The Backyard Bird Chronicles
Presented in partnership with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, in honor of Leopold Week 2025.
This is a virtual event only. Register and join on Crowdcast here: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/leopold-week2025
Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.
In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.
Amy Tan
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, all New York Times bestsellers. She is also the author of 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, as well as a short story “Rules for Virgins” published as an audiobook. Her work has been translated into 35 la guages, from Spanish, French, and Finnish to Chinese, Arabic, and Hebrew. She has wri ten a memoir, The Opposite of Fate, and a book about writing titled Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir. In keeping with her love of science in the wild and childhood love of doodling, she recently took up nature journal sketching. Her new book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, debuted at #1 on both the New York Times and the Indie bestseller list.