Redwood Writers: Five Story Killers

Actually there are more than five. But five is manageable. Five is a good jumping-off place to find the other myriad of prose poisons. If you're interested, come join my talk, sponsored by Redwood Writers, on
FIVE THINGS THAT ARE KILLING YOUR STORY
Flamingo Hotel
2777 Fourth Street
Santa Rosa, CA
Sunday May 19 3-5pm

Come Celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Millbrae

1 Library Avenue
Millbrae, CA
Join the fun!

Don't Miss Panel on Publishing, May 8th

Wednesday, May 8th at 6:30, I'm participating in a Panel on Publishing at Southbay Writer's Club. We will discuss the different paths to publication, from traditional houses to self-publishing. It should be a lively and informative event. So, if you have time, stop on by....
Harry's Hofbrau
390 Saratoga Ave
San Jose, CA

Today's Chinese Bicycle

In the village, my brother-in-law offered us the use of his brand new moped.
"Do you have helmets?" I asked.
"I didn't have time to get those," he grinned. "The store was closing."
I cringed.
The next day, he returned home with two helmets.
As my husband put his on, the strap broke.
"Don't worry," my brother-in-law said, "Just return it. They'll give you a new one."
Wow. What trust in this "little" village. One person can buy something, another one return it for a replacement, all with no receipt.
We drove into town with our protective head gear. There was not just one shop, though. There was moped shop after shop after shop.
"The moped is today's bicycle," my husband said. "In fact, I think I paid more for a bicycle."
When we found the right shop, the man looked at the helmet, nodded, and returned, not with a new helmet, but with a new flimsy plastic piece to be fitted on the strap. I guess the image of meandering slowly down the street on a bike extended to the use and construction of helmets as well.

My Half of the Sky Available at Chinese Culture Center, San Francisco

The Chinese Culture Center located in the heart of San Francisco, is an organization that was established in 1965 to preserve and protect Chinese culture. They have classes and lectures and dances. They have art exhibits and a cute book store (which currently sells My Half of the Sky). Interestingly enough they are located inside the Hilton Hotel. So next time you're at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco, stop by, check out this place, and pick up a copy of My Half of the Sky.

Some Things in China Not So Modern

While the infrastructure in China--the roads, the bullet train, the high-rises--was impressive and far more advanced than the U.S, I was often hit by things that felt very old (a la 1950s). Smoking was one. Everywhere we went people smoked. In taxis, restaurants, elevators, rehabilitation rooms. Everywhere we went, people passed out cigarettes as an offering.

Once, to escape the smoke of a group of my husband's friends, I ventured toward greenery--a line of trees, a river. On the steps leading to the river, I spotted this cigarette package. "Smoking when pregnant harms your baby."
"Well,that seems like a step in the right direction," I thought.
But, as it was written in English, I guessed this package had not been sold in China. Singapore, perhaps? But then that was another problem....garbage strewn about from everyone.

Night and Day in Shanghai

Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking about My Half of the Sky at the Loma Prieta Women's Book Club. It was a lively discussion of women, many of whom had come from and traveled to many parts of the world--Japan, Costa Rica, the Amazon, Finland, and of course, China. They agreed that LiHui's story--about where to reconcile tradition with modern times--was universal.
One woman asked if I'd noticed much change in China over the past 27 years. I could only think of  pictures: one that I took when I first got off the boat in Shanghai in 1986....

And one that I took last week ...

Like Night and Day.