On Cloud 9 at Filbookfest 7 in San Francisco
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(Photo by Karen Llagas)
Rosca added, “Kasama, the other word… implies a companion on a journey of commitment… Engagement is the core of kaisa and kasama.”
Inspired by these words, I headed to the festival’s marketplace at the San Francisco Main Library ready to engage with the community. What I thought would be a quick shopping break before heading to various panel discussions turned into a longer afternoon of meeting some of the kindest people committed to showcasing Filipino talent through literature and art.
The marketplace in the library’s Latino Room was deceptively small. The array of booths displayed everything from graphic novels and children’s workbooks to tarot cards and tote bags, and the energy was one of camaraderie. It was easy to spend upwards of 20 minutes at each table, talking to the writers and vendors about their current and upcoming projects.
(Photo by Karen Llagas)
On one side of the room, a group of four writers, artists, and educators represented Filipino Canadian talent. Their table featured books and artworks from Eric Tigley, Jennilee Austria-Bonafacio, Nathalie De Los Santos, and C.E. Gatchalian. Tigley attended a previous book festival and decided to gather the group to attend this year.
Also at the marketplace, Rexy Dorado promoted Maharlika, a science fiction graphic novel based in the Philippines. Dorado was visiting from Manila and is part of the Hot Tropiks team, which describes itself as “the leading distributor of Filipino komiks and children's lit in the USA… dedicated to promoting Filipino culture through books.”
“I’m really excited for us to be able to share more Filipino stories from the Philippines to this global audience,” he said. “I think we’re [at] a place where there’s a lot of raw artistry and skill from Filipino storytellers, [and] it’s great to have a platform like this where more people can discover them.”
Kwento Comics also features the work of artists and writers from the Philippines. The company is “the first all-Asian, all-women comic book company highlighting Asian and Filipino mythology through… graphic novels.” Mother and daughter duo—Cecilia Lim, co-founder and CEO, and Waverley Lim, co-founder and COO—were back at the festival, promoting the company’s first series, The Mask of Haliya: Heir to the Warrior Moon, a graphic novel that plays with themes from Filipino mythology.
PAWA table at Marketplace (Photo by Chris Ceguerra)
The festival also held a slate of panel discussions. E. P. Tuazon, a Filipino American author based in Los Angeles was at the event to serve as a panelist for the talk “Troubling Cultural Norms.” Tuazon’s award-winning book A Professional Lola is a collection of short stories exploring “modern-day Filipino American virtues.” They expressed gratitude for the event and the platform to have these discussions.
“A lot of the writers in my panel, our subject matter deals with fighting those troubling cultural norms like homophobia or sexism and turning them around and making people think differently,” they said. “Seeing all these Filipino American writers in the same place [shows] how much we’ve grown as a community of writers…, thinkers, innovators, and activists. It puts more of our community in the spotlight, especially in America.”
Writing as Catalyst for Change panel (Photo by Chris Ceguerra)
Tuazon’s words reflect Rosca’s talk. The event summoned Filipino writers and artists from their various corners of the world and brought them together in their commitment to uplifting Filipino stories. It also highlighted the responsiveness of the Filipino American International Book Festival as it continues to expand its reach and engage with the ever-evolving Filipino identity.
As Rosca stated in her introductory speech, “This is how it is with being Filipino, it is not a destination, it is a journey.”
Kyla Crisostomo is a writer and arts professional based in San Francisco. She is the founder of The Lupa Newsletter, a submission-based newsletter featuring stories and poetry from Filipinos around the world. She also briefly ran an Instagram comic page, @florabulaklak. Her days consist of taking long walks and writing short poems.
