The Backyard Bird Chronicles

Analyze Amy Tan’s work as a portfolio of learning. How does her understanding of birds grow over time? How does her art develop? What specific practices contribute to her development? What lessons might writers and other creatives learn about paying attention from Tan’s work?

How does Tan approach both the dark and light sides of nature? How does this connect to how other nature writers connect to these dualities? For example, how might Tan’s work relate to Annie Dillard’s writing on via positiva and via negativa in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek?

How does Tan’s writing fit into the tradition of nature writing and nature journaling? In what ways does it diverge from this tradition?