Six Questions with Korena Di Roma Howley

Korena Di Roma Howley grew up in Asia and the United States and always had plenty of books in tow while traveling around the Pacific. Her debut picture book, Sarang Saves the School, illustrated by Joowon Oh, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and is out now from Candlewick Press. Her second picture book, A Hanbok for Hana, also with Candlewick and illustrated by Jaime Kim, will be published in 2026. She lives in Virginia with her husband and son. Visit her at www.korenahowley.com and follow her on Instagram and Bluesky. 

1. Do you ever struggle to come up with your next project? Or do you have lots of ideas and find it a challenge to narrow down your ideas? 

I have a lot of ideas—the struggle comes from deciding which ones to pursue. Writing time can be hard to come by, and I have a tendency to get lost in research, so I’m always conscious of entering a stage that, while necessary and gratifying, is also one in which no actual writing takes place. If an idea leads right into writing—if it begins to form itself into a story before I’ve even had a chance to blur the line between research and procrastination—then I can happily indulge in what-ifs and rabbit holes knowing I have something on the page. 

2. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time?

Yes, definitely. There might be one project that has more of my attention than others, but I like to have several active at once, because it allows me to channel my creative energy elsewhere if I need to take a break from a manuscript. Also, what I’m excited to work on might depend on my mood, the season, or whatever I’ve been inspired by lately, so new projects are always getting introduced into the mix.     

3. When you’re not writing/illustrating, what are your favorite things to do? 

I love to travel—getting a peek into lives unfolding elsewhere, into other ways of being on this planet. I grew up in a bicultural family, and I’ve lived in quite a few places, which may have contributed to this endless curiosity. I also find that a change of scenery and a break from routine are essential for recharging emotionally and creatively. There’s nothing like simply being in the world. These days, I particularly love traveling with my family and introducing my son to favorite places or experiencing new ones together for the first time. 

4. Where did you get the idea for Sarang Saves the School? What was your inspiration?

I was inspired by an article I read in the New York Times about Korean grandmothers who enrolled as first and second graders for the first time when declining student numbers put the local elementary school at risk of closing. I remember being incredibly moved by this story, by these women who had achieved something they’d long believed was out of reach. The situation highlights how societal change has opened up opportunities for girls and women while also shifting them away from large families and rural life. Schools, even in cities, have continued to face closure since the article was published in 2019, but this story, in which everyone benefits from the solution, feels inherently hopeful. 

5. Was this always the title for this project?

I think Sarang Saves the School has been the title from the very first draft. I remember looking up Korean given names with at least one syllable beginning with “s”—which had poetic motivations but also helped to narrow down the choices. In Korean, sarang means “love,” and I thought the dual meaning perfectly suited the story. It’s a native Korean name, meaning it comes from a word in the Korean language, whereas many traditional Korean given names are Sino-Korean, or derived from Chinese characters. Native Korean names aren’t common, but they’re more popular among younger generations, so it also felt particularly fitting for a character whose modern experience of childhood differs so greatly from her grandmother’s. 

6. If you read this book to a room filled with kids, what message would you want them to leave with? 

I’d want them to leave with a sense of possibility, whether for themselves or for the people around them. As humans, we never stop being dynamic. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve had a lifetime of experiences, you’ll have dreams and ideas, and those dreams and ideas merit consideration. Sarang and Halmeoni also show that even as we realize our individual promise, we all have something to offer each other.