City Arts & Lectures presents
Amy Tan
in conversation with John Muir Laws
Saturday, May 18, 2024

Amy Tan brings her beloved literary voice and remarkable drawing talents to birding. Along with environmentalist and artist John Muir Laws, Tan will discuss the peace and wisdom found through gentle observation.

“I think we often write because we feel loneliness, and people read for the same reason, and then they come away feeling a little less lonely.” – Amy Tan

Overwhelmed by hatred, misinformation and an ever more divided world, awardwinning author Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter’s Daughter) turned to the birds in her yard. 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. Tan’s other books include The Kitchen God’s Wife and the memoir The Opposite of Faith

A principal innovator in the global nature journaling movement, John Muir Laws is an awardwinning naturalist, artist, scientist, educator, and the author and illustrator of several books including The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling (also available in Spanish), The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds, and The Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada. He is cofounder and president of the Wild Wonder Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to encouraging nature connection and conservation through attention, curiosity, art, science, and community. Learn more about John Muir Laws here: https://johnmuirlaws.com/

Please pick up a copy of The Backyard Bird Chronicles at Books, Inc. (or your favorite local bookstore): https://www.booksinc.net/book/9780593...

Photo by Kim Newmoney