About Of Hedgehogs & Hope

Welcome to Of Hedgehogs and Hope — A Memoir Blog about one of the strangest childhoods ever lived, and much more.
My name is Mi Ae Lipe. I was born in South Korea, adopted by brilliant American parents as an infant, and raised to be a childhood art prodigy in the San Francisco Bay Area. That’s where my story begins, and what a strange, traumatic, and wondrous story it is—a testament to the human experience in all its cruelty, resilience, and hope.

Although my story is uniquely my own, the experiences of my family are all ours to know. Chances are you’ll recognize many bits of what I relate and explore. In sharing my story, I hope that it offers glimpses into what it means to not just survive but to emerge with grace and compassion, scars and all, and that we are not alone in our reluctant reconciliations with family and ourselves.

Although this blog is mostly about my memoirs of childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, it’s also a place to share lots of fun things—my poems, artwork, observations about the odd and esoteric, random thoughts on modern life, and morsels of pure silliness.

Thanks for coming along on this journey.

Mi Ae Lipe

About the Author, Mi Ae Lipe

My name is Mi Ae Lipe. I’m a freelance editor, writer, and graphic designer living in Seattle. I make my living helping authors seeking to self-publish nonfiction books, but I also moonlight as a cookbook author and a citizen traffic safety advocate.
Intense creativity is a vital part of my being. It showed up early, and I was lucky enough to have parents who went all in to nurture it. I started out as an artist, with my first public art show in Mountain View, California, when I was seven. Soon I was doing commissions for people around the world, and I nationally published coloring books of drawings I did when I was nine and thirteen.

Since then, my interests have sprawled all over the place—art, fashion, architecture, automotive design, transportation, food, horticulture, nature, travel, books, and writing, to name a few. I’ve made no effort to contain them. Creativity and passion often make for an overflowing life, but their rewards are priceless.

In my half-century of existence as of 2020, it feels like I’ve lived several lifetimes. I look forward to exploring just a few more.

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