Posting this essay I wrote for the talk I had with PNU's Center for Gender Studies and Development.Good afternoon to everyone! I thank the PNU Center for Gender
Studies and Development for inviting me to share my thoughts and experiences on
being a woman, a writer and a lover of literature. I am teacher librarian,
storyteller, children’s book author and literacy skills coach. I am not an
expert on women’s studies nor am I a literature major who has spent years in
teaching and learning the discipline. But, PNU made a call. I heeded the call.
Para ito sa Inang Pamantasan kaya tinangap ko ang hamon.
My discussion on Women and Literature are in three contexts.
Stories. Storytelling and the Sacred Sexuality. From here, we will explore and think
about women’s roles in literature, specifically folk literature, as spring
boards for future discussions. May this session, short as it is, aid you in
developing programs, projects and activities centered on gender development and
the study of a more equal and fair treatment of people.
In 2019, I attended a children’s book writing workshop. For
five days, we sat in lectures, wrote drafts of stories, read the stories of
co-fellows, gave feedback on each other’s work, revised and edited our work as
necessary. Our manuscripts were then illustrated by a select group of
children’s book illustrators. In three
months, our team of publishers was able to publish 20 children’s books that
speak of human rights, gender equality, identity, self-awareness and community
development aimed at women, children and their families that have no access to
books and reading materials. The experience made a big dent in my writing life.
It gave me a clearer purpose of my role as an author of children’s stories.
I learned and relearned so many things from those five days of
engagement and participation. I learned and relearned that, a story, or stories
are windows, mirrors and doors.
Stories are windows unto others’
world views, specifically that of the author and/or the creators of the book.
By listening and reading stories, our own world views are enriched, even disturbed
and challenged. This allows us to see how complex the human psyche can be and that
the systems that we build around us is as complicated as our nature. As a
result, we become kinder to ourselves and caring of others, if not, more
considerate of another human being.
Stories are mirrors because
it amplifies our dreams reflecting our joys and pains. Since stories are made
and told by people like you and me, we find a connection of their experience
with ours. We see ourselves in the pages of a book, in a character in a movie,
in a scene or dialogue in a Kdrama series and in the lines or lyrics of songs and
poems. This is very comforting. An assurance that we are not alone in our life
journeys.
Lastly, stories are doors that show us opportunities
for thinking and in growing one’s curiosity. You open the pages of a book and you
step into a new world to imagine, to play and to wonder! We listen to stories
from friends, news casts, from an audio book or a retelling and it inspire us
to move or to take action. We watch movies, theatre plays or a video drama and
there we discover an invitation to leave our comfort zones.
Well crafted stories have the power to convince us that we are
capable of doing great things given the talents we discover and the skills we
build along the way. We find enjoyment in literature and yet, it invites us to
leave our comfort zones and take part in the bigger community.
It is at this juncture where I find myself continuously
ruminating about the creative process and my writing life. If the stories that
I create, craft and collaboratively produce with friends in the publishing
industry hold such power, where do I find the energy and the force to keep my
momentum going? In this pandemic age, when being productive poses greater risks
on mental health, how is it even possible to publish and promote books and
stories for young children? Since the form of the art that I pursue is written
literature, especially made for an intended audience, otherwise known as
children, how do I approach the imparting of messages that matter to me. What
is my message that will also matter to my reader? Why do I tell stories? Why do
I write in the first place?
