Love as Solidarity: Filipino Writers and Artists in Queens

On a cold winter afternoon in February, the warmest place in Queens, NY may have been the Bayanihan Filipino Community Center, where local Filipino/a writers and poets gathered for an afternoon of readings that celebrated Philippine independence, the thriving Filipino-American community in Queens, and of course, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, love stories. I ventured up there for this event after hearing about it on Facebook, excited for my first taste of Filipino literature. It was certainly one to remember because even as an outsider from Brooklyn, the writers’ performances created a natural sense of community amongst everyone in attendance. Before I even realized it, I was hollering “woos” with the rest of the audience.

Co-sponsored by the Asian American Writers Workshop and the Philippine Forum, Love & Solidarity in Queens featured writers, Hossanah Asuncion, Joseph O. Legaspi, Nita Noveno, Bino Realuyo, Ricco Villanueva Siasoco, and Lara Stapleton. They all read beautifully, touching on issues of Filipino identity, the intersection of Filipino and American culture, immigration, family love, and much more. I especially enjoyed Bino’s reading from his upcoming novel because he was very animated and voiced all his characters differently. Kudos to his dynamic storytelling skills!

In addition to the featured writers, a few Queens community members also took to the podium to remind everyone how important history is to any community’s identity with poetry recited in their native language of Tagalog. These recitations came with English translations but for me, hearing them in Tagalog was a real treat. I’ve included a video below of Shirley Cuyugan O’Brien’s poem about the Philippine-American War, which was great for providing an emotional perspective to a war I knew nothing about except for the fact that it had occurred.

The Tagalog recitation was an excellent choice and gave a more powerful tone to the poem that just stuck with me. Shirley also happens to be a former history professor in the Philippines and is now a domestic worker in NYC. She lit up the whole room when she recited a Valentine’s Day poem while ensuring us that Tagalog is the most romantic language because it differentiates between liking and loving someone, unlike English. Americans mingle the two words frivolously, but not the Filipinos. She definitely has a valid point there. So, consider this when Feb. 14 arrives and you’re getting ready to say “I love you” or maybe Mahal kita in Tagalog.

Here are some pictures from the event of the Filipino/a artists who graced the podium.