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Episode 163 - Qin Sun Stubis - Writing Inspired by Long-Held Family Lore
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Qin Sun Stubis is a Chinese-American author of the book Once Our Lives: A Memoir of Shanghai, Teahouses, and Three Generations of Family, which tells the story of four generations of Chinese women in Shanghai, China during the Great Famine, navigating war and revolution.
In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Qin about her early life, China’s Cultural Revolution and her love of words and storytelling. Qin explains how the loss of her parents inspired her to write a memoir that brings to life her family’s stories and a fascinating part of China’s history. She also discusses her writing process and the challenges she faced as a first-time author. Qin has received awards for this beautiful book and continues to write essays and short stories.
In this episode, Lynne and Qin discuss:
Growing up in poverty and how that influenced her writing
A mother's influence on her love of words
Early memories of writing – quoting Mao Zedong’s quotations
Attending the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Languages
Being a late-blooming writer
A mission to preserve family stories and reputation
Why history and humanity is the same around the world
First-time author challenges along the publishing journey
The importance of the first sentence and first chapter
Forming a support group for older women writers
Links and Resources:
Find Qin Sun Stubis:
If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other Make Meaning Podcast episodes:
Episode 156 – Blair Fell – Original Storylines & Unique Characters
Episode 149 – Anne-Marie Oomen – Writing through Family
Episode 146 – Barbara Stark-Nemon – Tracing the Path of Historical Fiction
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