For our 200th episode, Jen writes to her senior dog, Stuggi, after a late-night shriek jolts her awake. For the next 48 hours, she grapples with how to care for him as he paces around, night and day, afraid to lie down without hurting himself.

If you’re a dog parent who loves your fur baby with all your heart, this letter is for you.

Letter 200 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations…

…and this concludes our Summer Edition! Thanks for listening! ☀️

As a reminder: I will be taking a break from publishing letters for Filipino American History Month (FAHM) to engage with YOU! 💙❤️💛

Filipino American History Month will be dedicated to curating FAHM-related content from our community.

So if you have any recommendations (e.g., books, articles, your favorite influencers addressing FAHM, events, etc.), simply REPLY to any of our newsletters!

And if you’re not yet a subscriber, subscribe for FREE now! 💌

Subscribe now

P.S. Be sure to save tfawletters@substack.com as a trusted contact.

P.S.S. Depending on the number of replies, please note that I may not reply to everyone’s messages (thank you in advance for respecting my boundaries — mainly a one-woman band over here 🙋🏻‍♀️). Pay attention to our newsletters in October to see if your recommendation made it in!

Our final letters for 2026 will resume for the Holiday Edition in November. 🎁

Here’s a recap of our Summer Edition letters:

Heads up that I will be taking a break from publishing letters for Filipino American History Month (FAHM) to engage with YOU! 💙❤️💛

FAHM will be dedicated to curating FAHM-related content from our community.

So if you have any recommendations (e.g., books, articles, your favorite influencers addressing FAHM, events, etc.), simply REPLY to any of our newsletters! And if you’re not yet a subscriber, subscribe for FREE now! 💌

Subscribe now

P.S. Be sure to save tfawletters@substack.com as a trusted contact.

P.S.S. Depending on the number of replies, please note that I may not reply to everyone’s messages (thank you in advance for respecting my boundaries — mainly a one-woman band over here 🙋🏻‍♀️). Pay attention to our newsletters in October to see if your recommendation made it in!

Our final letters for 2026 will resume for the Holiday Edition in November. 🎁

Then… I might have a big announcement regarding 2027. 🤫 Possibly more details to come!

💛 Jen

As for today…

Jen shares unfiltered, unedited commentary on the Summer Edition, letters 196 to 200! 📝💛

Timestamps

• (START) — Episode 196 Commentary - Mamma Maria’s Letter

• (00:18:40) — Episode 197 Commentary - Dani’s Letter

• (00:36:00) — Episode 198 Commentary - Mic’s Letter

• (00:56:00) — Episode 199 Commentary - Emmy’s Letter

• (01:07:10) — Episode 200 Commentary - Jen’s Letter

• (01:27:20 to END) — Jen’s announcements regarding FAHM and 2027.

Happy listening 🎧

P.S. Audio Commentary is exclusively available to our First Readers.

Subscribe now

Relisten to Letters 196 to 199

Note: Episode 200 releases next Friday! 📝

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Sorry, Emmy can’t make it to the phone right now. But if you leave a very detailed, mutually beneficial message, she will get back to you at her convenience. But rest assured, it’ll be worth the wait.

If you’ve ever been afraid to set boundaries with loved ones, this letter is for you.

Letter 199 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our Summer Edition.

Mic writes to Ian, a dear friend who’s been part of her friend group since middle school, after he unexpectedly asks her out on a date. She thinks through everything that makes him the obvious choice: their blended community of Filipino family and friends, her parents’ unsolicited approval, the ease, and the entire future she can already picture in vivid detail. It just makes sense. But why can’t she say yes?

If you struggle to move past the friend zone with a childhood friend, this letter is for you.

Letter 198 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our Summer Edition.

Dani has finally accomplished the impossible: making friends who don’t need saving. It should feel like winning. But after one ordinary dance class, she experiences uncomfortable feelings as a regular member she’s grown to like starts hanging out with the new girl. She navigates her feelings as she searches for new leggings on the clearance rack.

If you’re no longer saving your friends and you feel weird about it, this letter is for you.

Letter 197 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our Summer Edition.

Mamma Maria replies to her daughter Ren (Episode 187) with pride and adoration, and reminds Ren to check her messages to stay up to date with her life. She can’t wait for her daughter to return home so they can be the dynamic duo once again.

