Two Essays

At the Narrative Night in San Francisco in March 2008, Amy read an essay about the literal and figurative contents of her closet, and then she gave a talk about the nature of coincidence. Narrative editor Carol Edgarian talked that evening about Amy’s first publication: “Weeks before The Joy Luck Club came out, all eyes were focused on Tiananmen Square, and the world was hungry for stories from China, stories about the people there. The Joy Luck Club came out to great acclaim and affection. I think about that story when people ask, What’s the relationship between literature and world events? The writer was there ahead of the world. And that was a great moment when the world caught up, and there was a perfect synchronicity.”

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