Continuing the Conversation with Amy Tan
Published September 8, 2026
Earlier this week, I had the honor of interviewing award-winning author Amy Tan for my column in The JOLT News. Tan will be appearing at an event hosted by the Washington Center for the Performing Arts on October 7! Click here to learn more details.
My word count with The JOLT is limited, and I didn’t want anyone to miss out on the incredible insights Tan shared with me. That’s what led me to publish the remainder of our conversation below!
Continuing the Conversation
Benton: What continues to motivate you each day in the work that you do?
Tan: “I’ve had a principle since my early adulthood that I have to discover something new every day. I have to notice something new everyday. That means no matter where I go, what I do, or what the day is like, I will be able to fulfill that as long as I pay attention.”
Benton: What are some of your recent discoveries that have inspired you?
Tan: “There’s always endless things I see in nature. There is a particular bird that I have seen multiple times, and lately I have noticed that it is more aggressive to its own kind, but kinder to those of other species.”
“I see things with people. Whenever I am in a social situation, I notice what makes people comfortable, uncomfortable, or liven up. How are they impacted by whatever is going on? Social situations are endlessly fascinating.”
“The light coming out at a different time of day, filtering through buildings or trees. The color of the water on a particular day in the bay. It’s different every single day.”
“There’s also like ‘wow, there is dust on top of this cabinet, it hasn’t been cleaned in months.”
Benton: You seem to lead your life with curiosity and wonderment, just as you describe in your book, and it has become a muscle memory for you. Why do you find a life pursued in this way worthwhile?
Tan: “I think even when I was a child, it came from a kind of loneliness of being misunderstood. I often retreated into my room to escape and think about why I was unhappy, or how I could make my life less unhappy. That led to endless questions to myself, from the time I was a child. Loneliness being a huge part of it. I think you would find that to be true of many fiction writers, that they lived in this world of imagination, asking themselves questions on the origin of stories. ‘Why did that happen? How did this happen?’
[...]
Benton: Earlier, we talked about the author's experiences when they write a story, and how nobody really knows what happened that day that gave the author that revelation. It’s so cool how when you write, you do get to keep part of it for yourself in that way.”
Tan: “It is very personal, and it’s wonderful that we have that outlet, and it means something to us as we write it because we have lived it as we are writing it.”
“It becomes a different book when the reader has it because they interpret it according to their life and what is happening at that moment when they read it. That is what is so wonderful about reading and books: it connects and intersects in unpredictable ways.”
Benton: Is there something about yourself that you do not often share, but that is a fun fact for people to know about you?
Tan: “I wish there were lots of fun facts about me that people do not already know. It seems like there are a lot of good researchers out there who have dug up all these things about me.”
“I’m in a band, I’m in a rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, and I am still playing with these musicians and fellow authors after 30 years.”
“I have had several obsessions in my life, like dogs, for example. I was known 20 years ago for my obsession with dogs. I had a show dog, and it became the #1 Yorkie in the country, and now I have rescue dogs.”
“I was a big skier and competed in races. I’m lucky that I have been able to try many different things in my easy attachment to whatever fascinates me.”
“Here’s one that many people may not know is that I love snakes, and I have gone on expeditions and traveled to places just to see venomous snakes. I’ve been out there with 300 rattlesnakes. It all stems from my childhood and interest in seeing things in nature at ground level.”
Benton: What is it about snakes that fascinates you?
Tan: “Snakes have amazing movement, the way they locomote…you don’t see that with any other creature. It has a mythology that dates back to the Bible. I think that as a result, snakes like me as a child were vastly misunderstood. They have a lot of benefits and are beautiful!”
“Once a person overcomes their fear of snakes and they hold a snake, they feel its musculature and the smoothness of the skin and the details of every single scale. Within these scales are these grooves, and these grooves are where they collect water.”
“Venomous snakes can be dangerous, but you just have to know that they are not there to run after and attack you. If you ignore their warning, they’ll bite, but other than that, they are just wonderful.”
Benton: “I wonder if they are like all of us and how we all, whether we are humans or part of the animal kingdom, want to be treated with respect, and all put out our own signals.”
Tan: “Yes, and we all have fears, and we will all lash out in a way to protect ourselves. We all have instincts as well as boundaries, differing in what we are each comfortable with.”
“Our space together is to be very still. Stillness is a way to see the world.”
[...]
Benton: When I was looking at your website, I saw a discussion of Lyme disease. I myself am a chronic illness survivor. What inspires me about you is that in the midst of chronic illness, you continue to persevere and work each day to make your dreams come true. What would you say to somebody reading this article who might be dealing with a chronic illness?
Tan: “The big thing for me is that I finally knew what was going on with me, and I understand what it’s like not to know what is going on with you. It comes with a lot of mental health symptoms like anxiety, and a lot of people don’t understand that, so you end up feeling very isolated.”
“I think telling people has made me very grateful, and people have felt comforted to see someone who is sympathetic. From that, look at what you can do to keep your life happy. You can find [within your limitations] things you can do.”
“I started watching birds after I had largely recovered from the worst of my symptoms, but I realize now that if anything happened to me where I couldn’t move anymore, I could still look at birds and be happy.”
“I would say to the person that is chronically ill that if you can find something you can do outside in nature, that would be one of the best forms of medicine. In fact, they find that being out in nature for even 10 minutes affects your hormones and stress levels. Your levels of serotonin and dopamine go up. Reading is great; try to bring your book outdoors! Huge difference!”
Benton: Do you have any fun plans for while you are in Olympia, WA?
Tan: “I plan to go birding, and that is one of the things that made me very excited to go to Olympia because it is beautiful there!”
Benton: Is there anything else you would like to share with my readers or me?
Tan: “I’m looking forward to seeing everybody, answering questions on stage, and birding in beautiful Olympia! I lived in McMinnville, OR, in the Northwest for a year, and that is where I met my husband on a blind date! That’s how I know how beautiful it is up there!”
Don’t forget to purchase your tickets to the October 7th event at the Washington Center!