Join KNKX for a celebration of BirdNote's 20th Anniversary with special guest, author Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club) on December 2 at Town Hall Seattle. An avid birder and passionate conservationist, Amy shares her love for feathered friends in her recent book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, filled with personal stories, insights, and her own illustrations. She’s also a longtime fan of BirdNote!
The event will feature a lively conversation moderated by KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick, with Amy Tan and BirdNote Executive Director Nick Bayard. Amy will talk about her birding journey, her conservation work, and what inspires her connection to the natural world. You’ll also learn more about BirdNote’s mission to inspire and educate people about the joys and wonders of birds, and to protect their habitats.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. — come early to meet live birds in the lobby before the show! Be among the first to secure your spot before tickets go on sale to the public. VIP tickets ($100) include a catered pre-show meet and greet with Amy Tan, a signed copy of Amy's book (or journal), and preferred seating. GA $50, youth (18+younger) $25. Proceeds benefit KNKX and BirdNote. Town Hall Seattle is located at 1119 8th Avenue, Seattle, Washington.

About Amy Tan
Born in the U.S. in 1952 to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her first story, “Rules of the Game,” was published in 1986. In 1987, Amy went to China for the first time, accompanied by her mother. When she returned home, she learned that she had received several offers based on her submission of three short stories. The resulting book of connected stories, The Joy Luck Club, was hailed as a novel and became a surprise bestseller. She is also the author of five more New York Times bestselling novels..
Amy appears as herself in the episode “Clown Poppy” in the animated series The Simpsons. She is the subject of a documentary Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, directed by the late James Redford, which aired on PBS American Masters. The findings of her ancestry will be revealed in 2025 on the PBS show Finding Your Roots.
She has been a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the International Orange Prize, and the recipient of many honors, including being inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, in 2022, and receiving the National Humanities Medal by President Biden in 2023..
In 2016, Amy began taking nature journaling classes with John Muir Laws. During the pandemic shutdown, she spent long hours observing the behavior of wild birds in her backyard. Her editor, Dan Halpern, suggested she turn those pencil sketches, colored portraits and journal notes into an illustrated book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, published in April 2024 by Knopf, which became an instant #1 bestseller. Her drawings were on special exhibition at the Roger Torey Peterson Institute.
Amy serves on the board of American Bird Conservancy, the National Poetry Series, and The Community of Writers. She lives with her husband and their dog in California and New York.