Dr. Stephanie Han

Write your story.

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Aloha, I'm Dr. Stephanie Han.

I am an award-winning author and educator. 

My mission: empowering women through narrative. Our lives are governed by men’s writing. For society to change, women must write.

My monthly newsletter Woman. Warrior. Writer. features women authors sharing how they have come to author their lives, and info on classes, writing, creativity, health, and community.

I was featured as “The Divorce Whisperer” on Oprah Daily! Divorce is a feminist issue. Check out BREAK: How to Write Your Divorce Story,  and more resources on my Write Your Divorce Story page. 

About Me

Testimonials

I was initially nervous about participating in Dr. Han’s Intersectionality Workshop, especially since it was my first time working with other writers. However, Dr. Han proved to be an excellent facilitator, and I quickly felt comfortable participating, even among a group of experienced women writers. The feedback from Dr. Han and the group boosted my confidence and deepened my understanding of the craft of storytelling. Being in a space dedicated to surfacing our voices and identities as women, and affirming our right to be seen and heard, was incredibly important to me. This workshop delivered on all fronts. I’ve already signed up for the next session. A bonus that speaks highly of Dr. Han is that many of the women are repeat participants, which adds continuity and fosters trust in our collaborative efforts.
Adele James
Dr. Stephanie Han was a wonderful kick off speaker for our six week summer student training program. She challenged the student to think deeply about their Korean American identity and also gave them greater awareness about how our culture, art and self identity are evolving. She connected with the college students and gave them a foundation to think about the remaining five weeks of professional training.​​
Abraham Kim Council of Korean Americans
I work as a divorce attorney and wanted to gain a better perspective on the experience of women as they face down their divorce, and I feel I gained exactly that. Dr. Stephanie examines the history of writing itself- in terms of its facilitation of business and law, both of which have historically been, and largely still are male dominated. Further, she explores how language, vocabulary, and the process of writing one’s own Divorce Story is a key component to facing adversity and self-actualization in divorce. Keeping the trauma of divorce internally contained and repressed can be too much for any one person to handle, so the process of writing the Divorce Story helps to cope, find peace, and produce a document with actual legal, persuasive power. I highly recommend [Break: Write Your Divorce Story] to anyone contemplating or facing divorce.
Nick ShigeokaHonolulu Family Law
Dr. Stephanie Han’s introductory workshop on how to structure a divorce narrative was liberating! This class was just the encouragement and spark I needed to complete the full story of my marriage and divorce. Her presentation is well organized, offers strategies for crafting a compelling narrative and practical advice. The most impactful element was the image of the writer as a Phoenix rising from the ashes to tell the new story of her new life. I highly recommend this class.
Sharon Yee
I can only say that Dr. Stephanie Han is a godsend! Her encouragement and support allowed me to write through to my freedom. Highly recommend her workshops because not only to improve one’s writing but they are a lot of fun. The classes are set up so that the material is easily understood and l have found my other classmates encouraging as well!!
JoAnn Eden
The layers behind the saying “We are all made of stories” came together for me after taking this one-hour class. With beautiful and compelling images, Stephanie shows how stories we consciously consume and unconsciously internalize shape identities and choices. Through moving personal examples, she makes a compelling case for women and others who have not been preserved in the canon to “write [ourselves] into existence.” Stephanie is a generous teacher, and leads open discussions where participants at any stage in their writing lives feel welcome and heard. After taking this class, I felt inspired and energized.
Patti Kameya
Some teachers teach. Some transform. Stephanie Han is both at their best. Attending her weekly class was the absolute highlight of my week. In that classroom, she drew us into a storied world that she carefully wove together, in which we were all participants and creators. Stephanie’s classes are versatile, lively, transformative, caring, and well-researched. She showed me the power of storytelling, and how to continue discovering stories of others and my own, on paper and in life.
Dr. Jamie WangResearcher, writer and poet
Dr. Han believed in me and my potential for growth, and it’s because of this that I had the motivation to continue challenging myself and learning, in English and all aspects of life.
Haley NakamuraStudent at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stephanie has an incredible mastery of words… She is also an inspired communicator. I was a student in several of her writing workshops and walked away with a new appreciation for the craft.
Catherine ColeCEO at MOTIF, Hong Kong

intersectionality: manuscript workshop 2/6-4/10 1-3PM HST THURS

Intersectionality: Manuscript Workshop

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woman. warrior. writer.

Meet Woman. Warrior. Writer. Brandy Nālani McDougall!

I started compiling the poems that would eventually become ʻĀina Hānau in 2020, a year of tremendous upheaval, fear and vulnerability (to say the least). That upheaval bled into the next year in my life, when I found that I could no longer ignore the toxicity of my marriage and how much I had lost myself in it.  By 2023, when ʻĀina Hānau was released, I had become a single mom caring for two young children mostly on my own, struggling to pay for rent, bills, and food, juggling work and parenting demands, and divorce negotiations were increasingly hostile. I felt so anxious, stressed, and alone, but also (and this is no small feat) proud of myself for having the courage to face it all, to honor my voice, and to stand up for myself. The book is about my journey through birth and motherhood, about raising young Pacific (Hawaiian and Chamoru) girls in American-occupied Hawai’i, but between the lines and stanzas, is also a healing journey of reconnecting with myself beyond motherhood and marriage. It’s about truly being at home (finally!) with myself and by myself while also being a mom.

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Catch Up On My Latest

Embodied Podcast

Embodied: Life After A Gray Divorce (NPR Podcast)

Dr. Stephanie Han talks about how her divorce finally pushed her to sort out her issues with money — and the role that writing a divorce story played in the outcome of her divorce.

The Divorce Whisperer (Oprah Daily)

In virtual writing workshops, Dr. Stephanie Han helps women reclaim what they’ve lost in a soul-draining marriage: their voice.

honolulu noir

Publishers Weekly about this anthology:

“…Another standout is Stephanie Han’s “The Swimmers,” which features a father in the midst of a bitter divorce who contemplates an act of shocking violence” Honolulu Noir available now!

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