PinnedMember-onlyWhen Worlds CollideWit, irony, and the imperial minister’s poignant gesture that helped forge my family — Family History9 min readFamily History9 min read
Published in Human Parts·PinnedMember-onlyMy Mother Wants a PillExtreme longevity is a mixed blessing — at best — “Why can’t I just take a pill?” my mother has pleaded over and over since she turned 100. “I don’t want to be here anymore.” It’s a perfectly reasonable question, with no good answer. And that’s just not fair. …Aging9 min readAging9 min read
Published in ZORA·PinnedMember-onlyMy Biracial Father’s Family Secrets, Decoded at LastBarriers of language and immigration helped hide the truth about family left and lost in China for 80 years. — My father was his family’s gatekeeper. Born in Shanghai in 1912, the eldest of his biracial siblings, he was raised to straddle East and West. He kept the peace between his Chinese father and American mother. …Chinese American11 min readChinese American11 min read
Published in About Me Stories·PinnedMember-onlyAbout Me — Aimee LiuAuthor of East-West novels and all sorts of nonfiction, ghostwriter, MFA advisor, former painter… and current photopainter! — Novels! If you love novels about Americans in Asia and Asians in America and the families that form between them, you may have read my fiction. In the 1990s I published two novels, Face and Cloud Mountain, based on my family’s mixed-race history and my examination of my own Chinese-American identity:About Me6 min readAbout Me6 min read
PinnedScroll down for my latest storiesIndexed Quick Links here: — My Bio Race, Family, & Relationships Books, Writing & Creativity Psychology, Health & Wellness Photo EssaysWriting1 min readWriting1 min read
Jan 26Member-onlyDreams After DeathThe subconscious has its own way of saying goodbye My mother died one year ago today, yet she remains deeply present in my life — largely through our dreams together, which seem to be multiplying. Most of these nocturnal reunions skip into oblivion as soon as I wake. …Grief4 min readGrief4 min read
Published in Human Parts·Jan 2Member-onlyI Thought We Would Have More TimeStop waiting and whispering, and dance! — It was like something whispering at us to hurry, to stop wasting time, and I would like to have danced with you through the back door, out into the garden, down the street, over the line of the horizon. Oh, my dear. I thought we would have more time. —…Death5 min readDeath5 min read
Nov 16, 2022Member-onlyAsk Your Legacy Questions NowAn Interview with the founder of Questions Unasked — Some families are rich in natural storytellers who keep their clans’ oral histories alive. Most of us today, however, are too busy and distracted by modern life to sit and listen to our elders, and we often don’t realize what we’re missing until it’s too late. To help families prevent…Family History6 min readFamily History6 min read
Oct 29, 2022Member-onlyPerspective from China’s First Pro-Democracy ActivistsYung Wing, my grandfather, and the seeds of revolution against the China’s last empire — In 1900 my grandfather Liu Chengyu became one of China’s first pro-democracy activists when he joined a student-organized plot to blow up an imperial armory near his home in Wuchang. The plot was exposed and several of my grandfather’s young collaborators were beheaded, while he escaped into exile. …China7 min readChina7 min read
Published in The Writing Cooperative·Oct 12, 2022Member-onlyThe Most Useful Word Tool You’ve Probably Never UsedWhy don’t more people know about the Navigation Pane? — I do a lot of ghostwriting, often working with teams of people who are experienced writers, editors, and executives, as well as their minions — people, in other words, who use Microsoft Word every day. …Productivity5 min readProductivity5 min read