This episode shares parts of a conversation that helped shape the final letter of TFAW Letter’s Holiday Edition (Ep. 184 — releases December 24th).
For the first time in a year, Jen conducts a very casual interview with Monica Macansantos, Author of Returning to My Father’s Kitchen: Essays.
First Readers will hear Jen and Monica brainstorm and workshop a letter together. For privacy reasons, this recording features selected snippets of their longer conversation about Monica, who was writing a book of essays when her father passed away.
Some of the essays were written while he was still alive. He even had the chance to read them. Most of the book, though, was written after his death, as Monica worked through what it meant to lose him and to keep writing without him as her ally and biggest champion.
They talk about how grief shows up in Filipino families, how quickly loss can be followed by expectations to “move on,” and what it feels like when emotions are prayed away instead of talked through. Monica shares how making her grief public became a way to claim her voice and individuality, rather than conform to what was expected of her as a ‘dutiful daughter.’
The conversation also touches on identity and belonging—on not fitting perfectly into any one community, and on choosing to speak from an individual perspective rather than representing an entire culture. They talk about why specificity matters, why first-person stories can feel more empowering, and how writing can create a safer space for others to recognize their own experiences.
This is part one of a two-part interview. Stay tuned!
Join us for our FINAL Family Potluck on December 22nd!
✨ Vision Board Workshop & Final Family Potluck of the Year - DEC 22ND, 1 PM (PT) / 4 PM (ET)
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