Celebrated Filipino Author Therese Estacion Featured at the Filipino-Canadian Book Festival
Therese Estacion, a renowned Filipino author, is the celebrated writer of "Phantompains," a powerful collection of poems published by Book*Hug. This work delves into her Filipino heritage and personal experiences with disability. "Phantompains" was a finalist for the 2021 Indies Foreword Reviews and the 2021 CLMP Firecracker Award. Therese, who resides in Toronto/Tkaronto, has been a guest editor for ARC Poetry Magazine and teaches poetry at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. We proudly featured her at the Filipino-Canadian Book Festival, highlighting her contributions to Filipino literature and the Filipino-Canadian community.
Can you describe the process of incorporating Filipino horror and folk tales into your poetry? The inclusion of Visayan language and folklore is a significant aspect of your work. How do you feel this enriches your storytelling and connects with your cultural heritage?
The ideas just came to me one night. I thought it would be cool to explore how my current experience of bodily horror—my amputations—somehow connected to the folklore I learned as a child. There was no way I could share aspects of these stories without using Visayan since it was how the stories were passed down to me. The folktales are not just pure horror. They often have a strong current of humour flowing through them that can only be expressed through Visayan. I wanted to capture this tone as well.
Your poems deal with trauma and the aftermath of hospitalization. How do you hope your writing provides catharsis and healing for both yourself and your readers?
Even though I had friends and family visit me in the hospital, and after my discharge, my experience was really a solitary one. I also wasn’t very candid about my feelings with others, or myself really. Some of it was pretty disturbing. Writing made me more honest and normalized what I thought was taboo. I hope the readers will feel less alone when they read my work and encouraged to explore their inner disturbances.
What book in the Canadian literary canon do you think is a must-read? And why?
There are lots! In terms of poetry, I think Liz Howard’s Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent is a masterpiece. I wish I could learn more about poetry from Liz. For non fiction, Amanda Leduc’s Disfigured: On fairytales, disability, and making space is a book anyone interested in learning more about disability justice should read. Butter, Honey, Pig, Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi is such a wonderful book. It’s so sensual and moving and beautiful. Oh, and anything by Tamara Faith Berger because I feel like her work does not necessarily get the attention it deserves. Sorry! Can’t choose just one!