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In Conversation With Writer and Poet Jaya Jacobo

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<div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738547849324Jaya photo.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Jaya Jacobo</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Filipinos’ contribution to various fields on a global platform is stronger now than ever. There are wins to celebrate—be it in entertainment, sports, or culinary, among others. Filipino talent in literature is gaining more attention, too, more so with the <strong>Frankfurt Book Fair </strong>(Frankfurter Buchmesse or FBM) <strong></strong>providing a venue for Filipino writers to showcase their nation’s cultural landscape through their own takes on storytelling.</p><p>The Philippines is the Guest of Honor for this year’s fair—FBM’s 77th edition—and its theme, “<strong>The Imagination Peoples the Air</strong>,” is inspired by José Rizal whose works embody the transformative power of imagination in shaping identity and advocating progress.</p><p>The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world’s largest trade fair based on the number of publishing companies represented. Writer, poet, renowned cultural theorist, and transfeminine thinker <strong>Jaya Jacobo </strong>graced the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/XsZX5mfxjAM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2024 FBM Guest of Honor Philippines preview press conference</a> held last October, where she had the opportunity to read poetry from <em><strong>Arasahas</strong></em>, a book she published in 2023 that contains 40 poems. </p><p>About that opportunity to stand on the podium, Jaya told <strong>Metro.Style</strong>, “Frankfurter Buchmesse is such a wonderful platform for my community to show what we can offer. I’m so humbled and honored that I was given an opportunity to speak when the Guest of Honor program was unveiled. It was such an empowering moment… It was heartwarming to be given that space and opportunity to speak freely. And I think I gained so much confidence in Frankfurt, speaking about the art and the poetics that emanate from my community.”</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738549834714PHLGOH_FBF2024_PRESSCON_PHOTOS_4.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Jaya Jacobo is currently with the Department of Women and Development Studies of the College of Social Work and Community Development of UP Diliman. She previously lived in the United Kingdom, where she lectured at Coventry University, focusing on transfeminist pedagogies across literature, art, and performance.</p><p>“A poetics of transformation” is what Jaya offers to the table, using the pedagogy of transformation as the springboard for discussions that go well beyond the trans proposition. Echoing the opinion of her transfeminine colleagues, Jaya shared, “On one hand, we are introducing ourselves as trans artists, but on the other hand, we don’t want to be limited by the label… I am a transgender writer but I am <em>not just</em> a transgender writer.” Jaya’s work poeticizes her narrative, both grounded on personal history and the nation’s past and at the same time enriched by an imaginative look into the future. </p><p>At FBM, Jaya read her poem, “<strong>Hiyas”/”Gems</strong>,” the poem so significant to her that helped kick things into gear for her manuscript. “When you say poetics, it’s about making. It’s about creating. How to conjure something and how to make conjugation possible through materials. And for a writer, poetry is about language. But language, as far as a poet is concerned, does so much more,” she enthused, describing how a word conjures up an image that comes with “a reality out there that has happened already or yet to happen.” </p><p>When she was writing this particular piece, two images came to her: <em>duhat</em> (which her translator, Christian Benitez, translated to “plum”—one of her favorite fruits in Bicol that brings her back to her childhood) and a pearl at the bottom of the ocean. Alone in her condo unit in Quezon City, Philippines during the pandemic lockdown, Jaya embraced this sense of wonder, and with those two images possessing her at the same time, she thought of having them switch places. She wrote, “<em>Ang perlas na dapat </em>/ <em>nasa loob</em> / <em>ng kabibe, hayo’t</em> / <em>nakalaylay</em> / <em>sa dulo ng sanga</em> / <em>At ang duhat na sana’y</em> / <em>naghantong doon</em> / <em>hiyas na babantayan ng dakilang</em> / <em>Pugita</em>.”</p><p>Poetry inspires freedom in interpretation and expression. “When I was able to complete those lines, the way they revealed themselves to me, in my mind, I thought that something significant in my soul also shook the way earthquakes would shake the world. I felt free,” she explained.  </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738548403263462860303_17999481995678846_3330855179157332525_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Jaya receives her copies of the second edition of Arasahas, Mga Tula which was a finalist at the 42nd National Book Awards. | Photo from @savagemindbookshop</span></span></span>  </div><p>Born and raised in Naga, Philippines, Jaya left for the UK in 2020 to pursue internal Gender Studies at Coventry University. Having lived in what she describes as “a place that breeds literary imagination,” Jaya can’t help but hold a newfound appreciation for Philippine literature. “I’m so proud of our literary tradition because of its tropicality,” she noted, citing how the Philippines is one of the mega-biodiverse countries of the world. “I’ve seen so many beautiful countries. And I can say that despite how we ravaged our nature, the Philippines is still so beautiful… Our ancestors spoke with so much reverence for nature. And then because of our strategic location, we’ve been influenced by the cultures of China and India, and our ancestors were able to transform these encounters into beautiful expressions as well. And Philippine literature has had a relationship with classicism as well as through a post-colonial relation, a decolonial relation with the West. So, <em>napaka</em>-unique <em>ng</em> writing tradition <em>natin</em>. And I’m proud to be part of that tradition.”     </p><p>Jaya started early on as a writer. She grew up surrounded by literature. “As a kid, I was a voracious reader, and my parents were teachers in a public school,” she told Metro.Style. She was part of her school’s publication in grade school and high school until she was sent to a summer program in Ateneo De Manila in 1997. It was her 3-month summer experience of full intense literature which truly kick-started her career as a writer. </p><p>That summer experience also brought her fate to Danton Remoto, an award-winning author, poet, novelist, journalist, and essayist. Danton’s passion inspired her to push the envelope as a writer. “I credit him for introducing me to the world of writing and writers. So, it was a summer of sheer joy reading authors from all over the world in English and in translation. And, we weren&#x27;t just discussing literature, but also writing literature,” Jaya recalled. </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738549917773PHLGOH_FBF2024_PRESSCON_PHOTOS_16.