Liquid Arts Network offers book festival in Busan

Author Ryan Estrada holds up a copy of "Occulted." Courtesy of Ryan Estrada

The Liquid Arts Network in Busan is hosting its Books & Authors Festival on the afternoon of Dec. 16.

Authors of various kinds of books, from fiction to nonfiction, from zine to comic book, will be on hand at Gorilla Brewing Company’s taphouse near Gwangalli Beach, offering their books for sale and greeting book lovers from 2 p.m. until officially 6 p.m., although Kenneth May, director of Liquid Arts Network, hinted that the ending time may be a little more fluid.

The cover of "Banned Book Club" by Ryan Estrada and Kim Hyun Sook

The event will also feature a number of spoken word and music performances, as well as a one-hour storytelling workshop by Ryan Estrada, the author of dozens of books including “Banned Book Club” and “Occulted.” May noted that Estrada's "Banned Book Club" recently faced a ban of its own from a library in the conservative U.S. state of Kentucky.

Estrada traveled all the way there earlier this month to speak at Daviess County Fiscal Court after the Daviess County Citizens for Decency called for removing the book from the library. The story, set during the authoritarian 1980s-era Chun Doo-hwan regime, has reportedly been inspiring students across the U.S. to create their own banned book clubs in response to censorship issues occurring in the present day.

Other creatives participating in the book fair include illustrator Min the Elephant, American writer Chris Tharp, Irish writer-photographer Niall Ruddy and traveler-adventurer Dennis D. Feeheley.

“Events such as this are important because they serve as reminders to the general public that there are real creators who have poured their blood, sweat and tears into the creations that many people view digitally in their hands,” May said.

Min the Elephant (right) / Courtesy of Min the Elephant

The Liquid Arts Network has been presenting art, supporting artists and connecting communities throughout Korea since its first event on Nov. 11, 2000. Prior to 2019, it was known as Poetry Plus.

Poet Todd Sullivan takes part in a Liquid Arts Network event during Block Party in central Seoul's Itaewon, Oct. 7. Courtesy of Liquid Arts Network

“We originated the single-night presentation of mixed performative arts like poetry, music, film, theater, visual arts, comedy and whatever else in Korea,” May said. “We consider our platform amorphous and cumulative. We are willing to undertake, engage in and present any sort of creative arts event. So, we are always open to collaborations and making new friends and contacts.”

May also claims the network may have come up with the world’s first artistic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2020, the pandemic threat forced them to cancel their March event, and on Feb. 28, they introduced a “Create and Submit Remotely” function, which ultimately resulted in three online events under the title “Empty Venue.”

In September this year, Liquid Arts Network held its first Books & Authors event, inviting former acting Prime Minister of Mongolia Dendeviin Terbishdagva to give a talk. “It turned out to be a wonderful event,” May said. “It blew our minds that the day before he was with former Korean President Moon Jae-in, and then with us the day after.”

Liquid Arts Network director Kenneth May poses with former acting Prime Minister of Mongolia Dendeviin Terbishdagva during a book event in Busan, Oct. 21. Courtesy of Liquid Arts Network

At the event this weekend, entry is free of charge. “Liquid Arts has always been a labor of love,” May said. “Due to visa regulations, all of our events are free and organized by volunteers. There is never a cover charge and the organizers have never made any money off of the enterprise. Matter of fact, they’ve only lost money; however, the experiences, friendships and connections made through our events are priceless!”

Busan Book Swap will also be participating in the event, so all visitors are encouraged to bring along books to exchange.

Visit liquidartsnetwork.com or fb.com/liquidartsnetwork or follow @liquidartsnetwork on Instagram for more information.