Lan Cao & Harlan Van Cao - Authors of Family in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, an American Daughter

Mother Lan Cao and daughter Harlan Van Cao share the new book they wrote together, Family in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, an American Daughter, a memoir exploring the American immigrant experience and how it impacts a family.

In this episode, we discuss their writing process, and:

• Writing a book together as mother and daughter
• Setting time aside to write, even if you aren’t inspired
• And more

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• Visit Harlan’s Website and Instagram, and Lan’s Website and Facebook
• Buy their book, Family in Six Tones

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• Learn more about our partner, We Need Diverse Books, whose mission is to put more diverse books into the hands of all children

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This Week’s Writing Prompt

Each week the featured author offers a writing prompt for you to use at home. I suggest setting a timer for 6 or 8 minutes, putting the writing prompt at the top of your page, and free writing whatever comes to mind. Remember, the important part is keeping your pen moving. You can always edit later. Right now we just want to write something new and see what happens.

Harlan’s writing prompt is: What are things about your childhood that you resented at the time that now create parts of your personality that you really love?

Lan’s writing prompt is: Think of a period in your life where you struggled with your own self identity vs. how somebody thought of you. 

Explore Womxn Authors

In this episode, the author recommended these womxn writers:

• Greta Gerwig, screenwriter of Little Women and Ladybird
• Gail Honeyman, author of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
• Bharati Mukherjee, author of Jasmine
• Isabel Allende, author of House of the Spirits

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Check Out More Womxn Authors

• Episode 47: Zara Stone - Author of The Future of Science is Female: The Brilliant Minds Shaping the 21st Century

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