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

 

In the intervening 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.

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