Table of Contents

Introduction /xi

The Homeland

Hari Alluri | Body Is Not a Thing to Escape 3

Isabel Carlin | Wedding vows for a revolution 5

Deann Louise C. Nardo | Where do you come from? 7

Rafael Palma |

Balikbayan Box 8

NAIA Terminal III 10

Steffi Tad-y | Cruel Strokes 11

Jellyn Ayudan | Manila, 1993 12

Renato Gandia | Tubigan, tumbang preso, taguan, and other preludes to a trauma 14

The Big Picture

Isabel Carlin |

Welcome! Long life! Good health! Big smile! 25

Foreign aid 28

Lazarus in the age of war 29

Steffi Tad-y |

Third Person Singular 32

Real Talk 33

Kaia M. Arrow | Dreams of Pinoy Joy: Decolonial Rage and Disabled Resistance in the Diaspora 34

Teodoro Alcuitas | Accidental Journalist 37

C.E. Gatchalian | Fuck You: Selfishness, Big Girls, and the (Mis)Education of Hidilyn Diaz 44

Hannah Balba | “As Opposed to Other Races”: Filipino-Canadians in Care Work and the Politics of Legibility 53

Alexa Batitis | Living a Life of Hybrid Languages 59

Mila Bongco-Philipzig | White Lies My Elders Told Me 63

Maribeth Manalaysay Tabanera | Pagpasok Sa Sarili Ko / Coming Into Myself 72

Patria Rivera | Landing and Arrival: A map of no return 86

Proximity

Hari Alluri | Oracle Card: Toward Wonder 99

Steffi Tad-y | Islands Along Mount Pleasant 106

Jellyn Ayudan | Roots 108

Erica Dionora | Cutscene 111

Angelo Santos | boxes 115

Leon Aureus | Just My Imagination 121

Kay Costales | If I Talked to Death 131

Made in Canada

Hari Alluri | The Problem Is I Actually Love Mountains 147

Rachel Evangeline Chiong | Desidido 150

Ariel Dela Cruz | in little manila 152

Deann Louise C. Nardo | Mimosa pudica 154

Carolyn Fe | I clearly remember 159

Rafael Palma |

Lunch Box 162

OPM 165

Rani Rivera |

All Violet 167

Night and Day 168

A Dereliction of Line 170

Aileen Santiago | Phantom Pains 172

Hari Alluri, Sol Diana & Carlo Sayo | Offering for Eric 174

Primrose Madayag Knazan | Where. Are. You. From. 179

Jim Agapito | Punk As F*ck 186

Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio | Seven Steps to Reuniting with Your Teenage Daughter 203

Christine Añonuevo | roots & routes 218

Isabela Palanca Aureus | Finding Home 222

Gemma Derpo Dalayoan | First Few Years in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as Immigrants 236

Yves Lamson | Reliquary 245

Remilyn “Felix” Policarpio | Over the Grave and Back Again 256

Alma Salazar Retuta, md | My journey as a doctor in Canada 271

Lorina Mapa | First Winter 275

Monica Batac | Sisters in Practice: A Readers Theatre Script 278

Kawika Guillermo | Untouchable, Or, The Most Filipino Story You’ll Ever Read 283

José Romelo Lagman | A Day in the Life of a Meatpacker 293

Grace Sanchez MacCall | Wild West 311

Leah Ranada | Foragers 315

Nathalie De Los Santos | Over the Rainbow 323

Vincent Ternida | Acacia 341

Contributor Biographies 351

Acknowledgements 363