Category Archives: Asia

Earth Day: In Celebration of the Little Things?

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Kaitlin Solimine

“God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.” – John Muir Yesterday, in a household effort of spring cleaning, I cleaned out my … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Eco-Conscious | Tagged Made in China, made in the USA, Olympics, Ralph Lauren, small eco choices, Starbucks straws, sustainability | Leave a comment

When the Clock Struck Twelve: Hong Kong, 2001

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Kaitlin Solimine

I have to admit: like many (including the writer of this Atlantic article), I’m not the biggest fan of New Year’s Eve. The celebrations always feel contrived, the parties overwrought. Not to mention that in a globalized world, there’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Route 1A, Smile | Tagged Hong Kong, Lamma Island, Lan Kwai Fong, New Year's Eve, Peninsula Kowloon, The Atlantic | 1 Comment

The Collective: Sergio Scabuzzo

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Kaitlin Solimine

‘The Collective: Interviews’ turns this week to a topic I only recently learned about, but one that is increasingly important, especially given the massively damaging climate events this past week: permaculture. A few months back, I had the pleasure of … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Eco-Conscious, Sleep, Smile, The Collective: Interviews | Tagged An Inconvenient Truth, bee keeping, Bueng-Pai Organic Farm, Emerald Earth, intentional communities, living sustainably, natural building, permaculture, Sergio Scabuzzo, The Greenman Project, Topanga Canyon, Transition movement | 3 Comments

How We Remember

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Kaitlin Solimine

Writing a book is often a long, lonely process. When you finally ‘finish’ (whatever that means), you have this strange amnesia about how much work actually went into it (much like the experience of birthing a child—or so I’m told). … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Route 1A | Tagged Chinese family, Empire of Glass, family narratives, Fulbright scholarship, Kaitlin Solimine, writing about China, writing fiction about China | Leave a comment

The Puffer Fish Packs a Strong Love Punch

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Kaitlin Solimine

I’m often distressed by the way in which Western civilization estranges itself from the nonhuman world. We view nature as something to conquer or to tame, rather than something that is an intrinsic part of ourselves. I am relieved, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Eco-Conscious | Tagged beautiful underwater sand sculpture, David Abram, fish mating rituals, NHK, puffer fish mating ritual, The Spell of the Sensuous, Yoji Ookata | Leave a comment

‘The China Expat in Exile’

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Kaitlin Solimine

Home was always like this, and although it has not improved, still it is not so depressing as I imagine; it is only my mood that has changed, because I am coming back to the country this time with no … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Travel Stories | Tagged Chinese expats, Mark Kitto debate, the China expat in exile, The World of Chinese, writing about China | Leave a comment

When the Waters Rise: ‘Sun Come Up’

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Kaitlin Solimine

A few years ago, I sat on a flight from Australia to the U.S. next to a nun (I’m convinced nuns on planes are good luck, so my fear of flying was temporarily sedated). The nun told me she lived … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Eco-Conscious | Tagged Bougainville Island, Carteret Islands, climate change documentaries, environmental refugees, global warming, Global warming refugees, HBO documentary, Papua New Guinea, Sun Come Up, UN Climate Change Summit | Leave a comment

Why China’s Rise Matters

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Kaitlin Solimine

Before I go on Ad nauseam about the growing (and fraught) presence of China in Africa, I highly suggest reading this report on the widespread annihilation of Africa’s elephants (for the purpose of shipping illegal ivory to China’s shores). This … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Eco-Conscious | Tagged African ivory trade to China, illegal ivory in China, shark fin soup, Shark Savers | Leave a comment

The Collective: Annie Katsura Rollins

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Kaitlin Solimine

‘The Collective: Interviews’ continues this week with the illustrious Annie Katsura Rollins. Annie and I met nearly two decades ago on a flight to Beijing, China. We were students in the same high school study abroad program. We became instant friends, … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, North America, Smile, The Collective: Interviews | Tagged Aly Raisman, Annie Katsura Rollins, Annie Rollins, Chinese shadow puppetry, Fulbright grant, MFA University of Minnesota, Minnesota arts, Shadow puppetry, shadow puppetry bike tour, There's Nothing Left to Tell | 3 Comments

‘American Nurse’ in Guernica Magazine

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Kaitlin Solimine

For those with a hankering for some of my fiction writing, ‘American Nurse,’ an excerpt from my novel, Empire of Glass, is currently featured in Guernica Magazine. Here’s the opener: We called the white woman ‘Nurse’ because when we first … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia | Tagged American Nurse, Andong, Empire of Glass, fiction writing China, Guernica, Kaitlin Solimine writing, Korean war fiction, PLA, Solimine fiction | 1 Comment