Ann Y. K. Choi

Ann Y.K. Choi
Born
Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea
CitizenshipCanadian
OccupationsAuthor and educator
Years active2010–present
Notable workKay's Lucky Coin Variety

Once Upon An Hour

All Things Under the Moon
Websiteannykchoi.com

Ann Y.K. Choi is a Korean-Canadian author and educator who was born in Chungju, South Korea, and raised in Toronto, Canada. She is known for her 2016 debut novel Kay's Lucky Coin Variety,[1] her 2020 children's book Once Upon An Hour,[2] and her 2025 novel All Things Under the Moon.[3]

Early life and education

Ann Yu-Kyung Choi immigrated with her family as a child to Toronto, Canada, from Chungju, South Korea, in 1975.[4][5][6] Choi attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute in Toronto.

She earned a dual degree in English and sociology from the University of Toronto.[7][8] At George Brown College, she completed an early childhood education diploma while working at a daycare in the early 1990s. She also studied education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.[8]

Choi studied at the Humber School for Writers, working with David Adams Richards.[9] She also completed the creative writing certificate program at the University of Toronto.[10] She received the Marina Nemat Award in 2012 for the program’s top final manuscript,[10] which was later acquired by Phyllis Bruce at Simon & Schuster Canada.[11] In 2016, Choi completed her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from National University in San Diego, California.[10]

Career

Prior to becoming an author, Choi worked as a content editor for seven years. She left publishing to pursue a career in education and has been with the York Region District School Board for over nineteen years.[12] She also teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.[13]

Kay's Lucky Coin Variety was published by Simon & Schuster Canada in May 2016.[14] The story, set in downtown Toronto during the late 1980s, was inspired by Choi's own experience working at and living above her family's variety store.[15] It was the first novel about the recent Korean experience in Canada.[16]

Once Upon An Hour, published by Orca Book Publishers, was released in 2020. Toronto-based artist Soyeon Kim was the book’s illustrator.[17] All Things Under the Moon, a historical fiction novel, was published by Simon & Schuster in September 2025.[18]

Choi serves on the program advisory committee for gritLIT, Hamilton's literary festival and has been a University of Toronto alumni mentor for students interested in writing professionally.[13][7] She has served as a juror for several literary awards and prizes including the Toronto Book Awards and the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.[19][20]

Choi also mentors a group of young writers which she founded, called Writers in Trees.[13][21] The group published an anthology, Forest Floor, in 2025.[22]

Awards and recognition

Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety was a finalist for the Toronto Book Awards.[23] It was also longlisted for the Frank Hegyi Award for Emerging Authors[1] and was a finalist for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize in the literary fiction category.[24]

Once Upon An Hour was selected as Book-of-the Month by the Festival of Literary Diversity.[25] In 2022, the TD Summer Reading Club selected it as one of their recommended picture books.[26]

The Korean Canadian Heritage Award Committee recognized Choi for outstanding contributions to Korean culture within Canada. The award was presented to her by then-Consul General of South Korea, Kang Jeong-Sik.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kay's Lucky Coin Variety". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Once Upon An Hour". Orca Book Publishers. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  3. ↑ "All Things Under the Moon". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Ann Yu-Kyung Choi". The Writers' Union of Canada. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  5. ↑ "Ann Y. K. Choi". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  6. ↑ Rogers, Shelagh (2016-05-02). "Ann Y. K. Choi on growing up behind the counter of her family's convenience store". CBC Radio.
  7. 1 2 Geringas, Eric (2019-03-29). "From high school teacher to novelist: A&S alumna shares literary industry experience". Faculty of Arts & Science | University of Toronto. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  8. 1 2 Spence, Arielle (2017-12-15). "Hold Fast To Your Dreams: In Conversation with Ann Y.K. Choi". ROOM Magazine. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  9. ↑ Stricker, Laura (October 20, 2016). "10 Kickass Authors who've Worked with The Humber School For Writers". Humber Today. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26.
  10. 1 2 3 "Ann Y. K. Choi". Writers' Trust of Canada. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Blog Tour: Q and A with Ann Y. K. Choi". Worn Pages and Ink. 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  12. 1 2 "About Ann Y.K. Choi". The Authors Book Club. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  13. 1 2 3 "Ann Y.K. Choi". School of Continuing Studies - University of Toronto. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  14. ↑ "Kay's Lucky Coin Variety ebook by Ann Y. K. Choi". Simon & Schuster Canada. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  15. ↑ Van Koeverden, Jane (2017-04-10). "Ann Y.K. Choi on telling Korean-Canadian stories". CBC Books.
  16. ↑ Clare, Kerry (2016-06-03). "Review: Ann Y.K. Choi's Kay's Lucky Coin Variety details the recent Korean experience in Canada". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Once Upon an Hour". Orca Book Publishers. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  18. ↑ Manley, Alison (2025-10-04). "All Things Under the Moon by Ann Y.K. Choi". The Miramichi Reader. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  19. ↑ "Sarah Polley wins Toronto Book Award for Run Towards the Danger". City of Toronto. 2022-11-17.
  20. ↑ Balser, Erin (2018-08-21). "Ann Y. K. Choi, Mireille Silcoff and Robert Wiersema to judge 2018 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize". CBC Books.
  21. ↑ Choi, Ann Y.K. (May 2024). "About". Writers in Trees. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Our first anthology project!". Writers In Trees. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  23. ↑ "Toronto Book Awards 2016 shortlist announced". Toronto Star. August 25, 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  24. ↑ McElhinney, Sinead (2017-05-01). "Third Annual Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Shortlist Announced". www.kobo.com. pp. Kobo Books Blog. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  25. ↑ "FOLD Kids' 2020 Gift Guide". The FOLD. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  26. ↑ "Summer Reading Club 2022- Picture Books". Cambridge Public Library. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
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