Michelle, I loved the exchange with your father! And how you related the slight panic of everything that was going on in your head 😆—and then the acceptance of just letting the people we love be who they are ❤️
(late to the game here, but finally read this one and loved every ounce of it. michelle you have such a way with being able to articulate both sides of the coin with empathy, e.g. in the parent-child dynamic)
lol "crashing this hang!" thanks so much for reading the piece, vicky. i'm so glad to see the two of you together here and look forward to the day when we're all getting a coffee together in the same city, same country =)
Thank you, Michelle, for continuing to enlarge my world. What a great post! It was great to see that Reading with Patrick is finding new audiences--and that your dad is daydreaming when he was meant to be listening!
The idea of letting kids "be free in their own worlds" -- I will take that advice to heart!
Also, congratulations on Baby P's newly acquired bike riding skills.
Cecelia! Thank you for your kind words and for reading the newsletter. I'll bet you already know deeply how to let kids be free 🥰 Thanks for the beautiful poetry that you bring to the world and I'm so happy we're in touch.
Wu Ming-Feng reading yr book 3 times?? That's wonderful. Does this mean he read the new translation? Love how you've chronicled the journey of yr book in this substack: Writer -> Agent -> Translator -> Publisher -> Very important reader. Rex sounds super cool! The Ginzburg is fr "Little Virtues"? I think possibly, maybe, the single best thing she wrote? (!) Palestine: For us left-leaning writer and editor types here in the US, WAWOG (Writers Against the War on Gaza -- modeled after American Writers Against the Vietnam War) has been a grounding site and beacon: https://www.writersagainstthewarongaza.com/ (Also on IG) xoxo - Lisa
i'm always so cheered up seeing your name here, lisa. I know, i really hope I can meet Wu Ming-Feng some day! He read the older translation (but the new edition is basically the same, which I know is not the best sell!) Yes, the ginzburg is from Little Virtues. I haven't read her other stuff, should I? Thanks so much for the Writers Against the War on Gaza link - it's through you that i first discovered them.
One of my wishes is to see your book published in Chinese in TW and then see all the old guys (and gals) who knew or crossed paths with Tehching Hsieh come out of the woodwork.
Haha, hi Susan! i wonder if this crying is a permanent change in my life. thanks for all your help curating my book lists for children—I follow all your recommendations religiously!
Thank you for sharing about how speaking with your dad as the translator went. I can definitely see how special and nerve-wracking of an experience it may have been. I also relate to your feelings about not having to explain the Taiwanese parenting style to others. I'm lucky to have grown up in a part of the U.S. where there is a big East Asian population, but I've also met people who just don't understand those family dynamics.
I read your book years back, and it is still one of the most thought-provoking and moving memoirs I've ever read, and I'm glad more people will get to read it with a new Mandarin version. As an elementary school teacher, I love seeing how books and reading connect people.
Thank you so much for reading my book and finding it meaningful. It means a lot to me. If you teach kids, this must mean you have enormous amounts of energy, heart, creativity, or some combination thereof! (Just having one kiddy at home means i'm constantly exhausted. It's so much easier to let her watch television than to actually sit down and draw a picture together.) I feel grateful especially to teachers who read my book, as teaching a classroom of kids is still the hardest thing I've ever done. I respect your work so much!
If you're ever in Taipei, let me know so we can get a coffee 🥰
Thanks for the kind words -- teaching is definitely challenging but has its rewards as well. When I read your book, I was still working toward becoming a teacher, so reading about your experiences really helped me see what possibilities lay ahead.
I haven't had the chance to go back to Taiwan since before the pandemic, but I'll definitely let you know if I'm ever back!
I should have said Miffy is already pretty ubiquitous in Taiwan, which means i'm often thinking of you—but this was the first time I saw Miffy at the book fair! Sending you hugs.
