Name: Pamela Delupio

Website: www.-outofcontext-.tumblr.com

Asian background: Filipina

What is it about your experience and upbringing that inspired you the most to write?

I was born in the Philippines, but my family immigrated to California when I was two years old. Growing up in a country where you barely know the language and you look so different from everyone else can make you lonely, can make feel unwanted, like maybe you don’t belong. Worse yet, with not much extra income, I relied on books and movies to entertain me, yet even in those fantasies there was still no one that looked like me. I loved The Little Mermaid, I wanted to be a Disney princess. But when you have no image of you reflected in any story, you begin to believe that you aren’t worthy, that you’re too different, that people like you don’t deserve to be seen. Well, FUCK THAT! Little Filipino boys and girls in this world need to know that they can be heroes too! We each have a story to tell, a voice that needs to be heard. And the more we’re seen, the more the next generation will see themselves, and know they belong.

Name 3 authors and 3 books.

Roshani Chokshi – The Star Touched Queen

Erin Entrada Kelly – Lailani of the Distant Sea

Sabaa Tahir – An Ember in the Ashes

What do you think is the best quality a writer can have?

Perseverance! Publishing is so subjective. Everyone has different tastes, different styles. You never know when fantasy is at its height in popularity or contemporary or romance. Write your story and keep honing your craft. The world will hear your story! It’s up to you to give the world the best story you possibly can. And never give up!

Any last words?

You know, I’m not the first Filipino to write a story and I won’t be the last. I do what I love and hope that one day someone else will love it too. That’s it man. That’s all we can do in life right? Find what makes you happy. Don’t ever apologize for it. And don’t let anyone take it away from you, including yourself. Other than that, be kind to each other. Help each other. Give each other advice. Success is not finite. There’s enough to go around. And in a community as marginalized as ours, one voice heard leads to another. So if one of us rises, we all rise. Let’s lift each other higher!

Write a one-sentence story!

In my dreams I could float amongst the stars, and when I wake I build the ladder to lift me there.