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Amy Y.Q. Lin
B. 1996, Washington D.C. Based in Seattle.
caretLast updated November 1 2025

Amy Y.Q. Lin is a writer and pianist living in Seattle. Her writing is publshed in Catapult, The Rumpus, and One Story. A semi-finalist for the 2022 Sewanee Review Fiction Contest, she is the recipient of scholarships and support from Tin House, Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, and Sewanee Writers' Conference. She holds an MFA in Fiction from NYU and BA in Computer Science from Cornell University. Lin served as Fiction Editor and Books Editor for Washington Square Review from 2022-2024 and has read for One Story and Best of the Net. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Seattle City of Literature and is working on her first novel.

Fiction:

  • "A Precious Stone," a short story in Catapult (Dec 2022)

Interviews and Criticism:

  • "Very Little of This Book Is Made-up: Talking with R.F. Kuang about her Novel," an interview in The Rumpus (May 2023)
  • "Accessing the Truth: An Interview with Josh Riedel," an interview in One Story (Mar 2023)
  • "In This Corner of the World is a Simple, Perfect Exhibit of Life," a film review in The Cornell Daily Sun (November 2017)
  • "A Lost French Classic Remembered," an animated film review in The Cornell Daily Sun (2017)
  • "Not Strange At All," a music review in The Cornell Daily Sun (August 2016)
  • "Stardew Valley: Pushing The Boundaries of Farming RPGs," a video game review in The Cornell Daily Sun (February 2016)
  • "Appreciating Miyazaki: Insight Into a Master's World," a documentary review in The Cornell Daily Sun (2015)
  • "Movie Review: The Maze Runner," a film review in The Cornell Daily Sun (2014)
  • "Spinning Singles," a music review in The Cornell Daily Sun (2014)
  • "Cover Boy: An Uncensored Observation on LGBTQ Struggles," a dance review in The Cornell Daily Sun (2014)

Content Marketing:

  • "Video Game Testers Hiring Guide," an article in Toptal's Engineering Blog (September 2024)
  • Copy for Web and React pages in Toptal's Engineering Blog (August 2024)
  • "Going Serverless: Benefits and Considerations," an article in Toptal's Engineering Blog (May 2024)

"A Precious Stone"
Catapult
December 2022

sirinThadaIllustration by Sirin Thada for Catapult
A humble name. Shi Tou cannot be mistaken for a precious stone. To be something ordinary makes you less fragile. ...more
"Very Little of This Book is Made-Up: Talking With R.F. Kuang About Her Novel"
The Rumpus
May 2023

rfKuangAuthor photo by John Packman
I don't think there are easy answers. Should we make judgments about rudeness when we talk about artistic freedom? ...more
"Accessing the Truth: An Interview with Josh Riedel"
One Story
March 2023

riedelAuthor photo by Andrew Owen
A lot of my work asks, How can we truly know another person? ...more