Illinois Libraries Present

Slowing Down with Amy Tan

Amy Tan is the daughter of immigrant parents from China, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Best known for her novel The Joy Luck Club, which was adapted into a 1993 film, Tan also has several other popular novels, short story collections, children's books, and a memoir. 

In 2016, Amy began taking nature journaling classes with John Muir Laws.  

During the pandemic shutdown, she spent long hours observing the behavior of wild birds in her backyard. Her editor, Dan Halpern, suggested she turn those pencil sketches, colored portraits and journal notes into an illustrated book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, published in April 2024 by Knopf, which became an instant #1 bestseller. Her drawings were on special exhibition at the Roger Torey Peterson Institute. 

Amy serves on the board of American Bird Conservancy, the National Poetry Series, and The Community of Writers.  She lives with her husband and their dog in California and New York.  

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). You can view them at home on your own device. Please click here to register.