Meet Marie Chan

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marie Chan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Marie, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Surprisingly, my resilience grew through shared stories of loss. When my youngest son died unexpectedly five years ago, being in a grief support group and listening to others share their experiences of losing a child comforted me and helped me know I was not alone. Instead of feeling like a failure and being overcome with shame, their examples encouraged and freed me to be vulnerable and share my story of loss. I had feared that being open and honest about the death of my son would isolate me, but instead, I found sharing my story of loss and being honest and authentic about how I felt on my grief journey, deepened the connections in my relationships and strengthened the bonds of community.

My resilience also comes from knowing that my value and worth come from being a beloved child of God; it is not based on my personal achievements or my present circumstances. Seeing each person as created in the image God helps me to value and affirm the unique way every person is made. Furthermore, experiencing such a deep loss has helped me to grow in empathy and compassion for others and recognize that when people are struggling with trauma, heartache, and grief, it is best to focus on listening with understanding.

I have found new purpose in my pain through the powerful impact of shared stories. This is the reason why I am a writer today. Friends encouraged me to write and share my story. I had never dreamed of becoming an author, but if sharing my story can help bring healing and hope to the heart of one person, then it is a worthwhile endeavor. God has redeemed my story and truly has brought beauty from ashes.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Being the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants inspired me to write diverse children’s books to amplify underrepresented voices and build cross-cultural awareness. I am a former California public school teacher and specialize in teaching English as a second language. I have volunteered extensively helping international students, immigrant families, and refugees. I am also an adoptive mom and I lead a trauma-informed support group for adoptive and foster parents.

I’m excited to share that after many years of writing and research, my debut picture book biography, Mamie Takes a Stand: The True Story of Mamie Tape, a Chinese American Girl’s Fight for School Rights, releases this year. In 1884, an eight-year-old Chinese American girl named Mamie Tape was not allowed to attend her local public school in San Francisco, even though she was born in the United States. She was denied entrance because she was of Chinese descent. Mamie and her family fought for her right to go to school and the California Supreme Court reaffirmed that children of all races had a right to a public education.

I hope that children will see themselves represented in the pages of this book and that reading about hidden figures, such as Mamie Tape, will broaden their view of the world. I hope this book will inspire readers to grow in empathy and respect for others to create a more just and compassionate world.

I also wrote an extensive 45-page Parent & Educator Resource Guide for Mamie Takes a Stand that is available for digital download from my website, mariechan.com/books. The guide contains engaging multi-sensory, cross-curricular activities and analysis of archival photographs and primary sources.

I will be sharing my book at book festivals, local bookstores, museums, libraries, and schools. I love meeting readers in the community, so I invite you to come to my book events. You can find my schedule of events at
mariechan.com/upcoming-events.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three qualities that were most impactful on my journey were: having a growth mindset, setting aside time for soul care, and having a spirit of collaboration and cooperation.

HAVE A GROWTH MINDSET

As a woman writer of color, I think it is important to join a mentoring program where you feel safe to process your questions and converse about topics about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Multiple rejections are common in traditional publishing, so it is vital to have a supportive community to navigate the years it may take to publish your book and to encourage you to persevere in your craft. Do not take rejections personally, but learn from the critiques and focus on what you can control, such as improving your writing skills and enjoying the creative process.

Always remember your why; this vision will keep you motivated when you encounter unexpected setbacks, obstacles, and delays. Keep a gratitude journal to remember how far you have come and list big and small ways God has opened doors and provided opportunities for you, helped you connect with others, and used your work to positively impact others. A closed door sometimes results in God revealing that there is something greater and better planned for you. In hindsight, I have found that God knows the best timing for the seed of my work to bloom and bear fruit.

SET ASIDE TIME FOR SOUL CARE

When writing about tough topics, such as grief and loss and racial discrimination, it is important to set aside times for respite. Researching difficult subject matter day after day can sometimes cause secondary or vicarious trauma, especially when you are creating a narrative where you want your readers to feel like they are walking in the main character’s shoes.

I remember immersing myself in archival articles from the time of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and feeling overwhelmed reading about the atrocities committed against Chinese Americans during that era. Ironically, my most intense research for my book, Mamie Takes a Stand: The True Story of Mamie Tape, a Chinese American Girl’s Fight for School Rights, took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when Asian Americans were being attacked in senseless acts of violence. The rhetoric of blaming and scapegoating Asian Americans for COVID was eerily similar to what I was reading and researching from the 1800s. It almost seemed like history was repeating itself.

Therefore, it is important to allow yourself to step back if you need to, take a break, go for a walk, and care for your body, mind, soul, and spirit. One calming practice that I enjoy is writing Chinese calligraphy on rice paper with a brush pen and Sumi ink. Reconnecting to my cultural heritage and focusing on slowly painting one stroke at a time is relaxing and peaceful.

Gather with other BIPOC writers who understand the unique challenges of writing about topics such as racism. Conversing with friends, processing my emotions and its impact on my body, and asking friends to pray for me helped me immensely. You can acknowledge the pain done to you and your community, but also allow yourself time to write about moments of joy. It is admirable to be an advocate and speak up against injustice, but don’t feel the pressure to write and speak on panels only about this topic. Focus on having a holistic view of yourself that celebrates your unique cultural background, life experiences, and your craft.

FOCUS ON A SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION

Asian Americans have often felt a sense of erasure, invisibility, and omission from history. This lack of representation can lead to feeling like there is only room for one of us at the table, which can result in unhealthy competition and comparison. We do not need to have a scarcity mindset, but trust that God will generously supply and provide for all that we need, so we can have a spirit of collaboration and cooperation.

Instead, we can extend the table and invite others to join us; we do not need to fear that someone else will take our place. I can trust that God has the best plan for my life and knows the best timing for me. I don’t need to put others down in order to reach my goal; instead I can build others up and encourage them. We can celebrate more diverse representation.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I would love to see Mamie Takes a Stand distributed widely so diverse families can access it and be inspired by Mamie Tape’s story. Three ways you can partner with me is to:

AMPLIFY and recommend Mamie Takes a Stand on social media and to your friends, family, teachers, librarians, youth leaders, churches, and community organizations.

APPRAISE and post an online review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.

ASK your local library to purchase Mamie Takes a Stand.
Links to purchase: https://mariechan.com/books/

Also, I am available to speak on podcasts and panels and share more about my book, Mamie Takes a Stand.
I would be happy to do an author visit at your school, library, museum, or community organization.
You can request an author visit at my website: https://mariechan.com/speaking/

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jack Randall Photography (only for headshots)
Ten Peaks Press (for book images from Mamie Takes a Stand)

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