Comments for From the Beloved Country

Comment on Writing and Publishing news by rcloenenruiz

rcloenenruiz — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:13:22 +0000

Thanks, Phillip. I hope the writing is going well on your side too.

Comment on Writing and Publishing news by Phillip McCollum

Phillip McCollum — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:56:14 +0000

Wow, you’re on a roll with your submissions! Way to go!

Comment on Dagiti Timayap Garda by rcloenenruiz

rcloenenruiz — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:28:41 +0000

Thanks for your excellent feedback on this story, Victor.

Comment on Dagiti Timayap Garda by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo

Victor Fernando R. Ocampo — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:30:37 +0000

Its a really good story. I can’t wait for the anthology to come out!

Comment on Dagiti Timayap Garda by rcloenenruiz

rcloenenruiz — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:11:57 +0000

I’m so glad you enjoyed Song of the Body Cartographer. Thank you for reading and for taking the time to leave a comment. The work of Filipino writers continues to inspire and encourage me as well. I also feel that we must write the stories we want to write.

Comment on Dagiti Timayap Garda by Glaiza

Glaiza — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:05:43 +0000

I will definitely check this one out! I loved reading the Song of the Body Cartographer. Reading stories with Filipino folklore has helped me to understand heritage. I’ve recently come across works by more writers/poets like Ivy Alvarez and Merlinda Bobis. It’s inspiring to know there are Filipino writers in the world writing the stories they want to write.

Comment on Dagiti Timayap Garda by rcloenenruiz

rcloenenruiz — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:27:09 +0000

Thanks for dropping by, Phillip. I’m glad you found the mythology interesting. It was fun writing with that as my springboard. I’ll probably be spamming people’s feeds when the anthology comes out.

Comment on Dagiti Timayap Garda by Phillip McCollum

Phillip McCollum — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:55:12 +0000

Congrats on the publication! The mythology behind the Tikbalang was an interesting read. I hope you’ll let us know when the anthology comes out.

Comment on In which I have been interviewed by theliteratecondition

theliteratecondition — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 05:15:06 +0000

Exactly! which is why it’s all the more creepy… and important to acknowledge. I didn’t feel like any of the characters or institutions or cultures were monolithic, or that any one could be pointed to as “bad” or “good” and I feel that that is appropriate though difficult or problematic to portray. Caricatures and archetypes are shorthand, and they can’t tell a deeply compelling or emotionally real story. “Dancing in the Shadow of the Once” is compelling and emotionally honest and does not shy away from problematic (cultural) relationships – it’s really good.
Sorry if I rambled – “Bloodchildren” is an excellent collection and your story is great. And then I realized I’d read a column you wrote on Strange Horizons (and even more wow). So thanks!
- Kathrin

Comment on In which I have been interviewed by rcloenenruiz

rcloenenruiz — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:31:00 +0000

Thank you for your kind words.

The question of “am I preserving my culture and helping others to see it” or “am I putting my heritage on display” is a powerful and difficult question.

It is a difficult question and sometimes it’s hard to discern where to draw the line. Even in real life, where I am sometimes asked to present dances or talk about where I came from, I struggle with this question. I prefer to share a dance or a ritual as a way of connecting with community which is how dances and rituals are used where I grew up.

Regarding the Compassionate: Our colonizers liked to present themselves as being compassionate or benevolent. They were rendering a kindness to the “natives” who were lost in darkness. There is also this place where I am currently situated where society and people pride themselves on their compassion, but there are strings attached to their brand of compassion. Naming the colonial power as “the Compassionate” is my way of casting a critical eye at the way in which colonial powers like to see themselves. Are they really compassionate? Are they truly benevolent?