Oceans and port towns. Sugar plantations and salmon canneries.

Diplomats and movie stars. Marriages and secrets. Six wars, six continents and 100 voyages. All true.

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As a writer of literary nonfiction, my life experiences inform my art. My historical biography, with memoir of my father, Denis Rodill, is pending. This project, "A Filipino Rascal Through Six Wars:  1894-1977," ignited in 2008 when I learned that Denis was restricted to galley work much of his career because he was a Filipino.

 

Over the years, I have researched his universal theme of struggle, and how--in his epic journey--this rascal beat the odds. My memoir excerpts highlight my father’s powerful influence on me, something every daughter can understand. Following publication, I plan to complete a companion children’s chapbook. Blessed with support from Seattle’s literary and Filipino communities, this work is my jewel. I hope to inspire other marginalized writers to record their stories. My journey has taught me I must preserve this Pinoy’s story now. I cannot let it be lost forever.​​