PNU USAP Tayo: Women and Literature: Stories. Storytelling and Sacred Sexuality (1 of 3)

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?