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Jennifer Lee

LeeJennifer Lee graduated from UCI in 2010 with a degree in Literary Journalism. She spent summer 2008 in Spain studying painting and Art History while indulging in Nutella gelato. At UC Irvine, she was a copy editor for The New University and played club volleyball. Although her journalism future remains unknown, she hopes to one day be able to fill a room with quirky finds and used books collected from vintage shops around the world. Jennifer would like to thank Barry Siegel and Erika Hayasaki for always keeping their doors open.



The story behind the story of "Mr. & Mrs. Lap":
I have always been interested in the Vietnamese refugee experience from listening to the stories my grandma used to tell me. I jumped at the opportunity to tell that kind of story in Barry Siegel’s “Art of Reconstruction” workshop. For this piece, books about the Vietnam War littered my floor; Post-Its of important events and phonetically spelled Vietnamese words became my new wallpaper; timelines and maps used to trace Mr. and Mrs. Lap’s separate passages wrestled their way into every notebook I owned. But then again, I would be lying if I said I didn’t love the process of turning the mess into a story.

The story behind the story of "Janie and Roberta": I found a short article in the OC Register about a woman whose home had burned down. The article listed a phone number because she was looking to find a new home for her dog. I cold- called that number, not knowing that I would be present for Janie’s final days. Janie and Roberta shared with me some of the most heartbreaking moments of their lives, but I feel so fortunate that they also let me in on the many good ones.