Interview with Chris Kohrs (7/7/2015)

HalfKorean.com Interview: Chris Kohrs

Chris Kohrs

Ever have dreams of being famous? Or avoid social media like the plague? Here are the days of being instafamous and everyone knows nothing is real unless it’s Facebook Official. For better or for worse, the Internet can make you famous from a single viral photo or video.

Back in June 2014, you could not miss the “Hot Felon” mugshot that was plastered online and all over television. Within a few weeks, a new face surfaced: pictures of a San Francisco police officer working in the famed Castro District who would eventually become known around the world as the “Hot Cop of Castro.”

It has been nearly a year since he became the “Hot Cop of Castro” but there is no mistaking that Officer Chris Kohrs still has a dedicated fan base that continues to support him. Even with all of the new-found fame and following, the seven year veteran of the SFPD has remained just as dedicated to serving his city and community.

With the seemingly never ending bad publicity that law enforcement has endured in recent years, it was interesting to talk with Officer Kohrs and get his take on different aspects of the life of a police officer these days.

HalfKorean.com was able to discuss Chris’s personal background, law enforcement and his take on being the “Hot Cop of Castro.”

Direct link here

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HalfKorean.com Spotlight: Joel Peterson / Dreams of My Mothers

Dreams of My Mothers is the recently published debut novel by biracial Korean adoptee Joel Peterson.

Based on Joel’s own true story, Dreams of My Mothers tells the story of “a biracial, impoverished boy who, through the transcendent love of his mothers, rises above questions of identity, race, physical limitations, and prejudice to become a unique American success story.

Joel’s fascinating story has translated to quite a success as Dreams of My Mothers has already garnered consideration for numerous literary awards and critical recognition. Just a few of the awards and recognition already received by Joel for Dreams of My Mothers include: 2015 Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner, 2015 First Horizon Awards Finalist, 2015 Beverly Hills Book Awards Finalist and 2015 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist.

HalfKorean.com was able to discuss Joel’s background and his novel Dreams of My Mothers.

Please check out the Spotlight here:

HalfKorean.com Spotlight: Joel Peterson / Dreams of My Mothers

Joel Peterson / Dreams of My Mothers
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Victoria Namkung’s “The Things We Tell Ourselves”

The Things We Tell Ourselves is the debut novel by Los Angeles-based writer and author Victoria Namkung that is set for release on July 21, 2015.

An interesting note regarding the protagonist of The Things We Tell Ourselves is that she is Korean on her father’s side which is the same as Victoria’s Korean background.

Here is the Press Release for “The Things We Tell Ourselves” (courtesy Standard Time Press):

The Things We Tell Ourselves is a literary examination of the damage that one generation can inflict on the next and the compromises we make between our ideals and life’s realities, between what we desire and doing the right thing.

Twenty-two-year-old Georgina Park dreams of being a hard-hitting journalist, but to pay the bills she’s covering the red carpet for a celebrity magazine. Her world is turned upside down when a chance meeting with Simon Grant, an Australian TV reporter who is 20 years her senior—and married—leads to an intense, sexually charged relationship that continues even after he returns home to Sydney.

But when some compromising photos from Georgina’s past come back to haunt her years later, it appears Simon is to blame. Now a prolific newspaper columnist and college instructor, Georgina must use her investigative reporting skills to save herself—and revisit the affair that started it all.

Set in Los Angeles, The Things We Tell Ourselves takes readers from the klieg lights of Hollywood to the dark corners of the Internet, exploring love, marriage and technology along the way. At its heart, the novel is a literary examination of the damage one generation can inflict on the next and the compromises we make between our ideals and life’s realities, between what we desire and doing the right thing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victoria Namkung has written extensively for the Los Angeles Times, InStyle, USA Today and The Huffington Post, among other publications. She received her master’s degree in Asian American Studies from UCLA and appears on Mike Epps’ AOL Originals series, That’s Racist. She lives in Los Angeles. Learn more at victorianamkung.com.

LOCAL AUTHOR EVENTS
Fiorentini+Baker will be hosting the book launch party on Thursday, July 23, 2015, at 7pm (1504 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291). There will be a reading, discussion and book signing on Friday, July 31, 2015, at 7pm, at Book Soup (8818 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069). An Orange County event is TBA.

Links:
Official Site
Official Facebook
Official Twitter
Amazon Author Page

The Things We Tell Ourselves

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HalfKorean.com Spotlight: Nathan Kohrs / CHALLENGERxUSA

Nathan Kohrs is president of San Francisco-based performance dress sock company CHALLENGERxUSA.

CHALLENGERxUSA is a relatively newer apparel brand that features performance infused dress socks for the dapper athlete and active professional.

Nathan himself is a former college football player who has been involved with the apparel industry since his college days in the late 1990s.

HalfKorean.com was able to discuss Nathan’s background and CHALLENGERxUSA.

Please check out the Spotlight here:

HalfKorean.com Spotlight: Nathan Kohrs / CHALLENGERxUSA

Nathan Kohrs / CHALLENGERxUSA
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HalfKorean.com Spotlight: Kristina Choe Jacinth / Shinbyeong (신병)

Kristina Choe Jacinth is a Los Angeles-based Korean-American portrait and fine art photographer who has started an intriguing photo series project titled Shinbyeong (신병).

Shinbyeong (신병):
Shinbyeong (신병), or “Self-Loss” is a Korean shamanistic tradition of being possessed by a higher power. Characterized by hallucinations and a loss of appetite, the possessed cannot be cured by medicine but by fully embracing that which possesses her.

Shamans in Korea were both male and female, but they were prominently the latter. This series focuses on Korean-American women who identify with both cultures and heritages. The subject sits in a classical, Western-style portrait. Collaged on top of her image are Korean objects, particularly Korean food, which are representative of that side of her cultural upbringing.

Each image is titled with a Confucian proverb. Korea has a rich history attached to various belief systems, including shamanism and Confucianism. Koreans are subconsciously tied to these traditions and ways of being, such as thinking collectively as a society as opposed to thinking with the American “I.” Many superstitions also exists within the Korean culture – an attribute which strongly clashes with the American approach of rationalizing the unknown with logic and reason. These conflicting cultural traits, among many others, are what create shinbyeong for each of my Korean-American subjects.

HalfKorean.com was able to discuss Kristina’s background and her photo project Shinbyeong (신병).

Please check out the Spotlight here:

HalfKorean.com Spotlight: Kristina Choe Jacinth / Shinbyeong (신병)

Kristina Choe Jacinth / Shinbyeong (신병)
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