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
Her column for the Santa Monica Star
Links and Resources:
Chinese Cultural Revolution
Thomas Hardy
Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Louisa May Alcott
Bessie Streeter Aldrich
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby
Nonfiction Author Association
Miami Book Fair
PenCraft Book Awards
Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes
Find Qin Sun Stubis:
Website
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
Episode 139 – Desiree Cooper – Being “Genre Agnostic”
Episode 131 – Weina Dai Randel – The Last Rose of Shanghai
Episode 24 – Inner Voice
Episode 23 – Crazy Whole Life
Episode 22 – Suicide Prevention Through Yoga & Community
Episode 21 – All About Pie
Episode 20 – In & On the Water
Episode 19 – Defy & Hustle
Episode 18 – Shady Ladies & Detroit Hustle
Episode 17 – Telling Stories That Matter
Episode 16 – Burners Without Borders
Episode 15 – Passion for City & Soccer
Episode 14 – An Artful Path
Episode 13 – Teen Voices
Episode 12 – Finding Purpose in Community
Episode 11 - Building Up Women in the Middle
Episode 10 – Believing in Youth
Episode 9 – Creating Effective Classrooms
Episode 8 – Deeply Committed to Detroit
Episode 7 – Relationship-Based Legal Leadership
Episode 6 – Protecting the Great Lakes
Episode 5 – The Spirited Entrepreneur
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