Blog: what's new with me

It's been almost a month since school ended and I have been resting - both mentally and physically. Lots of cat naps, binge watching (currently going through the 9-1-1 Lonestar series) and staring at the wall contemplating at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
And an email came through about my poetry collection that I had sent out to the Universe almost 2 -3 years ago. I told myself that this was going to be the last time I'll send it and if it comes back to me, I'll self-publish it myself. 
I wish I could say the next few words are....guess who's going to pick up this baby and go?  Unfortunately, I got 0-5. But I got an email about a journal who had short-listed me. The words of encouragement and the constructive feedback filled me with hope. And as I work through this collection with edits and with care of someone who hasn't really read this thing in 2-3 years time. One of the critiques was my hesitation. Because I had written poems some due to what was happening to Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, I also held myself back to not sound so angry. I hesitated because I wanted to make sure people who could potentially read my work doesn't associate me as an angry Asian woman........but the past few months, especially, I feel like my anger has increased and so has my fear. 
I'd like to channel that to strengthen some poems but anchor in the hope of what being an immigrant means to me; how growing up as an "other" fit into my psyche. 
So, without further ado......... I hope to celebrate the start of Filipino American Heritage Month (September) with the book in your hands. 

*not the actual cover. But edit-in-progress happening over here. 

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