Talks & Appearances
I’ve spoken at universities, writer’s workshops, and cultural institutions on topics including Chinese mythology, storytelling across cultures, and the author’s journey.
Talks:
- Cornell University — Cornell Leadership Lunch & Learn: Publishing Your Way as a Change Maker
- Kalamazoo College — Arts Entrepreneurship Class lecture
- SCBWI Michigan — Local workshop on self-publishing
- Kalamazoo Chinese Academy — Cultural celebrations and readings
- Local museums and cultural centers — Author talks and book signings
Interviews:
- Reflections from the Midwestern National Leaders of Color Fellows
- Art Beat: The stories behind the Chinese festivals
- Creative Cafe: Artist Happy Hour – How to Get the Gig! podcast
- Grand Rapids Morning News (FOX 17) on the Lantern Festival celebration
Available for school visits, library programs, and cultural events. Contact me to inquire.
About me
Born in Shanghai, my early childhood was shaped by my grandfather’s vision of improving lives and my grandmother’s love of classical Chinese art and literature. As a kid in China who could have had anything I wanted, the only thing I kept asking for was books. I spent much of my time with my nose in encyclopedias, fairytales (in their original much darker forms), and Journey to the West.
Once I moved to the US (because my mom had to get a PhD in America…), I was cut off from the culture I loved. As the only Chinese kid in my class, my only access to the home I left was through books, so I dove into Jin Yong’s wuxia novels. I read all of them (yes, the whole set), and in that process, honed the solid language foundations I started with.
At the same time, I read English books nonstop too. Early favorites were My Side of the Mountain, White Fang, then The Lord of the Rings, Ender’s Game, Neil Gaiman’s books, and of course Harry Potter (which felt like simple, quick fun compared to everything else I was reading). Then, around the end of middle school, I inherited the book collection of an English major who’d gone off to college. I fell in love with that collection: Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Dune, the Foundation trilogy, to name a few. I often think about the original owner—how he must have felt to come home and learn his mom had given all his books to my dad. I never knew him, but if I were him, I’d have been devastated. If he ever sees this, he can be assured that I’ve truly enjoyed the heck out of his collection, and they expanded my world.
That in-between place—between cultures, between languages, between one person’s lost library and another’s found universe, is where my writing lives.
Though I’ve always wanted to be a writer, my career took a winding path. I earned a BS in Biology from Cornell and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan, then spent a decade on the West Coast working in marketing, design, and communications. Along the way, I learned that storytelling was the thread running through everything—whether translating complex science for public audiences, building brands, or eventually, writing books.
After moving to Michigan, I found myself immersed in the arts and culture nonprofit community. I served as Executive Director of the local Chinese Academy, helping expand its cultural programming and securing a national Walking Together grant for folklife work. I’ve been a grant panelist and now a board member with Arts Midwest, and a coach for Creative West’s Cultural Sustainability Program. Through these roles, I’ve had the privilege of supporting other artists while deepening my own understanding of how culture lives and grows in community.
At the very end of 2025, I made the choice to pivot and focus on writing. I’m still involved with U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, I’m still teaching Chinese and piano (though I only have 2 students, and I’m a way better flutist than pianist). But my creative energy is now directed toward the projects that have been waiting years for my full attention.
My picture book series The First Chinese Festivals brings ancient legends to young readers. A YA fantasy novel rooted in Chinese mythology is nearing completion. I’m also translating foundational Ming dynasty texts while developing a multi-voiced historical novel based on my own family’s remarkably unique history through the Chinese revolution.
I write because I believe stories help us understand where we come from, and imagine where we might go. I’m glad you’re here to share in this journey with me.