Michelle, I loved the exchange with your father! And how you related the slight panic of everything that was going on in your head 😆—and then the acceptance of just letting the people we love be who they are ❤️
thank you dear Emily! that's so well put and as always thanks for being such a generous reader. Can't wait till the day we get to meet in person!
hi emily! hi michelle! i'm crashing this hang!
(late to the game here, but finally read this one and loved every ounce of it. michelle you have such a way with being able to articulate both sides of the coin with empathy, e.g. in the parent-child dynamic)
lol "crashing this hang!" thanks so much for reading the piece, vicky. i'm so glad to see the two of you together here and look forward to the day when we're all getting a coffee together in the same city, same country =)
Thank you, Michelle, for continuing to enlarge my world. What a great post! It was great to see that Reading with Patrick is finding new audiences--and that your dad is daydreaming when he was meant to be listening!
The idea of letting kids "be free in their own worlds" -- I will take that advice to heart!
Also, congratulations on Baby P's newly acquired bike riding skills.
Cecelia! Thank you for your kind words and for reading the newsletter. I'll bet you already know deeply how to let kids be free 🥰 Thanks for the beautiful poetry that you bring to the world and I'm so happy we're in touch.
Wu Ming-Feng reading yr book 3 times?? That's wonderful. Does this mean he read the new translation? Love how you've chronicled the journey of yr book in this substack: Writer -> Agent -> Translator -> Publisher -> Very important reader. Rex sounds super cool! The Ginzburg is fr "Little Virtues"? I think possibly, maybe, the single best thing she wrote? (!) Palestine: For us left-leaning writer and editor types here in the US, WAWOG (Writers Against the War on Gaza -- modeled after American Writers Against the Vietnam War) has been a grounding site and beacon: https://www.writersagainstthewarongaza.com/ (Also on IG) xoxo - Lisa
i'm always so cheered up seeing your name here, lisa. I know, i really hope I can meet Wu Ming-Feng some day! He read the older translation (but the new edition is basically the same, which I know is not the best sell!) Yes, the ginzburg is from Little Virtues. I haven't read her other stuff, should I? Thanks so much for the Writers Against the War on Gaza link - it's through you that i first discovered them.
One of my wishes is to see your book published in Chinese in TW and then see all the old guys (and gals) who knew or crossed paths with Tehching Hsieh come out of the woodwork.
I love all of this, Michelle 💜 And I’m the same these days about crying like a tap- glad to know I’m in good company 😅
Haha, hi Susan! i wonder if this crying is a permanent change in my life. thanks for all your help curating my book lists for children—I follow all your recommendations religiously!
Thank you for sharing about how speaking with your dad as the translator went. I can definitely see how special and nerve-wracking of an experience it may have been. I also relate to your feelings about not having to explain the Taiwanese parenting style to others. I'm lucky to have grown up in a part of the U.S. where there is a big East Asian population, but I've also met people who just don't understand those family dynamics.
I read your book years back, and it is still one of the most thought-provoking and moving memoirs I've ever read, and I'm glad more people will get to read it with a new Mandarin version. As an elementary school teacher, I love seeing how books and reading connect people.
Thank you so much for reading my book and finding it meaningful. It means a lot to me. If you teach kids, this must mean you have enormous amounts of energy, heart, creativity, or some combination thereof! (Just having one kiddy at home means i'm constantly exhausted. It's so much easier to let her watch television than to actually sit down and draw a picture together.) I feel grateful especially to teachers who read my book, as teaching a classroom of kids is still the hardest thing I've ever done. I respect your work so much!
If you're ever in Taipei, let me know so we can get a coffee 🥰
Thanks for the kind words -- teaching is definitely challenging but has its rewards as well. When I read your book, I was still working toward becoming a teacher, so reading about your experiences really helped me see what possibilities lay ahead.
I haven't had the chance to go back to Taiwan since before the pandemic, but I'll definitely let you know if I'm ever back!
Miffy!!!🥰🥰
I should have said Miffy is already pretty ubiquitous in Taiwan, which means i'm often thinking of you—but this was the first time I saw Miffy at the book fair! Sending you hugs.