Often it takes life altering moments to pull us out of the monotony of experiencing the every day without truly living it. Mary Grace Bertulfo discusses just this and more in today's chat about her pages penned in pandemic.
What does the pandemic currently look like in your city?
For many people of color, there's the triple threat of the pandemic hitting across generations in the same household; the threat of aggression aimed at Asian Americans in public places; and, as of this writing, the unstable and capricious targeting of Chinese Americans by the current Administration's rhetoric around the pandemic. So, when the Administration misinforms the public by calling COVID-19 by a racial slur, Asian Americans are targeted. Simultaneously, Filipinx American healthcare workers, like my family, are taking care of COVID patients and dying disproportionately. But it has also been a time of resilience. We gather virtually to meditate and pray. We share stories and poetry by Zoom. Creativity has been a saving grace. City borders feel almost irrelevant during this pandemic.
What are some favorite books you've read during quarantine?
Yaa Giyasi's Homegoing. Marcus Burke's Team Seven. Amy Irvine's Air Mail. Ocean Vuong's On Earth We Are Absolutely Gorgeous. Ross Gay's The Book of Delights.
Have there been any movies, tv shows, podcasts, etc. that have helped keep you at ease the past few months?
Nature documentaries: “My Octopus Teacher.” Anything with David Attenborough. Anime: Any Hayao Miyazaki (Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away). “The Great British Baking Show.” Magazines with an online presence: Emergence and Orion. John Krasinski's SOME GOOD NEWS. The table read of Princess Bride with a reunion of the original cast. The “Michelle Obama Podcast.” Yo-yo Ma's weekly music release. “The Queen's Gambit.”
How has the pandemic affected your writing?
I caught Corona in August and learned two things: People are boundlessly kind and time is finite. When I experienced how profound a privilege it is to breathe--or to be in the same room where the existence of my spouse was HAPPENING—it made me realize I need to write what counts. Stop wasting time and do the real deed.
Are there any projects you are excited to keep working on? If so, can you give us any details (no spoilers please!) about your project?
I'm excited to continue working on my novel which is about the spiritual hunger of a Filipina American and a 500-year-old ghost who retells Magellan's invasion of the Philippines.
If asked ten years from now what the past few months have taught you about being a writer, what would come to mind?
Write what matters most to you. And be sure to walk in beauty every day.
Have there been any fellow writers or people in your life who have helped you stay connected during the pandemic?
There are too many to name them all! I've spent most of the pandemic with my spouse, Alan. We laugh a lot and that's important. Dogs are people. I live with two and their rambunctious joy eases the larger suffering of the world. Our son is a kind and creative person and I've loved talking-story with him. My extended family and neighbors have been blessings. At SNHU's MFA, our coterie of environmental writers who've literally lived through wildfires and meandered the desert: especially Julie Gabrielli, Loren Klyne, Sam Keck Scott, Tori-lynn Bell. Amy Irvine by writing, example, and support. Ben Nugent and SNHU faculty for keeping our MFA program strong. Our Lunch Crew: Crystal Gross, Erikka Durdle, and Kosoko Jackson. Banyan: Asian American Writers and our Writing in Community group. I'm especially thankful to fellow writers and teachers Cori Kodama, Karen Su, Isabel Garcia-Gonzales, Jane Hseu, Eduardo Eusebio, Nicole Sumida, Chris Tran, and Mia Manansala.
Is there anything that excites you about the changes being incited in the publishing world in light of recent events?
At the highest levels, houses are looking to hire more Black publishers and address the need for books to reflect and include all communities. Within environmental publishing (in magazines, community presses, and online forums), the voices of Indigenous authors and Black authors are coming to the fore. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a gracious and fierce example of this. Her work highlights the values of reciprocity and interconnection--within "nature" and human communities. What if we understand land, water, and air as kin, how would we treat them? We sorely need this kind of wisdom at this moment in time.
Is there anything that worries you about the changes being incited in the publishing world in light of recent events?
I worry about a backlash. Inclusion of BIPOC voices and experiences, as with the Obama years, challenges structural racism and white supremacy. Backlash can be swift and violent--and certainly misguided by the disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda that characterizes this pandemic era. As words-people, we're challenged to be vigilant and loving. Words hold meaning and power.
Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? Has this changed during the pandemic?
LOL. I was mostly a pantser. Now, I actually plot--but it has to be fun and loose. I've started storyboarding my chapters with a home-made template. This helps me focus on an iconic image and leaves room for me to ask what my main character is feeling with each movement.
Where is your favorite place to write? Has this changed during the pandemic?
Any place quiet.
If you curated a playlist for writing life in the pandemic, what top 5 songs would be on your list?
Yo-yo Ma's Bach Cello Suites. Ruby Ibara anything. DJ Cassidy's Pass The Mic Volume 3. Cécile Corbel's "The Neglected Garden" from the Arrietty Soundtrack. Van Morrison anything.
Without too many spoilers, what is your favorite scene you've written since the pandemic began?
A scene where two potential lovers debate love using 16th century Philippine poetry while on a canoe downriver. Yes, ancestral tattoos and poetry DO go together in some traditions.
While the future is just as unknowable as ever, what is something you are most looking forward to this year?
Seeing our son in person again as vaccines become a reality.
Is there any advice you would give to young writers during this time?
Writing isn't the end-product, it's the way. It can keep us afloat. Writing can heal us. Writing can help us cope with our grief and remember what we love. So keep writing. Say what's real and share it.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Thanks for your time and holding space for our stories and voices!
ABOUT Mary Grace Bertulfo
Mary Grace Bertulfo writes at the intersection of nature, culture, and spirituality. She has written for television and children's education in such venues as CBS, Pearson Education Asia, and Schlessinger, and magazines such as Sierra and Chicago Wilderness. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in various anthologies. She's the founder of Banyan: Asian American Writers Collective, an Orion Scholar, and a candidate at SNHU's Mountainview Grand MFA.
To learn more, follow Mary and her writing journey at her website and on Twitter and Instagram.
Thanks for chatting, Mary!
