The Healing Season of Pottery - by Yeon Somin (Paperback)

About the Book

"Yeon Somin's English-language debut about the art of making things by hand in a fast-paced world and the healing power of finding community"--

Book Synopsis

This cozy Korean bestseller invites readers into a warm, sunlit pottery studio where a burned-out young TV broadcast writer begins to heal, working the clay, piece by piece, season by season.

After breaking down at the office and abruptly quitting her job, thirty-year-old Jungmin holes up in her apartment, speaking to no one for days on end. When she finally emerges, she stumbles upon a pottery studio in her neighborhood and is invited in by the mysterious workshop teacher. The smell of clay, the light filtering through the plant filled windows, the friendly cat, and the incredible coffee the students drink awaken her senses and make her feel alive and inspired for the first time in months.

As the seasons change, Jungmin slowly returns to herself and builds a new community with the other members of the studio, who are all working through their own pasts at the pottery wheel. When the holidays approach and snow piles up on the studio windowsill, Jungmin realizes how much she has changed--with her hands busy and her mind clear, she may be ready to face the memories she's been running from and open her heart.

For fans of What You Are Looking For Is in the Library and Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, Yeon's charming English-language debut is a testament to the joy of slowing down in a fast-paced world, and an homage to the art of ceramics and the power of friendship. Readers won't want to leave the enchanting world of The Healing Season of Pottery after the final page.

Review Quotes

"The Healing Season of Pottery is a strong reminder to get past the 'winter seasons' in our lives, to find an activity that will stave off inertia, and to discover balance in life."--Epoch Times

"Promises sigh-inducing comfort...[an] exquisite, winsome Korean import, warmly translated by Clare Richards. Work burnout, new directions, new friends, new love, and, most important, a cat--that's all here, thrown together with the creation of pottery...Yeon's author's note reveals autobiographical overlaps, turning the novel into an even more intimate gift."--Booklist, *STARRED REVIEW*

"A charming and poignant novel about the power of friendship, community and hobbies that teach us to slow down and reconnect." --Libby Page, author of the international bestseller, Mornings with Rosemary

"It's been a long time since I've read such a lovely book. I was awestruck by the prowess with which Yeon guides her characters' stories, step by step, towards hope, never dragging them down into the abyss. It felt like she was guiding me by the hand under the balmy rays of the sun. I found myself wanting to follow her lead and mold a beautiful heart to gift to those I hold most dear. Reading her novel, I felt a warmth and joy, as if I, too, had spent four seasons in Soyo Workshop."--Baek Sehee, author of the international bestseller, I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki

"Like clay to the wheel, I was 'thrown' right into Yeon Somin's charming and utterly moving novel of finding love, meaning, and peace through pottery. Reader, I hope you find these pages as healing as I have."--Patricia Park, author of the novels Re Jane, Imposter Syndrome & Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim, and What's Eating Jackie Oh?

About the Author

Yeon Somin is a rising literary talent in Korea who has made her mark in both literary and television writing. She has received multiple accolades for her writing since her career as a novelist took off in 2022, when she received the prestigious Korea New Writer's Award for her debut work Lazy Kinko. Yeon is an active contributor to the Brunch writing community and has worked as a freelance television writer for major networks including SBS, MBC, and YTN. During her free time, she finds solace in the art of pottery. Healing Season of Pottery is her second novel.

Clare Richards is an award-winning translator from Korean, of works by Kang Hwagil, Park Min-jung, and BTS, among others.