Joon Ae Haworth-Kaufka (she/they) is a Korean adoptee who was born in Seoul and grew up outside of Detroit. Her work has appeared in The Portland Review, Mid-American Review, Poets & Writers, Colorado Review, Kartika, among others. She is a Tin House scholar, community organizer for racial and economic justice, and an adoptee rights advocate who seeks to reclaim the adoption narrative for adoptees, decentering adoptive parents and the multi-billion dollar adoption industrial complex. "Departure" is a story from her novel-in-progress. She lives in controlled chaos in Portland, OR with her partner, three kids, three dogs, and two cats.
Joon Ae Haworth-Kaufka
DECEMBER FICTION: DEPARTURE
Joon Ae Haworth-Kaufka - December 20, 2021
"...the inimitable scent of your first mother, a chemistry you were born to understand..."
The adoption agency called your parents in the middle of the night in January. A baby belonging to another family was supposed to fly to the United States but had gotten sick. They put you on the plane instead.