Amy Tan wrote the introduction to John Muir Laws' next book (due out in 2020), and she will be sharing that with our conference audience. Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother’s expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist.  She chose to write fiction instead.  Her novels are  The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter's Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement (2013), all New York Timesbestsellers. She is also the author of a memoir, The Opposite of Fate, two children’s books, The Moon Lady and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat and numerous articles for magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper’s Bazaar, and National Geographic.  She is also the author of the short story “Rules for Virgins” published in e-book format (Byliner Original).  Her work has been translated into 35 languages, from Spanish, French, and Finnish to Chinese, Arabic, and Hebrew.  Amy Tan's most recent book is a memoir about writing titled Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir. Amy is also an avid nature journaler and artist. See her web site for some examples of her drawings.