As a sixteen year old student writer born and raised in the Philippines, Audrey De Leon is fond of Filipino
media and culture. With Filipino as her mother tongue and English as her second language, she is
interested in learning how to write in different writing styles and genres using both languages. Gaining
interest in writing from her previous academic writing assignments, she began taking it as a hobby
through joining her school’s publication. During her junior high school years, she worked as a Research
section writer, Filipino section writer, and eventually, an editor. After entering a new school for senior
high school, she began and is currently working as a Promenade section writer. She hopes to continue her
pursuit of writing and introduce Filipino media and culture to people from different parts of the world.
Audrey De Leon's creative nonfiction piece, "My Sister's Room," was selected as the winner of our Philippine contest. Judges Nico De Guzman and Avril Shakira Villar had much to praise!
Avril Shakira Villar, Poetry Editor, describes how "My Sister’s Room" metaphorically pierced me through the heart and deep to the core of my bones. This masterpiece is heartfelt, and it beautifully captures a reality that we, as Filipinos, can generally relate to. The idea that our personal spaces reflect not just who we are but the layers of identity enhanced by family and expectations. The choice of words is exquisite; it balances poetic elegance and raw honesty at its core. Each sentence is detailed with intention, from the dust, the scattered imagery, the tsinelas, and the keepsakes. What stands out the most about this piece is the balance between introspection and storytelling. The transition from writing about the physical mess to analyzing the cultural significance is seamless. At its heart, this piece shows how we, as Filipinos, find meaning in everything. Nico De Guzman, Nonfiction Reader and Co-Judge for the contest, says that "My Sister’s Room” is a work of art that explores identity and familial relationships through the writer’s sister’s bedroom. It is beautiful in its imagery and language that hits the reader with precision. An eloquent summary can be found in the middle of the piece; it says, “My sister’s room, as ironic as it seems, does not have a mirror in sight. Yet, it is a reflection of all she has loved— as a human, a woman and a Filipino."
Do you think there is a big difference between school writing and creative writing?
Audrey De Leon: I think there is a big difference between school and creative writing and that difference is vulnerability. With school writing, it is often objective and direct. With creative writing, it is the kind that often requires you to be in touch with yourself– your thoughts and your feelings, in hope to resonate with others. These thoughts and feelings are what push you to be creative and to think and feel even deeper, to create something that captures it like how you perceive it. Although personally, I like to have a little fun and mix school writing with creative writing. I think doing so with the right balance can help improve your academic writing more and may even help your teacher or your peers understand you on a deeper level
Has speaking two languages, Filipino and English, (and possibly more!) shaped you as a writer? If so, how so?
Audrey De Leon: Speaking both Filipino and English has not only shaped me as a writer, but as a person in general. My mother tongue is Filipino and I only learned English when I started schooling. But now I find myself using English with more ease because in an academic setting (where I spend most of my time), English is the language often used. When we read stories, try different writing styles or write essays,English is often the medium practiced on. But I find that when I am reading or writing something in Filipino, I feel the emotion trying to be evoked in a deeper sense– it feels more raw and real to me. I not only understand the impact of the words, I feel it almost as if I’ve lived it. This has led me to appreciate my mother tongue more, but at the same time, makes me feel disappointed that I am not enriched with the language enough to express myself in that way. For bilingual Filipino students like me, bridging both languages and using it for education and daily life is a struggle. We’re not capable of speaking Filipino fluently enough to be locally competent, nor are we able to use English well enough to be globally competent––this is something I hope is reformed in our education system. I think that so many young writers have great potential to articulate what they wish to, but they aren’t given the learning opportunities that will equip them because neither English or Filipino as a language is nurtured in the system.Knowing English as a writer has opened new learning opportunities to me and has helped me expand my horizons as a writer in a broader sense. While knowingFilipino grounds me to my core and enables me to remember my roots and identity, helping me dig deeper into who I am as a writer. These two languages have not only helped me appreciate their individual beauty, but often makes me notice the absence of the other when a certain language is used.
Do you ever encounter writing blocks?
Audrey De Leon: Writing blocks often occur to me when I am uninspired or unmotivated and I’ve realized that this happens whenever I am exhausted or stressed. But I learned that writing is supposed to be neither– writing is art and art is supposed to be for the artist. It is supposed to be a form of expression that is connected to how the writer feels or thinks, it should come out of passion. In times where I don’t feel like myself, I find it really helpful to connect to my inner thoughts and feelings through journaling and processing everything by laying it all down. I recently attended a writing workshop for my newspaper organization and one of the speakers for that event was a university professor and a Palanca award winner. He told us about a writing method to help with writer’s block––the QT3K. Q for a question you hope to answer in your writing, get 3 words that answer that question. In 3 minutes, write something that incorporates those words and from there– you would have written something. Granted, this method does not assure quality, that is where revisions come in. This method is effective because when you are given a question, you are inclined to find an answer. Not only does this method push you to do it quicker, it also pushes you to think deeper.
What are you most looking forward to as a person or as a writer in 2025?
Audrey De Leon: One of my goals this year as a writer is to write more out of my own passion and not out of an incentive. I want to start journaling regularly in order to connect with myself more, develop insights and grow. I would also like to be able to publish more writing on my own and not in an academic setting. As both a writer and a person, I am hoping to read more books this year. I want to learn more from skilled writers and learn more about myself, my interests, how they perceive the world and what they think. I think as a young person, it is important to read as much as you can in order to not only be aware of your surroundings but in order to form your own thoughts and opinions on them. I feel like I need to be doing that more, especially now that I am getting closer to adulthood.
