Art and Culture
Filipina-Canadian Poet, Alia Ceniza Rasul, Announces Debut Collection of Comedic Poetry, Super Important Filipina Thoughts
April 1, 2021 – Just in time for April, National Poetry Month, Tkaronto (Toronto)-based Filipina artist, comedian and producer Alia Ceniza Rasul is releasing her first book of hilariously irreverent poems entitled Super Important Filipina Thoughts. The collection reflects Rasul’s musings on identity, family, navigating relationships and friendships, and growing up Filipina.
Alia Rasul is a member of award-winning comedy troupe the Tita Collective, and is a regular performer and writer on the Toronto/Ottawa circuit. She is the artistic director of Tawa Filipinx Comedy Festival and is an alumna of McGill University, the Second City Conservatory, and the Bob Curry Fellowship.
In 2019, Rasul challenged herself to write and share a poem on Instagram every day. This practice continued as the world entered pandemic lockdown. Rasul was surprised by the number of other Filipinas who approached her to share how meaningful and entertaining her poems were to them, and encouraged her to keep writing. What began as an exercise to process her own thoughts and feelings also became an avenue to gently address and heal the stigma against mental health within her community.
“I got so tired of my own negative self-talk. I wanted to break free from it so I had to tell myself that all my thoughts, no matter how silly, are important. If this book can just remind women that they are important, if it can make them laugh and feel less alone, then I’ll be happy,” says Rasul.
To celebrate the launch of Super Important Filipina Thoughts, a night of poetry and music featuring Filipina artists is being held via Zoom on Saturday, April 3rd at 7:00 pm EST. Proceeds from the event will be used to support the performing artists as well as the artists of the Inday Dolls Palangga Prison Art Project. Inday Dolls are iconic art products made by Ilongga women behind bars as voices of disaster, survival and resilience.
The book is published by Winnipeg-based ANAK Publishing Worker Cooperative Ltd, which produces thought provoking Filipino-Canadian content, notably in oral history, children’s literature, and creative writing anthologies.
Super Important Filipina Thoughts can be purchased at http://anakpublishing.ca/SuperImportantFilipinaThoughts.html.
