Amy Tan

The Amy Tan keynotes explore her career as a writer and discuss the process of developing a novel. Amy Tan is an internationally acclaimed American author who is best known for her debut novel, The Joy Luck Club.

Tan has been surrounded by death at an early age. Her father, a Baptist minister, and older brother both died of brain tumors six months apart. Tan's mother was convinced that it was the angry ghost of her mother, Amy Tan's grandmother, and believed that the author was the next next victim. Tan believes in "discarding all beliefs and starting all over again," which is what makes her work so powerful.

Growing up in a Chinese family, her parents expected her to become a doctor and a concert pianist, but her dream was to become an artist. The Joy Luck Club author graduated with a double major in English and Linguistics and subsequently earned her Master's at the same school, San Jose State University. She later completed her Doctorate in Linguistics Studies at UC Berkeley.The Amy Tan keynotes are engaging, fascinating and very endearing.