What advice would you give a teen reader of UTM who is hesitating to send their own work out for publication?
Audrey De Leon: You’re only a teenager for one phase of your life. Now is the time to try new things, to do what you’re passionate about and to live freely and creatively. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain. There are so many things in your youth that you only get to live out in the moment and will slowly lose as you enter adulthood with much more responsibilities and less time. Now is the time to take in the world around you– observe it, embrace it and write about it. Make art about it and it will live in your memory forever. It will guide you, it will grow with you as you grow up.
If readers were standing on the street outside your home in Philippines, what would they see/smell/hear?
Audrey De Leon: The first thing you will probably notice as you step outside is the sun piercing through your skin, your eyes squinting and the sweat dripping down your face.You will be incredibly aware of your surroundings– aware of the people walking to their jobs or to school, smoke coming from vehicles and cigarettes, the uneven, barely walkable sidewalks, animal feces or saliva spit. But when the sun is about to set and you are about to come home, the breeze will make you feel really light and you’ll see young children laughing and playing around in the streets. You’ll smell viands from the karinderya (a small restaurant with affordable, local food). The neighbors will smile at you and greet you, cats will watch you as they doze off to sleep and dogs run around and live their lives. Then you’ll realize that this place is so full of life and so full of love, and so full of hope– you’d start wishing you could give them a better life.
What’s your favorite Filipino food? If you were to write about it, what are a few sensory details about this food you’d want to highlight?
Audrey De Leon: Tahois my favorite Filipino food– warm, sweet and reminiscent of good mornings. Taho is madeof soft tofu, brown sugar syrup or arnibal, and tapioca pearls or sago. Taho brings people together, it connects you to the Manong (a term referring to someone as an older brother or man) whocalls for you just as you've woken up, it allows you to share breakfast with the people in your household. When you're on the go, you can carry your Taho with you and bring it anywhere. In my neighborhood, there is a Manong who shouts “Tahoooo!” every morning, before 10 am. He walks around with a stick hanging on his shoulder, holding two heavy stainless Taho barrels and the moment we hear his distinct voice, we immediately rush to grab our mugs and greet him outside. It’s kind of silly thinking about the fact that he went from being a stranger to someone we consider part of our family, with a voice we’d recognize anywhere. His voice is one I would recognize anywhere– I know when it’s him selling the Taho and not another vendor, I know he’s coming near when his voice grows closer and louder.And I know that he’s stopped in front of our house when his voice doesn’t drift away. He has been selling us Taho since I was around 7 and until now that I’m turning 17, we still buy from him. Except now, he no longer walks around in the scorching heat. He is now pedaling around the neighborhood with a bike and an umbrella. It’s as heartwarming as the warmth Taho brings to my stomach wheneverI realize that as I’ve grown up, he has also grown.
Do you think the Philippines has the world’s best writing supplies (pens, folders, mechanical pencils, ink)? Just asking…
Audrey De Leon: I always think it’s ironic– or rather, disappointing, because the Philippines is rich in so many natural resources like our trees, creative people, gold, silver, coastal and marine treasures, mangoes, livestock, etc. With all of these resources, you’d think we’d be capable of making great developments in not only our resources for writing and education, but also our systems of living and governing in general. All of these resources go to waste because of exploitation, if not frustration. Every time I see a smart, young person write about the Philippines they wish they had and use their creativity exhausting themselves as they fight for the betterment of their country, I am saddened. I am saddened because they should be using their creativity to write about their passion or the joys of living in a supposed tropical paradise. But for most Filipinos, art is a way to fight for survival and not a way to live as they’d wish. Not survival in the sense where they earn money– because they don't, they are barely supported financially. Art is a call for help, an expression of their anguish or anger. It’s especially saddening because all of these painfully selfless expressions in art (which I believe should always be connected to self) could be put to a stop if the people in power would stop being so selfish. The best resources for writing is arm’s length away but it is kept from the Filipinos aware and smart enough to want it in order to make them keep asking for it. To keep them wanting the people who have the resources to continue making empty promises. To deprive them of having too much insights or cause a revolution that will take away their power.
What question do you think a teen writer should be asked that we haven’t? And howwould you answer it?
Audrey De Leon: Since this is Under The Madness Magazine, I would ask: Will writing too much–thinking too much, cause madness or a new way of thinking? Is there even such a thing as writing too much when so many people before you have written and have thought for themselves and for others? In all honesty, this is something I would love to hear different perspectives about. I personally think that every new revolutionary thing is always considered madness before it is seen as normal because we are always wary of change or difference. With writing, especially writing about a new idea, we’ve seen this happen throughout history.Going back to the Philippines and its history: Dr. Jose Rizal, the figure we consider our national hero, wrote a fictional story depicting the cruelty of Spanish colonizers. It was one that made Filipinos realize the 333 years of unjust treatment they faced, but at the same time, one that led to Jose Rizal’s execution. I think if writing too much would lead to this kind of “madness” and lead to a new way of thinking, a freeing one, then I don’t think it is inherently bad– it is simply perceived as bad because it is different, or perhaps, freeing.
"1031211" by Biblioteca Rector Machado y Nuñez is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
