"Life can't ever really defeat a writer who is in love with writing, for life itself is a writer's lover until death-fascinating, cruel, lavish, warm, cold, trecherous, constant." -Edna Ferber, A Kind of Magic, 1963.

Ying loved to read when she was young but there weren't many books available during the Cultural Revolution. So she read books with missing pages. She loves Tolstoy, Pushkin, Margaret Mitchell and traditional Chinese poets, particularly the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai and a female poet, Li Ching Cao. Currently, Ying is the spokesperson for Nestle Maggi, Taste of Asia products and a national authority on Chinese cuisine and culture. She recently finished hosting 20 episodes of a cooking show sponsored by Nestle on Phoenix TV, the largest international Chinese TV station. Ying is also the author of three cookbooks for adults and eight picture books for children. She lives in Northern California. This is her first novel.

When did you start writing?

I published my first article when I was 9 years old. I never did think of writing as a career, especially writing in my second language. But after I lost both my parents, I felt I had lost touch with China. Writing was the only way I found to help me connect and to cope with my grief.

Why did you choose your particular genre? 

I first tried to write Revolution is Not a Dinner Party as a picture book because I had written picture books before, but editors kept asking me to write the story as a young adult novel. I resisted this for a year, afraid to take on such an enormous task. Then the voice of Ling became so strong, I had to give in. It took me six years and countless re-writes before I perfected the book. Ling and I have a lot in common. As in the story, both my parents were doctors, and I grew up in the hospital compound. Many of the characters in the book are similar to people I knew, and the events of the story are similar to events I experienced or witnessed.

What inspired you to choose your subject matter?

Even as a little girl, I wanted to write about my father. I watched him save peoples' lives and fight against the political system in China when it was dangerous to do so. He was put in jail for refusing to betray his friends and his beliefs. What's extraordinary to me is that he treated all his patients with compassion, even those who had persecuted him. Strangely, I often miss my childhood growing up during the Cultural Revolution. Relationships were put to the test, and I was forced to examine my feelings towards others and my own character. My experiences taught me not only about cruelty and betrayal but also about people's capacity for heroism and compassion.

How difficult / easy has your experience been as a published author?

In early drafts, Ling was much younger. Figuring out the time structure of the story became a challenge because I wanted to show Ling's character grow over several years against the backdrop of the significant historical events of the Cultural Revolution. With the help of my talented editor Christy Ottaviano, I was able to accomplish my goal. For over six years, this book became the center of my life. Once the book was sold to Holt I returned to Wuhan to visit my parents' graves, and stayed with friends and family for an extended visit. Going back to China helped me realize that writing Revolution is Not a Dinner Party was both highly personal and a public act. China taught me about life and will always occupy a special place in my heart.

Are you a WNBA-SF member and published author? Would you like to share your story with WNBA-SF? Contact newsletter editor Patricia Lynn Henley about being featured in the Member Profile section of the BookWorm.

Reach Southern California book lovers at the West Hollywood Book Fair on Sep. 30. WNBA-LA has extended an invitation to WNBA-SF chapter authors to display books in their booth at this event. Many WNBA authors will be reading, including Joan Gelfand, Kelly Sullivan, and others. Click here for more details, or contact Ruth Light, president of WNBA-LA, for more information.

WNBA-SF member Joan Gelfand reports that Mills College will host a literary salon on Friday, Oct. 12, in the Bender Room. Poets to be announced. On Saturday, Oct. 13, Joan will facilitate a panel of writers on the theme of "Turning Challenges into Success" with Martha Alderson, Linda Lee and others at 3:30pm in the Reinhardt Alumnae House. And on Thursday, Oct. 26, Joan will be reading with PEN/Oakland in celebration of the newly released anthology Oakland Out Loud at 7pm in the Oakland Public Library.

 Congratulations go to WNBA-SF member Ellen Sussman, whose Bad Girls: 26 Writers Misbehave hit the San Francisco Chronicle's Best Seller List at the end of July. "I behave badly to set myself apart. To test myself. To push myself. To prove something. To shock someone...I behave badly because I can." That's how Ellen describes her deviant endeavors. To better understand them, she invited 25 other bad girls to share their stories. Ann Hood lies, Mary Roach confesses. Erica Jong, the original bad girl, challenges her own claim to that fame. Susan Cheever almost flunks out of prep school and then flunks her chance at redemption. Caroline Leavitt marries and cheats. Pam Houston behaves badly at her father's funeral. Daphne Merkin measures the penis. There's a kind of energy that gets generated when bad girls get together. The writers are digging deep-bad behavior lies in their souls, and what they bring to the surface reveals truths about our psyches and our society. For more details, visit Ellen's web site.

