conception.

split into two sections, "no history, no self", and "know history, know self", this chapbook was borne out of a desire to critically examine my relationship to and history dealing with filipinx culture through exploring themes common to both native american and filipinx poets. 
the title is a common admonishment i received from my mom when asking for help finding something i'd lost. having felt as though i "lost my culture" as a kid, this collection enabled me to use poetry as a way to rediscover my pride in it.
the section names are taken from a saying i learned while volunteering at the pilipinx youth conference this past year that struck me as particularly poignant. 
such themes include:

• poet as part of a recognizable, culturally distinct community
• poetry as the path of the heart
• the role of memory & the imagination
• the role of history and ancestral memory
• poetry as bearing witness, as testimony
• poetry as a healing power
• poetry as contemplation and reflection
• poetry and the interconnectedness of worlds

through this project, i learned about filipinx immigrants' and native americans' experience in california, and had the chance to access stories from my dad's childhood growing up in the philippines. 
a coda explaining poems' roots further & a sources tab detailing the used sources can be accessed through the above tabs.