Maria Bolaños

Age: 33
Ethnicity: Filipinx
Occupation and/or Company: Poet; Co-organizer for Filipino-Canadian Book Festival
Years of experience: I’ve been a writer since childhood; I’ve been a published poet since 2020.

Personal & professional philosophy:
I try my best to be a good future ancestor and honor the lands I have settled on, by committing to radical and equitable spaces for the People’s art and healing.

Upcoming performances/ project:
The first Filipino-Canadian Book Festival in BC. I’m co-organizing the event with Fil-Can author Nathalie De Los Santos, and Fil-Can bookseller Dani Alcalde-Sidloski.

What is the highlight of your work?
The highlight for me is the way our community has responded so warmly and enthusiastically to this festival. Gathering people to participate in culture-bearing and story-keeping; to share the creative work that reflects these times we are in and what we make of such times, as our promise to the future — that is core to this literary festival.

Future goals:
My goal and hope for this festival is for us organizers to expand the literary, cultural, and community offerings of FCBF to a year-round program. We would to inspire similarly-minded writers and artists to create Filipino literary festivals in their areas, because we believe that this work is necessary and needs to continue to reach outward, find our people, and connect them with each other.

Project brief / teaser:
The first Filipino-Canadian Book Festival in BC will be held July 12-14, 2024, at Joyce-Collingwood Neighborhood House and Massy Arts Society. Our mission is to celebrate Filipino and Canadian heritage and the unique culture that we are living and creating every day in our diaspora, by honouring our ancestral roots and artistic lineages.