling Psychology, and Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis. For about 30 years of practicing dance professionally shaped her understanding of the primal nature of the body and its expression. Under the theme of Polarity and Integration, she supports... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

4:15pm EDT

College: Leaving Home, Leaving the Fog?

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

For transnational/-racial adoptees, entering college can be a transformative period. Navigating life outside of the white adoptive family may bring a whole host of possibilities: learning the language of the motherland, studying abroad in one’s birth country, searching for acceptance and solidarity in Asian-American campus organizations, and intellectualizing about adoptee identity with professors. Yet, what do these changes mean for the adoptee? How might they shift the relationship between the adoptee and the adoptive family, between them and other Asian-Americans, and most importantly, between the adoptee and themself?

Speakers

Eryn Feng

Eryn Fēng (they/them) is a Chinese transnational/-racial adoptee born in Fengcheng, Jiangxi. They are a recent graduate of Bryn Mawr College and a Mellon Mays Research Fellow. Their research interests are Critical Adoption Studies, trans theory, queer of color critique, and Asian... Read More →

Zhao Gu Gammage

Zhao Gu Gammage (she/her) is adopted from Gansu Province in northwestern China and recent graduate of Haverford College. She majored in East Asian Languages and Cultures with minors in Chinese language and MENA studies. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and elementary Arabic.

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Highland 1 & 2 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

4:15pm EDT

Digging Deeper: Identity and Community Building*

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Cascade (Lower lobby)

Childhood, dating, marriage, parenthood, and the death of adoptive parents are lifecycle milestones. Participants will explore their evolving relationship to adoption as they moved through each of these stages in life. A.D and Phil will share their personal experiences and utilize creative media prompts for each discussion. We all have voices and experiences worth sharing. This session is for adoptees looking to connect with others on a deeper level around their experiences with the goal of learning from one another. This is a community knowledge building exercise.

This session will also be held on Friday at 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM.

Speakers

A.D. Herzel

A.D. Herzel is a Korean adoptee, artist and educator for over 20 years. She is a mother of bi-racial teenagers, married for 27 years and both her adoptive parents have passed. She served on the Board of Adoptee Hub and shared her community art project Seeds From The East, at IKAA... Read More →

Phil Pellouchoud

My name is Phil Pellouchoud, and I embraced my Korean adoption identity pretty late in life. Living in San Diego with my wife, two kids, and our dog Casper, I’ve been navigating a birth family search with my family’s support. Along the way, I’ve discovered the profound depth... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Cascade (Lower lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

4:15pm EDT

Finding Belonging: Dangers of Incel Culture

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

This session delves into the unique challenges Asian men face regarding identity, masculinity, and belonging, while addressing the harmful impact of red pill and incel ideologies. We’ll discuss how these toxic narratives exploit male insecurity and alienation, and propose healthier, growth-oriented models of intimacy, vulnerability, and community. Through storytelling and dialogue, participants will build deeper connections and foster a sense of belonging rooted in self-acceptance. This session is for Asian adoptees who identify as men, including cis men, trans men, and others who resonate with masculinity.

Speakers

Kurt RuKim

Chris Detrych

Residing in Chicago, Chris Detrych was adopted from Korea to the Detroit area. While attending University of Michigan, he founded an adoptee student group before taking a break from adoptee spaces for a decade. He returned to the scene by volunteering with Korean Adoptees of Chicago... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Highland 4 &5 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session

4:15pm EDT

Language (Re)Learning: Conversations About Identity*

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Highland 3 (Lobby)

Language and identity are inextricably linked. However, language learning experiences for international adoptees might be complicated—how do our language experiences contribute to our sense of identity? When we use our languages do we feel closer to our heritage, or do we feel more distant from our cultures? This two-part session involves hearing about recent research relating to language and identity with international adoptees in Canada, then engaging in discussion about different kinds of language learning experiences, and how they have contributed to our sense of identity. No language learning experience necessary, all adoptees are welcome to share their thoughts.

This session will also be held on Friday at 12:00 - 1:30 PM.

Speakers

Kiana Kishiyama

Kiana Kishiyama is a transracial Chinese adoptee from British Columbia, Canada. She is an aspiring researcher whose research interests include language, race, identity, and international adoption. Her current research focuses on international adoptees' experiences with (re)learning... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Highland 3 (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session

4:15pm EDT

The Adoptee Consciousness Memoir Writing Workshop*

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Ivy (Lobby)

Writing can be an important tool to process the impact of adoption. The Adoptee Consciousness model, developed by Susan Branco, JaeRan Kim, Grace Newton, Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter, and Paula O’Loughlin in 2022, gave adoptees a language and framework to understand the five stages of adoptee awareness: status quo, rupture, dissonance, expansiveness, and forgiveness and activism. Using those “five touchstones within the spiral” as writing prompts, the workshop facilitators will guide participants to write a memoir in poetry and prose of their own adoptee journey of growth and change.

This session will also be held on Sunday at 9:45 - 11:00 AM.

Speakers

Alice Stephens

Born in Korea, Alice Stephens was among the first wave of intercountry, transracial adoptees. Author of the novel, Famous Adopted People (Unnamed Press, 2018), she is also a book reviewer, essayist, short story writer, facilitator of the Adoptee Voices Writing Group, member of the... Read More →

Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello

Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello is the author of Hour of the Ox (University of Pittsburgh Press), winner of the Donald Hall Prize for Poetry. She and E.J. Koh co-translated Yi Won’s The World’s Lightest Motorcycle (Zephyr Press), which received the Grand Prize from the Literature... Read More →

Saturday June 21, 2025 4:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Ivy (Lobby)

Adoptee-Only Session, Repeat Session