As the first episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary Workshop (PGLW) slowly came to its conclusion on February 28, we knew that we had one more thing that we can offer our bright young fellows: a starting platform for their creative endeavors. Here, we present one of their final outputs from the workshop. We also asked them to provide an artwork that they think best represents their stories. Read on.
Roan’s eyes were transfixed on the wooden floor. She spoke broken Japanese when she ordered sushi. She didn’t hear the waitress’ response, but she did see the server shuffle away.
The tourist glanced around the restaurant when a couple came in. Her breath hitched, and her eyes widened.
Roan ran out of the eatery.
The crowd buzzed as Roan stepped into the crosswalk. Her eyes darted around the crowd.
Roan screamed when she saw the crowd. A person in a high school uniform glanced at her. A stranger wearing a white blouse and a pencil skirt rolled their eyes at the woman. Someone who wore a blue business suit disdainfully looked at Roan. All of them had red hair, thin lips, and high cheekbones. They had green almond eyes and thick, light brown eyebrows.
The woman looked up to see the bright billboards. The signs were in Japanese, but all the models had the same faces as the crowd surrounding her.
Anna Dominique T. Abareta is a psychology student who has recently found a passion for writing. She started writing when she was around 8 to 10 years old. She wasn’t initially passionate about the craft because writing was not an emotional outlet. Rather, it was just a way to enact half-hearted ideas. Abareta’s writing passion waned when she entered high school; her works were populated with school-mandated stories. When she entered college, she understood what it felt like to be passionate about writing. In college, writing became a way for her to process and understand her internal and external worlds.