WNBA-SF member Micky Duxbury, author of Making Room in our Hearts: Keeping Family Ties Through Open Adoption, reminds folks that she is starting a nonfiction women writers' support group in the East Bay. The goal is to meet with other published women authors who are actively working on writing projects. Anyone interested would meet once a month for support, guidance and sharing resources. For more details or to join the group, please email Micky or visit her website.

Institute Forming Writers' Groups
WNBA-SF member Priscilla Burgess reports that an informal reception for anyone interested in forming writers' groups at the Mechanics' Institute Library in downtown San Francisco will be held Monday, Oct 1. Anyone with a passion for writing, published or not, is welcome to help form the kind of groups that will best serve the active writing community.

The goal of the Mechanics' Institute is to support writers with critiques, encouragement and friendship. Ongoing participation in the groups is free with membership in the Institute ($95 a year). Founded in 1854, the Mechanics' Institute is a nonprofit organization that includes an extensive general library as well as spacious reading and writing facilities. The institute also offers a range of literary and cultural activities throughout the year.

The kickoff meeting begins with wine and cheese at 5:30pm in the fourth floor Members' Lounge and Meeting Room, and attendance will be limited to 50 people. Attendance on Oct. 1 will be limited to 50 people. Reservations are required; contact Inez Cohen at 415-393-0103. The Institute is located at 57 Post St.

The WNBA-SF chapter newsletter, the BookWorm, is published the first of every month. We love to announce members' publications, articles, book-signings, workshops, awards or other milestones. The deadline for submissions is the 20th of each month; please send items to newsletter@wnba-sfchapter.org. (If you don't receive a "got it" response within a few days of sending your e-mail, please try again.

Plot Intensive Workshop, Advanced
Martha Alderson, author of Blockbuster Plots-Pure & Simple
When: Sep. 22, 10am-3pm
Where: Los Gatos
Cost: $100
Registration/more info: See Martha's web site
Details: In appreciation of the complexity of fully integrating all aspects of plot to create unity in one's work, Martha Alderson offers this Advanced Plot Workshop. Writers looking for a practical, hands-on approach to plotting their own individual project are invited to bring their scenes to be used as examples. Class size is limited. To qualify, each writer must have read Blockbuster Plots-Pure & Simple, viewed a Blockbuster Plots DVD, or attended a live workshop.

East Meets West: A National Magazine Symposium for Editors and Writers
Presented by The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and UC Berkeley Journalism School
When: Sep. 29, 9am-5pm
Where: North Gate Hall, Hearst at Euclid Avenue, University of California, Berkeley
Cost: $130 for ASJA members/applicants, and J-School alumni; $160 for other mid-career journalists (lunch provided to all participants)
Registration/more info: See the symposium web site
Details: East Meets West brings together editors from top general-interest magazines and veteran journalists for an intimate, all-day conference at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. The editors will share tips, insights, and insider information on their publications. Writers will learn the editors' views on what makes great long-form narrative journalism, hear about the types of pitches they seek, and have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with an editor. The symposium will feature John Bennet from The New Yorker; Jeanne Carstensen, Salon; Sheila Glaser, The New York Times Magazine; Terry Monmaney, Smithsonian; Ben Schwarz, The Atlantic Monthly; Martin Smith, West (The Los Angeles Times). In addition to all-day forums and panels, a 15-minute session with one editor will be available to the first 36 registrants. These will be arranged on a first-come, first-served basis. The emphasis of these sessions is not on pitching stories, but rather on discussing your work with a top national magazine editor.

Transforming Grief into Potent Writing
Teresa LeYung Ryan and Lynn Scott

When: Saturday, Oct. 13, 10am-4pm Where: Book Passage, Corte Madera Cost: $95 Registration/more info: See the Book Passage web site or call 800-999-7909 Details: This is a hands-on workshop to elicit the creativity waiting to emerge from the depths of pain, transforming grief (from loss of identity, purpose, innocence or a loved one) into inspiration for ourselves and others. Participants should bring their current projects to class. Scott is the author of A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me. Ryan is the author of Love Made of Heart.

Teresa LeYung Ryan, left, and Lynn Scott

Plot Intensive Workshop
Martha Alderson, author of Blockbuster Plots-Pure & Simple
When: Oct. 27, 10am-3pm
Where: Los Gatos
Cost: $135
Registration/more info: See Martha's web site
Details: If you are having a difficult time seeing where your story is headed, or if ideas are rolling around in your head but you cannot get started, or if you are unable to create the depth your story needs or coherence in your structure, you most likely need help with plot. If so, this is the workshop for you. Writing is challenging enough. A personalized Plot Planner keeps you on track. Class size is limited. Martha Alderson, is an international plot consultant, an award-winning writer of historical fiction, and speaker. She teaches plot writing workshops privately and through UC Santa Cruz Extension, Learning Annex, East of Eden Writers Conference, Jack London Writers Conference, and elsewhere.