21. Jonathan: A Korean Adoptee on Reconnecting With Identity, One Genre at a Time

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Today, Shaosheen is joined by Korean adoptee and writer Jonathan, to talk about growing up as one of the only Asian children in a white Southern New Jersey suburb, and how his writing — from fiction, to poetry, to nonfiction — has mirrored his changing relationship with his own identity.

We talk about the "class clown" persona he built to control how others saw him, a trip back to Korea that changed what he wrote about, and his current work on adoptee representation in horror films.

Follow Jonathan:
Website: https://www.jonathanwittmaier.com
IG: @jonathanwittmaier and @thedesolationsaints

Jonathan's Writing:
https://www.rewritingadoption.com/blog/rewriting-narrative-jonathan-wittmaier

https://www.rewritingadoption.com/blog/circumstantial-evidence

https://www.brawllit.com/2026/jonathan-wittmaier

https://eunoiareview.wordpress.com/2025/09/09/learning-to-be-korean-while-also-not-crying-in-h-mart/

We post new episodes every other Tuesday and you can follow us @notmadeinchinapodcast on Instagram & TikTok