In Conversation with Jerry Spinelli about the Journey of “Stargirl”

Every time I think I’m going to do more interviews in this corner of the Internet, it doesn’t pan out into fruition. I’ve come to accept that that’s okay, for this is really a space for me to speak. However, that doesn’t mean I’m going to forfeit interviews completely, and I definitely have quite a conversation to share today. In the midst of COVID-19 altering life as we know it and finding ways to pass the time until these shelter-in-place orders are lifted, I figured that now is the best time to reach out and speak with an author whose books I grew up reading: Jerry Spinelli.

A Time to Create and Support Creatives

Three months ago on New Year’s Eve, I think it’s fair to say that many of us weren’t expecting the first major pandemic in over a century would kick off the beginning of the 2020’s, and yet here we are. Movies, conventions, and sporting events are being postponed or cancelled completely. People who work in the medical field, restaurant industries, banks, and grocery stores are busier than ever. This week in the Bay Area, a shelter-in-place went into effect for the next few weeks. Countries like Italy are on complete lockdown. We can’t see any family or friends in person aside from those who we already live with, and for people like me, it’s already driving me bats.

Thoughts About Identifying as a Filmmaker

It happened again this week. I mean, I guess it would make sense for why I’ve been asked about this more than once by now. When your day job oversees funding, distributing, and occasionally producing films (and a film festival), I can see how it would only be natural one would ask if you have any filmmaking aspirations of your own. So when a visitor asked if I am a filmmaker, I said no, but I did say that I am a screenwriter. He argued in saying that a screenwriter is a type of a filmmaker. But is it?

Writing Accomplishments of the 2010’s

In January 2010, I was still in high school. I was chief editor of the school paper, editor of the school literary magazine, member of the slam poetry club, with a bunch of other writing constantly happening on the side. I began the decade doing writing that either or may not have amounted to something, and whenever it was the former, it was frequently to the small audience of my high school and hometown.

Thoughts About NaNoWriMo REVISITED

I’ve touched on a lot of topics on this blog within my first year. In the five years since, it’s only right that my thoughts and opinions have changed and shifted overtime. Already, I previously revisited the topic of young adult fiction. Now, I want to do the same for NaNoWriMo. I feel it’s only right, especially since this year is the 20th anniversary since it was started.

In Support of “Steel Crow Saga” by Paul Krueger: Recommended Readings

I don’t always use this space to hype out over other author’s works. That’s usually what I use Goodreads for. But every once in a while, there comes along a book that is just so captivating, that to limit my thoughts about it to just a Goodreads review genuinely just wouldn’t be enough.

At the beginning of the month, I mentioned Paul Krueger’s latest novel, Steel Crow Saga, when I talked about the support that goes around for Filipino American authors and which ones usually get it. This was before I actually read the book myself. Since then, I took my time with reading it and I am so impressed with it, that I want to recommend the following readings in support of it, and in this particular order:

How You Tell a Story and How That Makes All the Difference

If there’s anything gained from the events that have happened over the last week, it’s that how a story is told can make all the difference in the long run. This is especially notable for when you’re recapturing events and occurrences that have happened in real life. It can influence one’s beliefs, determine one’s perception on things, and how they handle it.

Thoughts About Acknowledging Filipino American Authors

It’s October, which means it is now Filipino American History Month. It is a month devoted to reflecting on the historical events, experiences, and people who’ve shaped the path to where we are as a community now.

To mark the month-long occasion, Randy Ribay, author of the highly acclaimed coming-of-age novel Patron Saints of Nothing, wrote a guest post for School Library Journal where he talked about recommendations of Filipino American books written by Filipino American authors for all age demographics.

Thoughts About Young Adult Fiction REVISITED

Young adult (YA) fiction: This is a subject I’ve been wanting to revisit for quite some time. After spending part of this past week reading a favorite, Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl, I felt that now is just as good of a time to finally write about this topic again, after previously writing about it over five years ago. After all, thoughts and opinions about certain subject matter can change overtime, the more you learn and grow. In the case of YA fiction, my thoughts and feelings towards it have definitely morphed.

The One About Screenwriter Adele Lim

So this news is a little over a week old, but for the sake of its context, it’s something I wanted to dive into and dissect, while providing my personal take on it. After all, one of my long-term goals is to become a professional screenwriter myself, much like the bad-ass that is screenwriter Adele Lim.