Lan Samantha Chang On the Hard Truth of Writing What You Know

   

“Write what you know” is a piece of advice you’ve probably heard many times throughout your writing journey. For author Lan Samantha Chang, that meant drawing from her experience growing up in one of the only Chinese families in a small Midwestern town.

Chang drew from these experiences to write The Family Chao, a modern-day Brothers Karamazov that centers on the story of an immigrant family in the rural Midwest. Chang is also the director of the renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop. In this episode, she talks about her heritage and how her upbringing impacted her journey as an author. She also talks about pivoting to writing as an adult and dealing with struggles such as financial difficulties and pigeonholing from the industry.