We’re so grateful to Janela Mauricio for joining the team, here’s some questions and answers with her.
Question: Welcome, Janela, it’s great to have you, please tell us a bit about yourself.
Answer: Hi, I’m Janela! I’m currently a third-year Creative Writing major at Ateneo de Manila. I come from a family of storytellers and decided to pursue writing full-time. I’m passionate about humanities and other forms of art, which heavily inspires my creative process. For me, writing fiction, or anything in general, is as natural as breathing. It is how we make sense of our stories and experiences. Right now, my focus is on writing pieces that center on Filipino culture and identity.
Question: What do you like to read?
Answer: I like to believe that I’m a toe-dipper in all sorts of literary fiction, but I really love reading works about Filipino culture, history, and mythology. I find speculative stories interesting– especially anything that approaches our reality through imagined worlds. I enjoy the works of Gregorio Brillantes, Ricky Lee, and Tony Perez.
On the other hand, I’m also an avid fan of children’s literature, having read it while growing up. These works are pure joy to me, and I feel I get to know myself better through them.
Question: What would you like to see more of within literary trends from writers in the Philippines and beyond?
Answer: I hope to see more of our writers experiment and reimagine most of what they write about. Part of that reimagining is remaining fundamentally connected and aware of our present reality. The process of envisioning just exposes how broken or haunted these narratives are. However, this kind of creative reimagining is still necessary. It provides us with a sense of hope that change is possible and we can find that silver lining, hopefully in literature.