Poets & Writers Theater
Every day we share a new clip of interest to creative writers—author readings, book trailers, publishing panels, craft talks, and more. So grab some popcorn, filter the theater tags by keyword or genre, and explore our sizable archive of literary videos.
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“I have an obligation to human beings, my characters, so that’s all I care about.” In this PEN International interview, Yiyun Li speaks about the expectation as a Chinese American writer to be a spokesperson for a particular experience, and how she enjoys exploring the interior struggles of her characters. Li won the 2020 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award for her novel Where Reasons End (Random House, 2020).
Tags: Fiction | Yiyun Li | Where Reasons End | Random House | 2019 | PEN International | PEN/Jean Stein Book Award | 2020 | PEN America | interview -
“What one carries from one point to another, geographically or temporally, is one’s self.” Yiyun Li reads from her debut memoir, Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life (Random House, 2017), in this video produced by the Office of Communications at Princeton University. Li, whose novel Where Reasons End is forthcoming from Random House in February, is featured in “Portraits of Inspiration” in the January/February issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
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“A story is made up of situations.” In this Skillshare video, Yiyun Li explains the difference between an everyday situation and a story. Li’s debut memoir, Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life (Random House, 2017), is featured in Page One in the March/April issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
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Melissa Faliveno, associate editor of Poets & Writers Magazine, leads a conversation with authors Wendy Lesser, Yiyun Li, Alejandro Murguia, D. A. Powell, and Michelle Tea about the personal, political, and professional reasons we choose to write while living in a culture, a family, or a community that doesn’t always value what we do.
Tags: Poetry | Fiction | Creative Nonfiction | 2015 | panel | San Francisco | D. A. Powell | #pwlive | San Francisco: Inspiration | Wendy Lesser | Yiyun Li | Alejandro Murguia | Michelle Tea