If your daughter is your best friend, this letter is for you.

Letter 196 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our Summer Edition.

In the meantime…

Writer’s Commentary for Episodes 191 to 195

Note: Available to our TFAW PenPals!

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• Episode 191 — Commentary on Robin’s Letter

• Episode 192 — Commentary on Claire’s Letter

• Episode 193 — Commentary on Nance’s Letter

• Episode 194 — Commentary on Letter by Sofie’s Ate

• Episode 195 — Commentary on Wanda’s Letter

Relisten to the Letters

Read more

In the meantime…

Jen shares unfiltered, unedited commentary on the Summer Edition, letters 190 to 195! 📝💛

Timestamps

• (00:00:00) - Episode 190 Commentary - Trailer

• (00:05:00) - Episode 191 Commentary - Robin’s Letter

• (00:28:00) - Episode 192 Commentary - Claire’s Letter

• (00:47:30) - Episode 193 Commentary - Nance’s Letter

• (01:11:00) - Episode 194 Commentary - Letter by Sofie’s Ate

• (01:33:30) - Episode 195 Commentary - Wanda’s Letter

Happy listening 🎧

P.S. Audio Commentary is exclusively available to our First Readers.

Subscribe now

Read more

In this letter, Wanda (aka “Woke Woe”) replies to Nance (Episode 193). She acknowledges their fast friendship, activism, and the busyness that ultimately took Nance away, leaving Wanda with many unanswered questions.

If someone saying ‘I love you’ still left you feeling unloved, this letter is for you.

Letter 195 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our Summer Edition.

In this letter, an older sister writes to Sofie, her younger sister. Despite the older sister being raised to raise Sofie, they were often mistaken for twins growing up because of how much they enjoyed being sisters. Even as their paths diverged — different colleges, different cities, and a decade apart — they still felt fondly about each other. At least, that’s what the older sister thought.

When Sofie returns home, the older sister begins to see who her younger sister has become: a social justice warrior returning to save her oppressed mother. Soon enough, the older sister realizes who Sofie is saving their mother from.

If you ever grappled with a family member coming home completely changed from childhood, this letter is for you.

Letter 194 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our Summer Edition.

In this letter, Nance writes to Wanda, the loud-and-proud president of a Filipino student organization who felt like the big sister she never had. Even though she was too nice to say no, Nance found purpose and belonging with Wanda and the organization's members. But when the activism began to feel more than she could keep up with or express, she did what she’s always done when things get overwhelming.

If you ever got too busy to say what you really wanted to say, this letter is for you.

Letter 193 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our Summer Edition.

Claire’s new friend invites her to a dinner party, a refreshing change from the Filipino parties she’s used to. That is, until she meets Marco.

The moment he finds out she’s Filipino too, the evening takes a sharp turn toward assumptions, unsolicited opinions, and questions she didn’t anticipate having to answer. Claire thinks very carefully about her response the next time her friend invites her to another party.

If you’ve ever felt stereotyped by another Filipino, this one’s for you.

Letter 192 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our Summer Edition.

In this letter, Robin writes to Lolo G, their late grandfather, who loved them deeply. But his love was expressed with gender expectations about how a girl should move, dress, speak, and carry herself.

It was in Robin’s young adult years that they discovered the language and pronouns to voice who they really are, who they’ve always been. Then, before their 30th birthday, they’re ready to come out to their grandpa and family.

If you’re finally ready to show and tell everyone who you really are, this letter was written for you.

Letter 191 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our PRIDE Month special and Summer edition.

I’m your host, Jen Amos, here to read aloud letters inspired by real conversations with you!

It all begins with one line:

If I could say one thing...

Because sometimes one thing is all we need to take up a little more space. 💛

First letter releases next Friday! Stay tuned! 🎧

We got the writer’s commentary for:

• Episode 186 - Hana’s Letter

• Episode 187 - Ren’s Letter

• Episode 188 - Mari’s Letter

• Episode 189 - Mia’s Letter

Happy reading! 🤓📖

Read more

Jen shares unfiltered, unedited commentary on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month edition from May!

