Author Interview – Suri Chan
At The Book Shelf, we love talking to authors about their books, and today we’re delighted to talk to Suri Chan, author of But I Don’t Feel Empowered (Andrews McMeel Publishing).
Congratulations on your debut book, Suri. Can you tell us about But I Don’t Feel Empowered?
It’s a fun and thought-provoking illustrated poetry book about womanhood, heartbreak, generational trauma, and the patriarchy. At the heart of this book is a tiny voice reminding you that, sometimes, just making it to the other side is enough. The poems are raw and honest. Sometimes they’re a little embarrassing, a little sad.
I once saw an egg trolley labelled, “a little damaged but still good,” and I thought, what better way to describe us all? Instead of saying, “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger,” maybe we should say, “I am not more beautiful than I was before the trauma. But at my raw, messy centre, I am still okay. I am still good.” In a world that asks you to feel empowered 24/7, this book asks you to just be.
Love the egg analogy! What made you want to write this book right now?
I was so frustrated with “empowerment culture”. It often felt shallow and insulting, especially mixed in with toxic positivity. At my lowest points, I craved honesty. I wanted to feel seen in my messy emotions. This is a timely message. With the cost of living and state of the world – we don’t have the energy to be empowered. We’re too tired.
That’s why I wanted to subvert the concept of “empowerment culture”. I wanted to make people cry. If someone cries reading my work, I feel like I’ve succeeded.
And did you write it for any particular people?
I wrote this for anyone who feels a lot.
But women and diverse communities deeply resonate with my work.
I’m a queer woman of colour and a first gen migrant. Growing up, I didn’t see people like me in the stories. I like to think I became the representation I needed.
Readers told me they felt seen and validated. And yes, people did cry. They also laughed. That caught me by surprise—but it’s my favourite compliment.
Making readers feel seen is so important! How long did the process take?
The main chunk of the writing process took a few months. But I included old poems that were written a while ago. I wanted my book to be a museum of feelings, displaying experiences from the last few years of my life. I took another two months to illustrate.
When I was about to self-publish, I received a surprise email from my publisher (Andrews McMeel). They wanted to acquire But I Don’t Feel Empowered. My book was released about a year later. The book was edited, proofread, and formatted for print. There were so many production teams involved! The whole experience was a dream. It felt surreal to see my words in bookstores around the world—from Waterstones to Barnes & Noble, and even Kinokuniya in South East Asia. It still feels surreal.
That’s a great story! Other than seeing your book in stores, what was your happiest moment?
Picking up the scattered pieces of an experience and assembling them into a poem. It’s cathartic to turn a bitter moment into art. I wanted my book to speak to the part of a reader that’s a little messy—a little undone. I wanted people to feel seen. Mostly, I needed to feel seen. I felt the happiest when I’d found the words for a specific feeling. I guess I love writing.
And on the flipside, what was your biggest challenge in the process?
Formatting the pages and all the technical bits! The full colour illustrations made everything harder. I’d barely started when my publisher picked up the book. I was relieved to be able to hand off the tricky (and boring) stuff to the pros! I probably would have done a terrible job if I had to format it myself. Or maybe I would have learned all I could out of sheer determination.
It’s definitely easier to hand it off to the pros. On that note, how did you balance your day job with being an author?
I have a part-time corporate job, and I carve out time for my creative work each week. This includes managing my Instagram account, replying to emails, marketing, and boring admin stuff. Sometimes, managing an author brand takes up more time than the writing itself!
Discipline and consistency are essential for writers. Some days, I don’t feel like writing or tending to my craft. Some days, I just want to watch TV. But I show up anyway. Taking your art seriously is such a big part of the process. If you don’t take it seriously, no one else will.
I didn’t take my creatively seriously in the past. Coming from a traditional Asian family, being an artist/author never felt like a real possibility. I’m never going to get that time back, and that’s something that eats away at me. That’s also why I hold onto my art so fiercely today.
Taking it seriously is such a good point! What other skills do you feel are important in becoming an author?
The ability to observe and find beauty in mundane details – like the way a leaf looks in the sunlight or someone smiling at their phone on the train. The small details breathe life into a piece of writing.
Beautiful, and if you had one piece of advice for aspiring authors, what would it be?
Don’t expect your friends and family to be your target audience. That limits your reach. They’re often the wrong audience anyway. Build your own audience through social media, blogs, writers circles, forums, etc. Don’t be offended if your friends don’t read your work. Most of the time, they won’t – and that’s okay.
We couldn’t agree more! And before you go, we’ve got a few quick-fire questions…
What’s your favourite book?
It changes. I’m currently loving A Streetcar Named Desire.
If you were a character from a book, who would it be?
Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
If you could have dinner with three authors, who would they be?
Sheila Heiti, Glennon Doyle, and Haruki Murakami.
Thank you for sharing you story and your book with the world, Suri!
You can find Suri at @poemsbysuri on Instagram (76k readers and counting!) or www.suri-chan.com.
And you can order her book at Amazon UK, Amazon US, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, or Indigo CA.