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Jaya Jacobo at the 2024 FBM Guest of Honor Philippines preview press conference </span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>She received a full scholarship to study in New York where she got her master’s in Comparative Literature and Studies and doctorate in Comparative Literature. After finishing her PhD in New York, she also had the opportunity to pursue postdoctoral fieldwork in Brazil.</p><p>In New York, she said, “You are confronted with a stark reality of American racial diversity and you get to learn about the history of racism and slavery.” In Brazil, she had eye-opening experiences that exposed her to the realities of queer people of color, as she worked with black trans women in the Favelas, educating her more on the “intersectionalities of gender, race, and class.” She returned to the Philippines during the pandemic and later had the chance to venture abroad in the UK.</p><p>All these experiences—from Bicol to Quezon City to New York to Rio to the UK and back—have been distilled in Jaya’s poetry collection. Her work, while it doesn’t directly depict her trans experience, is a reflection of transformation—how Jaya “transforms objects into other objects, herself into other persons, into other women.”</p><p>“My concern is on transformation in its cosmic sense,” she expounded. “How does one transform? What does it mean to transform? How does one go about it? And how does one live with it?” </p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DAb4aQ9zXBD/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=971&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A13240109%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="783" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Circling back to her experience at the Frankfurt Book Fair’s Guest of Honor Philippines preview press conference, Jaya noted, “I’m not a representative of my community. I don’t want to do that. But it was an opportunity for the world to countenance who we are and what we can do.”</p><p>By speaking her truth, Jaya unknowingly inspires through her story and musings. By contributing to Philippine literature in a way that is authentic to her journey and at the same time a mirror to multiple facets of truth, she encourages progressive thinking.</p><p>Regarding transformation, we asked Jaya about her thoughts on the modern view of beauty in fragmentation, where women are encouraged to embrace brokenness in a society long shaped to believe women need a man to complete them. “It’s enough that you are beautiful and powerful,” Jaya affirmed. “There is power in being wounded… When I was able to embrace my woundedness, to embrace my flaws. And when I stopped trying to be invincible and formidable, that’s when I got to know myself better.”  </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738549130643463969357_18000214469678846_6807088729528173425_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">At the 76th Frankfurt Buchmesse, Jaya Jacobo talked about her debut poetry collection, <em>ARASAHAS</em>, and the need for trans-creation practices. | Photo from @savagemindbookshop</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Jaya further expressed her point, citing the story of famous opera singer Maria Callas (who’s portrayed by Angelina Jolie in a biopic) and how a flaw can be transformed into something beautiful. “Maria Callas did not have the most beautiful voice,” Jaya shared, “But she remains the most brilliant of sopranos because she sang from the depths of her pain.” </p><p>Finding beauty in pain is also something obliquely resonant in modern literature inspired by Philippine history and culture, where a country so wounded gives birth to talents who give a sense of pride with their foray into the global landscape. </p><p>The Guest of Honor Philippines program at the Frankfurt  Book Fair aims to showcase the archipelago’s history, literature, and heritage. As FBM’s president and CEO Juergen Boos said, “Filipino literature remains relatively unknown. As the country steps into its role as guest of honor, we’ll learn much about the importance of storytelling and the current cultural landscape of the nation.” It’s high time Filipino literature is celebrated on such a huge platform.</p><p>“It’s like a city of books. In those halls, you see the comings and goings of the industry: writers, translators, publishers just hopping from one meeting to another,” Jaya recalled the vibrancy and dynamism of that exciting experience. “It was just lovely seeing how colleagues in the book industry were rushing from one hall to another. In Frankfurt, our country will be represented by a diversity of experiences from the regions.” </p><p>After all, the Philippines is an archipelago with 7,641 islands and more than 100 million citizens. Many of these stories have found their places on the pages of books, but many more stories are waiting to be told. The Philippines being a guest of honor at FBM is just the beginning of boosting interest in Filipino books internationally.</p><p>The Philippines’ participation in the 2025 Leipzig Book Fair and its Guest of Honour role at the 2025 FBM have been made possible through the vision of <strong>Senator Loren Legarda</strong>. It is a partnership and the joint efforts of the National Book Development Board (NBDB), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.</p><p>Senator Loren Legarda delivered a speech during the ceremonial handover from Italy to the Philippines at the unveiling of the latter&#x27;s Guest of Honour role at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair. She talked about the vision for fostering deeper connections between the Philippines and the global literary community. She also thanked FBM and the global publishing community for the platform to share Filipinos&#x27; narratives, ending her speech by encouraging everyone to tell stories that matter and &quot;to continue to be advocates, supporters, enthusiastic participants in the vibrant world of literature and its capacity to build bridges across cultures.&quot;</p>

<p>Jaya Jacobo was a featured speaker in the Philippines at the 76th Frankfurter Buchmesse, where the Guest of Honor Philippines program for this year's fair was unveiled.</p>

Jaya Jacobo was a featured speaker in the Philippines at the 76th Frankfurter Buchmesse, where the Guest of Honor Philippines program for this year's fair was unveiled.

In Conversation With Renowned Cultural Theorist and Transfeminine Poet Jaya Jacobo

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In Conversation With Renowned Cultural Theorist and Transfeminine Poet Jaya Jacobo

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Published February 20, 2025 10:30 PM PHT

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Updated February 21, 2025 10:40 AM PHT

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