A novelist, poet, and playwright, Sue Ja Joo was born in Seoul, Korea. She emigrated in 1976, living abroad for 23 years in France, Switzerland, and the United States. She returned to Korea in 1998. Holding a B.A. in Fine Arts (Seoul National University) and an M.A. degree from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Sue's literary inspiration comes from her deep roots in aesthetics, religion, and global cultures. In 2013, she became the first recipient of the Insung Park Mini-Fiction Literary Award, which recognizes her achievements in popularizing this genre in Korea. She is at the frontier of a new literary genre, 'Smart Fiction' which hybridizes poetry and short fiction. Sue is currently working as the editor-in-chief of a literary magazine based in Seoul. Sue Ja Joo lives in Korea.