SAN FRANCISCO—Philippine American Writers and Artists and the Philippine Consulate are hosting a presentation called “To Love As Aswang: Songs, Fragments & Found Objects” by Filipino American writer Barbara Jane Reyes.
The event is on Friday, December 11 at the Consulate’s 5th floor Social Hall, 447 Sutter Street. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., event starts at 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
Appearing with Reyes are writers and artists are Eileen Tabios, Janice Sapigao and Jay Santa Cruz. There will be readings from Reyes’ book, Q&A and refreshments.
The invitation to the event also reads: “The Philippine aswang is a mythic, monstrous creature which has, since colonial times, been associated with female transgression, scapegoating and social shaming, known in Tagalog as hiya.
“In the 21st century, and in diaspora, she manages to endure. In Barbara Jane Reyes‘s To Love as Aswang, the poet and a circle of Filipino American women grapple with what it means to live as a Filipina, or Pinay, in a world that has silenced, dehumanized and broken the Pinay body.
“These are poems of Pinay tragedy and perseverance, of reappropriating monstrosity and hiya, sung in polyphony and hissed with forked tongues.”
To Love as Aswang is award-winning Pinay poet Barbara Jane Reyes’ fourth full-length poetry collection, which will be available for purchase.
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