maria

opening this package, i have no words. i’m emotional, my chest is tingly, my bones are achy, i’m excited for the future. the pages feel so nice to fan with my thumb. there’s so much color. the art is captivating. the writing intrigues me. i can’t wait to experience it start to finish and take a closer look at each page more intimately. I’m so happy & grateful that my poem ‘When I Hold My Body’ gets to be a part of @jfa_mag ’s second print issue, The Autonomy Issue. swipe all the way to the end to read. (i did not want to risk creasing the spine ok so I took screenshots of the text) I wrote ‘When I Hold My Body’ reflecting on this: There are people who believe that a woman’s sole purpose in life is to birth children, disregarding women’s reproductive autonomy. Some may argue this was more of a focus in the past, biblical times even, but the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US, last June 2022, proves women still constantly must fight for their right to make reproductive choices. This surrealist poem advocates that a woman’s body exists beyond the biological expectation of birthing. . thank you again to the whole @jfa_mag team, for all your handwork on this issue. you all really brought this to life! it’s a wonderful thing to see everyone’s stories on individual and collective freedom come together. @hanorbb , your art is amazing. the image complements this poem in a special way. #poetry #reproductiveautonomy #theautonomyissue #jfamag #justiceforall #writing #poems #womensrights #literarymagazine #bookstagram

happy new year! finally checked the mail & found this lovely 5th issue compiled by @pilepress Thank you again for choosing my poem “How to Conjure a Ghost Train” to be a part of this “How to Conjure a Ghost Train” is a poem that reflects on homesickness and the challenges of trying to maintain solid ground while grappling with inevitable changes that come with moving from one place to another Swipe ➡️ to read, let me know what you think #poetry #independentpress #poem #poetrycommunity

Today, jfa Human Rights Journal (@jfa_mag ) published my poem, Before the Famine, and I'm so excited to share it with all of you. Swipe for a preview and read the full poem here: /read/before-the-famine (link also in bio) This poem was inspired by Caroline Hau's novel, ‘Tiempo Muerto.' A novel that explores the modern-day commercialisation of Banwa and the subsequent forced displacement of the natives of the land. 'Before the Famine' spotlights how contemporary tourism in Banwa maintains unequal social power dynamics. I wrote this reflecting on the way colonial mentality still permeates Philippine society. Thank you so much @jfa_mag for working with me on this and for giving this poem a home. Art here is by Ildiko Nova (ildiko.nova) via @fineacts licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA. #poetry #poetsofinstagram #justiceforall #humanrightsjournal #writing #Philippines #filipinopoets #poems #literaryjournal

just finished this family saga and it read like a reality show. i picked this up because 1) i’m in Orange County at least once a week and the place felt familiar, 2) i’m a socal azn, and 3) the main reason- i share similar mother/daughter wounds. the story felt close to my heart since the fortune teller predicts that a grandson will break the family curse (not a spoiler), and my son was the first grand- and great grandson. (did he break any family curses? not sure yet, tbd) tbh, i had a hard time keeping track of the characters but i accepted that realization early on and just kept reading. overall, i enjoyed the story. it was a nice escape & helped me gain perspective. this story was validating as a 1st gen immigrant, especially when it talks about making sacrifices & older generations just wanting better for the next/future generations to follow. after reading, the story felt like a big hug from a gossipy auntie. twas a fun escape. I personally considered it a light read but I’m not sure if everyone would feel the same.

i’m not gonna get into it, but this year has been rough. last year was rough… and i’m tired. i was having a hard time feeling optimistic and i needed to believe that something good can happen and that in time, i’ll feel like i have more control over my life. i was struggling being hopeful and the characters in ‘some love, some pain, sometime’ helped me think things through. i apologize in advance because this reflection is gonna come out disconnected but here’s where my head was at while reading: when suffering from loss, remember: the pain comes from loving someone so much and how lucky are we to have experienced such a great love. i like how the narrator for each story treats the reader like a close friend. like, ‘come sit down and listen to this’, and by the end of the conversation, there’s something so fulfilling in knowing what happened to each character. i thought about the way the characters made decisions and how their endings never seem perfect – how their life is just is. i love this quote: “there is always some beauty in life. look up …and get on with it. build you a rainbow. do it yourself! if you can’t do that, build your mind near one. learn how to fly. then … soar a little.” to live is to struggle but at the end of the day, you choose your own hard. there’s freedom in knowing and accepting that. special thanks to crystal @melanatedreader for recommending this to me after i finished ‘the matter is life’. j. california cooper is awesome and i’m so glad i’m finally reading her work.

i love you, my son 🌞 may we always have the opportunity to walk through libraries and sit and read and talk and eat and laugh in peace without worrying about minutes.

Finished this one today and where do I even start with this reflection… The Matter is Life by J. California Cooper is a very fulfilling short story collection. What do I mean by that? The short stories are not inter-connected but each one captured my attention and shifted my perspective. The stories are not inter-connected and yet there’s a palpable feeling that the last story extends its hand out to the first. I often thought about the uselessness of beauty/vanity, the different ways people love, and all the possible answers to what makes a life worth living. What I’m trying to say is, I loved the book.

& I’m pretty sure I missed adding some books on goodreads but according to goodreads, this is my wrap up~

I’m starting over and don’t have all of my books but I found my grandma’s old bookshelf & now they’re out of boxes and into a very special place #bookshelfie #bookstagram #books #bookcommunity

Here’s my Barnes & Noble book haul from yesterday and it is all horror… Check out what I got in my first voiceover reel. #bookreels #manga #barnesandnoble #horror #graphicnovels #horrormanga #junjiito #explorebooks

THE MOONLIGHT BLADE by Tessa Barbosa is a Filipino young adult fantasy novel that i’m hyped to read. I mean check out this synopsis: Narra Jal is one of the cursed, cast aside her whole life, considered unlucky. But with her mother’s life on the line, she will return to the city where she was born to face the trials: a grueling, bloodthirsty series of challenges designed to weed out the week, the greedy, and the foolish. Trials to select the next ruler of Tigang. Narra has nothing. No weapons. No training. No magic. No real chance of leaving with her life. Just her fierce grit and refusal to accept the destiny she’s been handed. Even the intense dark-eyed Guardian she feels a strangely electric connection with cannot help her. Narra is on her own. But she’ll show everyone what the unlucky can do. Let the bloodbath begin. (I need to know if she becomes the ruler.. Who is this Guardian? Why is she unlucky? I need to know!!) If this has piqued your interest at all, it is publishing tomorrow, 3/21! Thank you @hearourvoicestours and @entangled_publishing for the gifted copy. #booktour #hearourvoices #HOV #moonlightblade #bookstagram

trying to wrap up every other week with a library book haul