How do you stay present to your unique experience of the world? And how do you transform that experience into something that heals and nourishes you and others?
Women Writing, an organization that seeks to empower women through the craft of writing, will be hosting a memoir writing workshop on Saturday, February 7, at Fundacion Sansó in San Juan City.
Called the “MEMOIR: Writing to Heal the Mind, Body & Spirit,” the event will be a full day of craft lectures and workshops for women writers aged 21 years old and above. Discussions during the event may include mature themes and topics.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Marjorie Evasco is a poet and co-editor of the anthology VITAL SIGNS: Philippine Short Stories on Healing. She is Professor Emeritus of Literature at De La Salle University who teaches pathography to help medical professionals process and articulate their experiences.
Jen Soriano is the Fil-Am author of the memoir NERVOUS: Essays on Heritage and Healing, which won the 2024 Memoir Prize, the Housatonic Book Prize, and the American Book Fest prize for books about mental health and psychology. A visiting writer from the United States, Ms. Soriano has long worked at the intersection of grassroots organizing, narrative strategy, and art-driven social change.
Zarah Gagatiga is a teacher-librarian, storyteller, literacy coach, reading interventionist, and an award-winning author from the Philippines.
Alya B. Honasan is a veteran editor and writer of over 25 books. She is known for her journalism, environmental and animal welfare advocacies, and her personal essays on a wide range of topics that includes her mental health journey and her experience as a breast cancer survivor.
Dr. Marjorie Evasco will deliver the keynote address with her talk, “Remembering the Dance that Language Is” and will conduct a generative writing exercise for participants.
Afterwards, Jen Soriano will deliver “The I as Window to the World,” a craft lecture and workshop on how to connect our personal experience with larger stories, as a practice of writing kapwa and healing interdependence.
In the afternoon, Zarah Gagatiga will introduce bibliotherapy as a reading practice for writers with her workshop, “THE HEALING WORK OF READING: How Literature Can Hold Us.” Through handpicked literary texts, Ms. Gagatiga will lay the groundwork for emotional recognition and expressive writing.
The last talk by Alya B. Honasan will be about how writing can facilitate the healing process. She will also lead a journal-writing activity, “KEEP CALM AND WRITE: How Journaling Can Help Us Heal.”
Registration for the event is now open and will cost P5,500, which will include the handouts, lunch, and snacks. The last day for registration is set on February 1, 2026.
WHEN: February 7, 2026
WHERE: Fundacion Sansó, 32 V. Cruz, Brgy. Sta. Lucia, San Juan City
TIME: 9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Women of all writing levels who are interested in memoir writing, aged 21 years old and above
DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION: February 1, 2026
Register for the event here.
