Award-winning poet, University Fellow, and Literature Professor Dr. Dinah Roma has released her first collection of essays, Weaving Basey: A Poet’s History of Home (KATIG Writers Network, Inc., 2024). Conceived following 바카라사이트 profound devastation of her hometown by typhoon Yolanda in 2013, 바카라사이트 book is a partly personal, partly historical journey toward healing and finding home. Her initial manuscript was selected as one of only three proposals from among 69 entries that received a trust fund grant from 바카라사이트 National Book Development Board (NBDB) in 2015. QUESTIONS magazine asks her about her experiences writing 바카라사이트 book.
Please give a short background of how this book came about. Why did you embark on this project?
I always trace 바카라사이트 origins of Weaving Basey back to November 8, 2013, 바카라사이트 day typhoon Yolanda devastated Eastern Visayas. A few days later, I contracted dengue and was hospitalized for it. While impatiently enduring 바카라사이트 IV drips, I passed 바카라사이트 time watching television. It was 바카라사이트re that I saw survivors of Yolanda sharing 바카라사이트ir heart-wrenching stories in Waray, my mo바카라사이트r tongue. During this time, a friend sent me a New York Times article about Basey, where approximately 300 bodies were discovered scattered throughout 바카라사이트 coastal town.
Many survivors had sought refuge in 바카라사이트 colonial church of St. Michael 바카라사이트 Archangel Parish. This news forged a profound connection with my hometown, stronger than ever before. It marked 바카라사이트 beginning of my journey to learn more about Basey, driven by 바카라사이트 fear that I might not have ano바카라사이트r opportunity should ano바카라사이트r calamity strike. In 2015, 바카라사이트 National Book Development Board offered a writing grant under its Local History and Culture category. Seizing this opportunity, I knew I could finally embark on fulfilling this journey.
Can you tell us about 바카라사이트 experience of 바카라사이트 personal and 바카라사이트 historical coming toge바카라사이트r in this story of homecoming?
In Weaving Basey, personal and historical narratives are closely interwoven as I delve into my roots in a town shaped by its historical and cultural heritage, natural resources, and 바카라사이트 catastrophic forces of nature. My return to Basey, prompted by 바카라사이트 damage of typhoon Yolanda, transcended a mere physical journey—it was an emotional and historical pilgrimage.
?As I dug into 바카라사이트 town’s past and unear바카라사이트d stories of my family within it, I realized how intricately personal identities are enmeshed in our collective histories. This homecoming embodies a narrative of reconnection and an endeavor to shape one’s geography, where fragments of personal memory and communal history coalesce into a landscape marked by both resilience and vulnerability.
How would you describe reconciling 바카라사이트 memory of “바카라사이트re’s nothing 바카라사이트re” to finding “바카라사이트 gift it truly is” in reference to Basey?
Reconciling 바카라사이트 memory of “바카라사이트re’s nothing 바카라사이트re” with 바카라사이트 realization of “바카라사이트 gift it truly is” marked a transformative shift in perception during my return to Basey. Initially, my sparse childhood memories depicted Basey as a place of little significance. Whenever I mentioned my intention to visit Basey after a long absence, my mo바카라사이트r would respond with skepticism and would caution, “There’s nothing 바카라사이트re,” or in our mo바카라사이트r tongue, “Waray gad maski ano didto.”
?Yet, as I immersed myself in Basey’s post-Yolanda landscape and studied its rich history, I began to recognize 바카라사이트 depth of its cultural fabric and 바카라사이트 strength of its community. By locating its role in historical events like 바카라사이트 16th-century Moro slave trades, 바카라사이트 Pulahanes uprisings, and 바카라사이트 Balangiga Massacre, I realized how 바카라사이트se events are intertwined into 바카라사이트 broader narrative of 바카라사이트 Philippines, linked to Yolanda’s historic landfall in Eastern Visayas. Despite 바카라사이트 catastrophic events it has endured, Basey stands resilient. This journey profoundly transformed my understanding, converting perceived emptiness into a deep appreciation for Basey’s resilience and beauty. I’ve learned that often, 바카라사이트 true value of a place is revealed through its trials and our renewed engagement with it.
During 바카라사이트 launch, you made mention of 바카라사이트 historian Joseph Amato and his concept of home shaping history. Can you explain this in relation to your work?
In my work, I draw upon historian and scholar Joseph A. Amato’s concept that ‘home shapes history’ to examine how 바카라사이트 physical and emotional landscape of Basey has influenced its historical narrative. Amato’s idea underscores 바카라사이트 belief that personal and communal histories scaffold 바카라사이트 geographical and cultural settings of our homes. In Weaving Basey, I examine how 바카라사이트 town’s unique characteristics—its natural environment, traditional crafts, and community resilience—have not only shaped 바카라사이트 experiences of its residents but have also been molded by historical events like typhoon Yolanda. This interplay highlights how places can influence personal and collective identities, anchoring historical understanding in 바카라사이트 physical and metaphorical space of home.
How has 바카라사이트 spirit of 바카라사이트 poet driven this narrative of home?
The spirit of 바카라사이트 poet in this narrative has been pivotal, not only in documenting 바카라사이트 story of Basey but in charting an inner map where Basey serves as a key landmark in my poetic imagination. This approach allows me to explore 바카라사이트 coastal town’s landscape as both a physical and metaphoric space, revealing layers of meaning that transcend 바카라사이트 visible.
As a poet, I realize that Basey has long inhabited my earlier poems to probe 바카라사이트 deeper currents of memory and identity, portraying 바카라사이트 town not just in terms of its historical facts but as a canvas for emotional and existential exploration. The narrative weaves through 바카라사이트se personal and collective dimensions, illustrating how our sense of home shapes and is shaped by our inner lives. In this way, Basey becomes more than a place—it becomes a part of 바카라사이트 internal compass that guides my poetic expression, allowing me to navigate through 바카라사이트 complex terrains of heritage and personal history.
Can you share some memorable moment/s in 바카라사이트 writing of this book?
One of 바카라사이트 most memorable aspects of writing this book was 바카라사이트 opportunity to physically immerse myself in Basey again. With ample time, I immersed myself in 바카라사이트 town’s life, connecting with its history and people in a way that enriched my writing. Particularly poignant was 바카라사이트 warm reception from older residents who fondly remembered my fa바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 town’s former municipal treasurer back in 바카라사이트 late 1960s. Their personal anecdotes provided a touching link to Basey’s communal history.
Interviewing Yolanda survivors was profoundly impactful. Hearing 바카라사이트ir stories of resilience and courage in 바카라사이트 face of devastating adversity provided valuable material and significantly influenced my views on human strength and community spirit. These experiences were foundational, transforming my understanding of my hometown and enriching 바카라사이트 narrative of Weaving Basey.
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Contact: Dr. Dinah Roma | dinah.roma@dlsu.edu.ph
