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madelynpostman

Staring into the Sun, May 2026 @ten16press memoir & nonfiction: my Chinese American family | @hopeprize @oxford_flash | The Spark podcast & newsletter

Looking for photos of my grandmother (Poa-Poa) Cor Looking for photos of my grandmother (Poa-Poa) Corri to accompany this week’s 4th and last instalment of the chapter on her, “Magic”, on Substack, I realized that most of my digital images of her are from the 1930s-1970s. Otherwise, I have printed photos, or they’re in my mind’s eye. 💫

Here’s my mom, my brother, Poa-Poa Corri, my aunt, and my uncle. It’s at the golden anniversary of my great-grandparents, Mary and Henri Wu. Either in San Francisco or Oakland Chinatown, early 1970s.

I love my brother’s red rainboots! I think I used to wear those too.
Where my day job in sustainability and my interest Where my day job in sustainability and my interest in language and writing collide: apparently, it’s BANANAS!
Thought it’d be fun to show me wearing that same Thought it’d be fun to show me wearing that same dress, designed by my cousin Richard Tam. Photo from the mid-1990s, taken at my grandparents’ house in Moss Beach, south of San Francisco. 

My family has donated quite a few of his pieces to @deyoungmuseum and @fox_historic_costume at @drexeluniv. 

#richardtam
This is my grandmother Corri Wu Shoong Polloc (her This is my grandmother Corri Wu Shoong Polloc (her preferred spelling) and her second husband, magician Channing Pollock. Read about them in the “Magic” story of my book, Staring into the Sun. 

Read every week on Substack or wait until the paperback, ebook, and audio book publication in May 2026. All links are in the bio. 

@ten16press @mercurycalling.audio 

#ChineseAmerican #ChanningPollock #StaringIntoTheSun
Check out this month’s interview on The Spark po Check out this month’s interview on The Spark podcast, with publisher @brauninthebooks of @orangehatpublishing and @ten16press!

Look for The Spark on all podcast platforms. Link in bio. 

#OrangeHatPublishing #Ten16Press #publisherinterview
My latest update: the November episode of The Spar My latest update: the November episode of The Spark podcast will be out soon, featuring an interview with Michael T. Braun of @orangehatpublishing and @ten16press. 

Also, I’m still working on the end notes for Staring into the Sun. And the cover design is good as final. Cover reveal…when? Early next year?

Submitted a proposal to the Bay Area Book Festival to participate, in May 2026 🤞🤞🤞

Was great to do that at @seasons.cafe!
My mother with my brother. Read all about her in “Hearts on Fire” on Substack. Link in bio. Full collection, Staring into the Sun, to be published by @ten16press in May 2026.
Hanging out with my 99-year-old great-aunt at the Hanging out with my 99-year-old great-aunt at the Whitney 🥰
All roads lead to Reno. All roads lead to Reno.
A poem. A poem.
Poems for passersby. Poems for passersby.
Finally visited Locke, a historical rural Chinese Finally visited Locke, a historical rural Chinese community near Walnut Grove. I was with my paternal cousins. We even got to meet Stuart Walthall, Chair of the Locke Foundation. There’s a Joe Shoong school there, funded by my great-grandfather. Can’t wait to go back on my book tour in May 2026! @lockefoundation1915 

#Locke #LockeFoundation #JoeShoong #ChineseAmerican
Mural in progress on Haight Street by @woffsilog 🫶
Writing workshop on Wednesdays at @salesforce Park Writing workshop on Wednesdays at @salesforce Park!
Driving by what must be the Ancestry.com HQ in San Driving by what must be the Ancestry.com HQ in San Francisco. An invaluable resource for researching my family history. I’m using it and Newspapers.com a lot while writing the endnotes for Staring into the Sun, to be published by @ten16press in May 2026.
The Worm Farm in San Gregorio. Part of my family h The Worm Farm in San Gregorio. Part of my family history and one setting in my work-in-progress novel, I Am Gone.
Before the days of Instagram, in 2002, I started a Before the days of Instagram, in 2002, I started a project of posting one photo a day to Madomat.com. The Madelyn automat. It lasted almost a year. There were many details from everyday life, and out-of-place objects like this one.
OK, so this is really my mother, Bonnie, who would OK, so this is really my mother, Bonnie, who would have turned 80 yesterday. I think that the girl in the photo I posted yesterday was her younger sister, my aunt.
Happy 80th birthday to my mother, Bonnie. She died Happy 80th birthday to my mother, Bonnie. She died at age 31 by suicide. I used to never talk about how she died, but since 2017, I have been researching and writing my family’s story, in part to honor her life and also to deal with and talk about her death. 

We miss you!

Edit: I think the girl is my aunt. Now posting a photo of Bonnie.
This October, I interviewed @writer.sereid on The This October, I interviewed @writer.sereid on The Spark. Give it a listen and find out writing’s biggest secret!

The Spark 💥 link in bio
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Madelyn Postman
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