An accomplished writer of fiction (The Joy Luck Club and five other novels), memoirs, and children’s books, Tan came late to serious birding. That interest coincided with her dedication to learning how to draw. In The Backyard Bird Chronicles, readers follow Tan’s ornithological education while watching the evolution of a skillful artist. Recently, Tan sat down with the Chicago journalist and Emmy-winning news anchor Linda Yu to discuss the book, a conversation that extended into the emotional chaos of Tan’s childhood and the ways in which birding offered her insights on how to sustain sound mental health.