Interview with author Carla Pacis
by Tarie Sabido*

Carla M. Pacis is a writer and professor at De La Salle University in Manila. She has published several books for children and young adults, including There's a Snake in the House and Enrique El Negro, and won many awards for her work, such as the PBBY - Salanga Writers' Prize(1998) and the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award (1995).

Carla often conducts workshops on how to write for children and young adults and presents to parents and teachers on the power of reading. She is the founding president of KUTING, a group of Filipino children's book writers.

She lives in Manila, Philippines.
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1. When did you realize you wanted to pursue writing for children and young adults as a career, and what was your path to publication like?

I knew I eventually wanted to write a children's book when I taught pre-school, right after college.  The end of the class was my favorite time as it was a chance to gather all the children together and share the wonder of picture books.  I became aware of the power of pictures and words as I saw how the children kept still and quiet to look at and listen to beautiful pictures and words.  But I got waylaid for 12 years before finally sitting down to write a story and then sending it to the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award contest, winning, joining writing workshops and finally publishing.

2. What were you like as a young reader?

I was a voracious reader and read almost anything, even my father's Time and Newsweek magazines.  My siblings and I had a constant supply of well-chosen books that kept us reading. 

3. You have won numerous awards for your work, including the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature. What have these awards meant to you?

The awards I have won gave me the confidence to choose writing over everything else. The Palanca award, in particular, was confirmation that I had what it took to write more than just well.  The other awards also served as confirmation that I was meant to write for children and that my peers thought so too. 

4. Throughout your career you have worn many hats. How have these varied experiences (as bookstore owner, children's online magazine editor, preschool teacher, and college professor) influenced your work as a writer?

In any endeavor that we pursue, we should try to be as tuned in to the world as possible, and curious about everything that is going on around us, so having these varied experiences to draw on influenced my work immensely. 

5. How would you define Filipino children's literature and Filipino young adult literature, and how would you compare them to their counterparts from other parts of the world?

Filipino children's literature is not very different from the children's and young adult literature of other countries around the world. Children all over the world experience the same things.  What set ours apart, however, are the cultural and historical differences. This is what the Filipino children's books focus on. For example, who else believes in mythical creatures like the aswangs or mananangals? 

6. Your young adult novel O.C.W: A Young Boy’s Search for His Mother, about a teenager whose mother leaves home to go work in Hong Kong, deals with a theme familiar to many families in developing countries. What inspired you to write this story?

We need to write about topics that affect our children.  Stories about OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) are usually told from the point of view of the adults who have left– these adults have even been called heroes. But what about the families, the children they leave behind to be cared for by other relatives? That's what I was trying to show with my book.

7. Can you share with us some of the responses you have had to your books? What do you want young readers to take away from your books?

The mother of a boy who had read my book Birdflight, said to me that, after reading the book, he takes better care of his pet cockatiel. That's always the biggest compliment for me: to know that a child came away with something positive from my books.

8. What are the challenges and rewards of being a writer for children and young adults in the Philippines?

I still cannot earn a living from just writing children's books and therefore have to do other things.  In my case, I teach at a university.  However, the rewards far outweigh the setbacks.  I still manage to write, to visit schools, to talk about my books; and the response I get is always, always, heartwarming. 

10. Who are some of your favorite Filipino writers of children's and young adult books?

I have many favorite Filipino children's writers.  Those I would consider my mentors are Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio, Rene Villanueva, Mailin Paterno and RayVi Sunico. 

11. You are one of the founding members of Kuwentista ng mga Tsikiting (KUTING). Can you tell us about the group: why it was founded, its current projects?

Kuting was formed to encourage and support  children's writers in their craft and publications. We run workshops, lectures and discussion groups; it's great for children's writers to have a forum to come together and share experiences. Our latest project is a series of books for children on some of our local visual artists. 

12. What’s your opinion on the significance of a "National Children's Book Day" to Filipino children and culture?

Unfortunately, not too many people know about this day yet, but it is significant in that on the third Tuesday of July it has commemorated, since 1984, the day José Rizal published the folktale "The Monkey and the Turtle," the first Filipino children's book. The day celebrates children's books in general and those created by Filipino authors and illustrators in particular.

14. Are you aware of any trends in children's publishing in the Philippines at the moment?

We seem to be heavily into biographies now, which is a good thing, since young people need heroes to emulate. Examples of this are the "Bookmark" and "Ramon Magsaysay" series. The number of non-fiction titles, like those written by Gidget Jimenez, also seem to be increasing; and we seem to have a very popular picture book series in "Oh, Mateo!" by Grace Chong.

15. What are you working on now?

I am currently working on a young adult novel on Martial Law; a biography  and re-writing several stories as single titles. 

*Tarie Sabido is a graduate student, editor, and English teacher in the Philippines. She blogs about literature for the young and young at heart at Into the Wardrobe.

Posted October 2009

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