Hannah Michell
Picador Guest Professor in the winter semester of 2025/26
Hannah Michell was born in England and raised in Seoul. Her first novel, The Defections, was published in France and the UK in 2014 to wide acclaim. Her second novel, Excavations (One World, 2023), was named one of the best crime novels of 2023 by LitHub and one of the top ten mysteries of 2023 by Publishers Weekly. Michell has also published on the intersection of South Korea and popular culture. She has taught at Stanford, the Dominican University of California and UC Berkeley.
As a Picador Professor Hannah Michell teaches two seminars that center on storytelling, identity, and cultural representation.
Her creative writing course begins with the premise that characters are embodied beings, shaped by their relationships, communities, and personal as well as national histories. Students discover how voice, point of view, setting, dialogue, and plot emerge from this foundation. Through close readings of exemplary works, the class analyzes the techniques of accomplished authors, while encouraging students to draw on their own observations to inspire and inform their writing.
Her graduate seminar (Reframing the Frame: Asian/American Representations in Film and Media) examines how Asians and Asian Americans have been represented in U.S. film and media—from early Hollywood to contemporary digital platforms. Students engage critically with these portrayals and explore how Asian American creators have challenged and redefined dominant narratives.
Upcoming Event in Berlin
Don’t miss the chance to experience Hannah Michell live:
On December 13, Hannah Michell will be part of Berlin’s “Frohes Festival” by Holtzbrinck Berlin at silent green. Together with writer Lin Hierse, she will join the panel “Through mothers’ eyes: Feminist Waves in East Asia”, exploring questions of self-determination, tradition, and transformation in Korea, China, and beyond—touching on how family, belonging, and new beginnings are intertwined. Their conversation is just one highlight in a diverse festival program featuring many more inspiring events and voices.
Check out the full Frohes Festival program for even more exciting events and perspectives. https://frohes-festival.de/
Leipzig: Recap of «Speak. Risk. Move.»
What breaks first when courage meets fear? How can resistance live quietly, and still be heard? PicadorProf Hannah Michell and host of the evening Senthuran Varatharajah explored the small, invisible acts of protest and moments that challenged everything on November 25 at GfZK Leipzig.
In just one hour and a packed room with a curious audience, we explored the gaps between self and other, raised questions about writing, and examined the connections between political awakening, trauma, and families. We learned that we can find ourselves in the most absurd characters and that there will always be hope and light in darker times if we find ways of collective disobedience.
