Ann Y. K. Choi

Ann Y.K. Choi is a Canadian author and educator who was born in Chung-Ju, South Korea and raised in Toronto, Canada. She is known for her 2016 debut novel, Kay's Lucky Coin Variety^[1], and her 2020 children’s book, Once Upon An Hour.^[2]

Ann Yu-Kyung Choi immigrated to Toronto, Canada from Chung-Ju, South Korea, in 1975 with her family as a child. Choi attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute in Toronto. She earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in English and Sociology with a minor in Anthropology. At George Brown College, she completed her Early Childhood Education diploma while working at a daycare in the early 1990s. She completed her Bachelor of Education at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE/UT).^[3] Choi studied at the Humber School for Writers ^[4] working with David Adams Richards as her mentor and completed the Creative Writing Certificate Program at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies ^[5] working with authors such as Dennis Bock, Alexandra Leggat, and Kelli Deeth. She received the Marina Nemat Award in 2012 for the program’s top final manuscript,^[6] which was later acquired by Phyllis Bruce who then had her own imprint at HarperCollins Canada. In 2016, Choi completed her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing from National University (California) in San Diego, California.

Prior to becoming an author, Choi worked as a content editor for seven years. She left publishing to pursue a career in education and has been with the York Region District School Board for over twenty years. She also teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.

Kay's Lucky Coin Variety was published by Simon & Schuster Canada in May 2016. The story, set in downtown Toronto during the late 1980s, was inspired by Choi's own experience working at and living above her family's variety store. It was the first novel about the recent Korean experience to be published in Canada.^[7] Once Upon An Hour, published by Orca Book Publishers, was released in 2020. Toronto-based artist, Soyeon Kim, was the children’s book’s illustrator. All Things Under the Moon, a historical fiction novel, will be published by Simon & Schuster in September 2025.

Choi’s personal essays, poems, and short fiction have appeared in several anthologies and publications in North America. Her work often explores issues around cultural and social identity, and the need to promote diverse literary voices.

Choi serves on the program advisory committee for gritLIT, Hamilton’s literary festival, mentors emerging writers in a group she founded called Writers in Trees, and has been a long time University of Toronto alumni mentor for students interested in pursuing writing and publishing. She has served as a juror/judge for several literary awards and prizes including the Toronto Book Awards and the Writers Trust Fiction Prize.

Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety, published by Simon & Schuster Canada, was a finalist for the Toronto Book Awards. ^[8] It was also longlisted for the Frank Hegyi Award ^[9](Ottawa Independent Writers) and was a finalist for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize^[10] in the literary fiction category among other literary recognitions.

Once Upon An Hour, published by Orca Book Publishers, made several anticipated book lists including CBC Books and 49th Shelf, and was selected as Picture Book-of-the Month by The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD Kids). In 2022, the TD Summer Reading Club selected it as one of their recommended picture books.

The Korean Canadian Heritage Awards committee recognized Choi for outstanding contributions to Korean culture within Canada. The award was presented to her by then Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Kang Jeong-Sik.

• Author website
• [1]
• [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-ann-yk-chois-kays-lucky-coin-variety-details-the-recent-korean-experience-in-canada/article30252717/

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