Creative writing ‘playshop’ launched for young Fil-Ams

The NVM and Narita Gonzalez Writers’ Workshop is hosting a youth creative writing “playshop” this August. CONTRIBUTED

CHICAGO — Young Filipino Americans will get a chance to flex their imaginations and creativity, and even learn some archeology skills at the Hidden Treasures: Unearthing Our Stories Workshop from Aug. 2 to 4, 2024.

Organized by the NVM and Narita Gonzalez Writers’ Workshop, this special weekend-long youth writers’ program is open to kids and teens ages 8 to 18. Last day to register July 26, 2024.

Participants will learn to “create stories, poetry, even songs, in any form or media they choose” using prompts based on artifacts from the Field Museum’s Philippine Heritage Collection. They will be guided through writing games, “dreamstorming” (the workshop’s version of brainstorming), how to create a zine and a student showcase, among other activities.

“Join us for an incredible journey to the Philippines at the exhibit,” says Mary Grace Bertulfo, the group’s midwest program director.

“A 19^th-century helmet and armor made of carabao horn. Colorful barangay (boat) and outriggers. Toys and games. Who knows what intriguing treasures the young writers will encounter? These artifacts can inspire and enrich their stories.”

Play, not work

The workshop aims to make writing and storytelling fun. Parents and educators may take comfort in knowing that the workshop’s instructors “will be encouraging the more tentative students to explore story forms and writing techniques they may be curious about, such as comics, poetry, creative nonfiction, short stories, essays, etc.,” says the organization’s vice-president Lisa Melnick Suguitan.

“We welcome students with any level of curiosity and skill. Instead of workshops, we call our writing sessions playshops. Often, kids approach writing with some nervousness. There’s anxiety over tests, grammar and being graded. Writing can be a mysterious and challenging process.

“Our playshops bring joy to the writing process, exploration and innovation. The emphasis is on nourishing the young storyteller’s creative process, celebrating taking creative risks.

“They can write on their phones or devices or in notebooks. They can write short stories, poems, essays, short stories or draw comics and manga. The choice is theirs.”

Workshops

The workshop will be taught by the following Filipino American instructors who will help participants hone their skills and help them find ways to achieve their creative goals.

Writer, artist, educator and comics maker Isabel Garcia-Gonzales. Her zine Fledgling Comics has been included as required reading in college courses such as Introduction to Asian American Studies and Introduction to Creative Writing.

Lisa Suguitan Melnick has more than 35 years of experience as a writing instructor. She is the author of #30 Collantes Street.

Mary Grace Bertulfo has written for television (CBS) and children’s education (Pearson Education Asia, Schlessinger). Her award-winning fiction, essays and poetry have appeared in Growing Up Filipino II, City of Big Shoulders, Dear Human on the Edge of Time, and various anthologies. She is the founder of Banyan Asian American Writers Collective.

Educator Michael Gonzalez is the founder and director of the NVM and Narita Gonzalez Writers’ Workshop. He is a faculty member of the City College of San Francisco.

Heritage, legacy, stories

The NVM and Narita Gonzalez Writers’ Workshop offers fiction writing workshops both in the US and the Philippines.

Founded in honor of Filipino novelist, short story writer, essayist and poet Néstor Vicente Madali Gonzalez, the workshop’s mission is to encourage people of all ages, genders and ethnicities to discover writing as an expression of self and of others.

Some of Gonzalez’s novels include The Bamboo Dancers,

A Season of Grace: A Novel and The Bread of Salt and Other Stories.

“NVM Gonzalez believed that literature is the mirror of a people’s collective soul to be cultivated with care and with creativity. We hope our workshops fulfill this mission,” says Michael Gonzalez. “Inspired by NVM’s life story, we develop programs that cultivate appreciation for fiction writing, visual arts, and music.”

For details, visit nvmgonzalez.org. Walter Ang is the author of Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater. Available at Amazon, Bookshop and other online booksellers.