100 Volumes of Children's Poetry: Munhakdongne to Release Commemorative Book and Host Exhibition

Launched in 2008, 4,675 Poems Published
Special Dialogue Featuring Poets Including Yoo Kanghee and Lee An Also Announced

Munhakdongne announced on April 22 that, to mark the publication of the 100th volume in its children's poetry collection series, it will release a commemorative poetry book, hold an exhibition, and organize a special event. Launched in 2008, the Munhakdongne Children's Poetry Collection series has continued for 18 years, bringing together 71 poets and 84 illustrators, and has now reached its 100th volume.

Literature House Poetry Collection 100 Commemorative Collection of Children's Poems 'Noreutnoreut Thinking Different Things'. Literature House

According to Munhakdongne, the series began in 2008 by designating "The Day I Beat My Teacher," already published at the time, as Volume 1. That same November, the series officially took off with the consecutive releases of "Bad Crab," "Street of Flavor," and "Birth of a Cat."

The series was conceived to bring new energy to the field of children's poetry, which had not received as much attention as children's stories at the time. To date, a total of 4,675 poems have been published. Munhakdongne explained that achieving a 100-volume poetry collection in the field of children's literature is an unprecedented accomplishment.

The Munhakdongne Children's Poetry Collection has encompassed established, mid-career, and emerging poets, broadening the base of the children's poetry community. The series has consistently introduced new writers and works that break from the conventions of existing children's poetry, and 46 out of the 100 volumes were debut poetry collections.

In terms of content, the series has addressed topics that have been relatively underrepresented in traditional children's literature, such as surnames "Bad Child," Japanese military "comfort women," the Jeju 4·3 Incident, the Sewol ferry disaster, labor rights issues, and rural depopulation. In terms of form, the series has continued to experiment with various formats, including rap poetry, visual poetry, wordplay poetry, prose poetry, and narrative poetry.

To commemorate the publication of the 100th volume, Munhakdongne will release the poetry collection "Noreutnoreut Ddaensaenggak-eul Guwosseo" on April 28. The book features 68 poems by 68 poets who have participated in the series. Munhakdongne stated that the number "100" captures both the poets' joy and their hopes for the milestone of reaching 100 volumes in the series.

A commemorative event will also be held. On April 25 at 4 p.m., Munhakdongne will host the "Munhakdongne Children's Poetry Collection 100 Publication Commemorative Event" at the Book Cafe Cafe Comma in Yeouido, Seoul. Throughout May, a full exhibition of the series will take place at Seoul Book Repository and Cafe Comma. The summer issue of the quarterly "Munhakdongne" will also feature a special dialogue on children's poetry.

Munhakdongne established the "Munhakdongne Children's Poetry Award" in 2012 as part of its commitment to stable management of the series. A Munhakdongne representative explained that this award has provided new momentum to both aspiring and established poets, further expanding the reach of the children's poetry community.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.