Celebrating the Filipino Community in Canada
Filipina Canadian writer Patria Rivera reflected on her literary journey and the Philippine history behind her debut novel in Toronto on Oct. 28. Held at Another Story Bookshop on Roncesvalles Avenue, the evening brought together Filipino Canadian writers and community members for poetry readings and a conversation about Rivera’s life and work. The event served […]
Filipino-Canadian writer Patria Rivera will headline KAPISANAN’s Edge of KLWKN Lit Series finale in Toronto on Oct. 28, featuring poetry readings and a book drive for a mobile library in the Philippines. The free event, A Night of Poetry and Prose with Patria Rivera, will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Another Story […]
At six in the morning, Renato Gandia opened an email he had learned to brace himself for. After years of submitting to CBC’s literary competition, the Filipino author finally received different news: his deeply personal essay, “Faithful Disobedience,” had made the 2026 CBC Nonfiction Prize long list. The Calgary writer and former journalist explores faith, […]
Theresa Shea Seguban spent years finding ways to tell the story of her twin boys, Jio and Joshua, and the grief that followed their loss. Now, she is sharing part of that journey as the only Filipina contributor to 20 Shades of Grief, an anthology curated by Cathy Derksen featuring 20 personal stories about grief […]
A new Filipino event with the cheeky name “Tongue Ina” is coming to Toronto’s Kensington Market this Sunday, Aug. 16. Tongue Ina, a playful pun on a familiar Tagalog expletive, is the brainchild of Filipino writer, artist and organizer Motzie Dapul. The first-time event will bring Filipino creators together to sell books, comics, poetry, art […]
Filipino Canadian writers from across the country will gather in Vancouver this week for the Filipino-Canadian Book Festival, running Aug. 14 to 17 at the Museum of Vancouver and VS Creative Lab. The festival will feature writers at different stages of their careers, with discussions exploring personal and collective memory, storytelling across generations, theatre and […]
Book Review: What ‘Big Little Man: In Search of My Asian Self’ by the late Pulitzer-winner Filipino author Alex Tizon taught me about my Filipino culture. By Giana Tomas As a researcher, I have been reading a lot about what many members of the Philippine diaspora in North America experience: navigating identity shifts, desiring to […]
One of the chapters written by Pinay author Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio’s book Reuniting with Strangers has struck a chord with many Filipinos to the point where she gets “crying emojis”. “Chapter 7 with Lolo Bayani—I get all the crying emojis”, Austria-Bonifacio said during an online interview. Lyrics of kundiman songs are woven into the story of […]
In true Filipino fashion, author Catherine Hernandez—of Filipino, Spanish, Chinese and Indian descent—said “I feel like a lola telling you to grab some food. Eat! Eat! Take some for baon,” at the book launch of her fourth novel, ‘Behind You’ on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Held at the spacious and trendy It’s Ok* Studios in […]
Celestina’s House, a 350-page book about a gothic Filipino family drama—with some romance thrown in—is due to be released in September 2024. Filipina author Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez, a poet, essayist, and one-time contributing writer to Woman Today and City Man magazines in the Philippines, discussed how the book took almost 18 years to write. Gonzalez […]