Timestamps

• (00:07:30) - Episode 185 Commentary - Trailer

• (00:26:00) - Episode 186 Commentary - Hana’s Letter

• (00:51:00) - Episode 187 Commentary - Ren’s Letter

• (01:20:30) - Episode 188 Commentary - Mari’s Letter

• (01:35:30) - Episode 189 Commentary - Mia’s Letter

Happy listening 🎧

Read more

This letter is for the working mom who was a proud career woman — until she became a mother.

In this letter, Mia writes to her twin sons as an empty nester. She’s now honest about who she was when they were young, and the real struggle she faced as a career-driven woman to surrender to motherhood. She doesn’t shy away from acknowledging how much she had to compromise and the guilt and resentment that came with it. Yet, along the way through the growing pains of being a working mother, something unexpected happened.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you can be a devoted mother and still be the ambitious woman you were before, this letter was written for you.

Letter 189 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations.

This concludes our AAPI Heritage Month edition. Thanks for listening, and we’ll resume in the summer!

Question: I have a paid membership. Where’s my bonus content?

Learn More

In this letter, Mari grows up in the Philippines as “the white girl,” the only fair-skinned mestiza in her Filipino family. When her dad moves them to America, she’s excited to finally belong. But she finds herself sitting in an ESL class, staring into a mirror she doesn’t recognize herself in, and taking part in a years-long project of blending in.

Then, in college, a Filipino woman shows up in her social media feed — proud, loud, and unapologetically Pinay. And Mari cannot stand her. But every time this woman appears in her feed, something in her ignites. So she does what any reasonable person does: she goes deeper into her feed.

If you have ever followed someone online and felt a rage you couldn’t explain, this letter was written for you.

Letter 188 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our AAPI Heritage Month edition.

Question: I have a paid membership. Where’s my bonus content?

Right now, bonus content will be provided in the off-season, starting June 5th.

In the meantime, if you have any burning questions about any of our published letters, you can always ping Jen in our Family Potluck Group Chat or reply to any of our newsletters.

Messages are typically checked on Fridays. 💌

This letter is for the Filipino American woman who has spent her whole life showing up for everyone around her, and only recently started to wonder what that has cost her.

In this letter, Ren grows up as her mother’s emotional confidant, her younger brother’s stand-in parent, and the steadiest friend and partner anyone around her has ever had. She has always been the one holding everyone else together. And for a long time, she believed that was love.

But after one relationship too many ends the same way, what begins to surface in Ren is something painful and wordless that she has been carrying for a very long time.

If you have spent your whole life showing up for others and somehow (maybe shamefully) still feel unloved, this letter was written for you.

Letter 187 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our AAPI Heritage Month edition.

May is also Mental Health Awareness Month 💛

It’s okay to say that you’re not okay. If you think you may need help, check out the Asian Mental Health Collective:

AMHC was founded in 2020 by community members who have lived with mental illness, therapists, and advocates. It began with a viral Facebook group and in-person meetups for Asians to talk openly about their feelings. We broke barriers by creating the first and largest Asian therapist directory. We also hosted the first online Asian Mental Health Conference. Over the years, we’ve inspired tens of thousands of people to join the conversation.

While the organization has evolved, AMHC is still all about community. We build online spaces for folks looking to connect, share, and learn about the intersections of mental health and Asian identity.

We also know that, for most of us, Asian identity is complex. Though we’re all Asian in the diaspora, we have varied cultures, languages, backgrounds, and traditions. Our differences interweave to create a strong and diverse community.

We want mental health care that acknowledges and understands these identities, rather than erases them. We offer free therapy, support groups, and learning communities that do just that.

Whether you’re just beginning your mental health journey, or are well on your way, this space (and community) is for you.

— Source, About AMHC

Learn More

This letter is for the Filipino American woman who has spent years being asked that second question: “But where are you really from?” She learned to answer it smoothly and playfully, without letting anyone notice that being asked the question felt like a wound that kept reopening.

In this letter, Hana grows up caught between two worlds. Her American friends see her as foreign. Her Filipino family wishes she could speak their dialect and understand the cultural nuances. But on a college stage, performing mid-song, she discovers how the space created by the pause within a song can change everything.

If you’ve ever felt like you were too much of one thing and not enough of another — this letter was written for you.

Letter 186 is part of The Filipino American Woman Project’s letters series, inspired by real conversations. This is our AAPI Heritage Month edition.