Amy Tan is best known for her novels of Asian American life, such as The Joy Luck Club, the Kitchen God’s Wife, and The Bonesetter’s Daughter. Now she’s written and illustrated a book inspired by her love of birding. The Backyard Bird Chronicles tracks the thoughts and lessons gathered through birding, mixing memoir with Tan’s own sketches of birds. Tan’s calm focus on watching and drawing the wild birds who visit her home makes for a brilliantly composed breath of fresh air. On May 18, 2024, Amy Tan came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk about her book with the teacher who guided her, artist and naturalist John Muir Laws.