Amy Tan - Writing from Personal Experience

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/07/10/On_Writing_Amy_Tan_in_Conversation_with_Roger_Rosen...

Bestselling author Amy Tan discusses the importance of drawing on personal experiences when creating fictional stories and characters, and explains how her own family experiences have influenced her writing.

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Amy Tan speaks as a part of "Roger Rosenblatt and Friends: On Writing" during the 2008 Chautauqua Institution morning lecture series.

Amy Tan is the author of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter's Daughter, The Opposite of Fate, and Saving Fish from Drowning. She has also written two children's books, The Moon Lady and The Chinese Siamese Cat. The latter became a children's television series for PBS called "Sagwa." Amy is a member of the literary garage band, The Rock Bottom Remainders, for which she sings the Nancy Sinatra classic, "These Boots Are Made for Walking" to raise money for after-school literacy programs for inner city kids. Tan's rendition of the pop culture classic can be heard on the CD Stranger than Fiction, which benefits the PEN Writers Fund.

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[keeblergraham21]

Amy Tan answered it well, but the question was odd and biased. Would that lady have thought to ask someone like Dickens or Hitchcock if they were ever going to build stories around non-white characters? I doubt it.

[thpt]

Great googly moogly, could someone turn off the questioner's mike? mmmhmm mmmhmm....mmhmm mmhmm every 5 seconds ARGH shut up so we can hear her answer!

[intermedia1000]

Awesome Amy Tan

[worldcitizen54]

Amy Tan is not only the best writer ever, she is also very funny! I really enjoy reading her books(sometimes more then once) I hope there will be many more!!!

[psmtheman]

I'm 81, Amy Tan. Come get a piece of this sexy love.

[JoePassIsMyIdol]

I think you're confusing Maxine Hong Kingston (Woman Warrior, a memoir) and Amy Tan (Joy Luck Club, a novel).

Also, I think your anger seems totally unrelated to what Ms. Tan talks about. Have you read any of her writing?

[sxcadzy07]

her work is fiction, if you knew anything about her life or if you in fact read her work then you would know that now wouldn't you?