In Finnish mythology, a haltija (plural: haltijat) is a guardian spirit living in a liminal space: nature, homes, even within ourselves. The specific haltija that guards a place is called a tonttu (plural: tontut) – a newer word which comes from the Swedish “tomte.” Like the tomte (and the Norwegian/Danish nisse), a tonttu has a […]
Field guide to the Finnish tonttu Read More »
I’m honoured to receive an Artistic Creation grant from Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grants via House of Anansi Press and Wolsak and Wynn Publishers! This funding will allow me to devote time to completing Corrode the Song, a literary fantasy novel inspired by precolonial Filipino culture, and 19th-century Finland
Grants awarded for my new novel-in-progress Read More »
I’ve never been lucky enough to see the Northern Lights, and maybe that’s why I’m so interested in aurora borealis stories from Finnish and Sámi culture. I wanted to share my favourite bits of aurora borealis folklore here – let me know which one is most intriguing to you! Aurora borealis as sparks from a
Sparks from a fox tail: Aurora borealis folklore in Finland Read More »
Tarot card poetry zine – if there was ever a more perfect Venn diagram for me, I’ve never seen it. I’m honoured to have poem based on The Chariot in the Major Arcana issue of Tiny Wren Lit. The issue looks gorgeous – and there’s a printable mini-zine to go along with it! Read it
Tarot-inspired poem in Tiny Wren Lit Read More »
In Finland, runes aren’t what you might think. At least, not in the same way. “Runo” means “poem,” and while the word is borrowed from the Proto-Germanic word, to us it’s different than the Norse futharks1. What are “runes” in Finland, Karelia, and Estonia? Rune-singing/runolaulu is an ancient form of oral folk poetry and
Rune-singers and kantele: ancient memory and magic Read More »
One of my favourite things about Filipino food is all of the outside influences made undeniably Filipino in their interpretation. I like to use Filipino food in my writing, and it’s become a key part of my mixed-race identity too. The Philippines is made up of many different cultures and languages, and this isn’t meant
How Filipino food history nurtures my mixed-race identity Read More »
Things have been evolving in my life and creativity. I’ve been regularly researching stories from Filipino & Finnish culture and having a blast. So starting in January 2026, I’ll be shifting to monthly reflections on folklore, cultural discoveries, and fragments that don’t always make it into my fiction. It’ll be part cultural storytelling and part
What’s changing with my Patreon in 2026 Read More »
I have a short story in the first edition of Ginger & Smoke! A Filipino-Canadian first, Ginger & Smoke is a genre-blending publication reclaiming Filipino folklore, mythology and fairy tales. It became my dream publication as soon as I saw the call for submissions, and I’m grateful to Nathalie De Los Santos for broadening the
Filipino folklore story in Ginger & Smoke Read More »
Imagine an autumnal fire-crackle, song and stillness after harvest, a pause between worlds when the veil is thinnest. This time of year seems right for that sort of thing, for divination and feasting and weaving the past and future together. In Finland & Karelia, it was called Kekri. Kekri was a liminal time of harvest
Before Halloween, there was Kekri Read More »
As a kid, I was taught that certain spirits lived just beyond the edges of the path. In Filipino folklore, the nuno sa punso might curse you for disturbing its mound. In Finnish folklore, a type of haltija called a tonttu could guard your house and required certain behaviour. I grew up saying “tabi tabi
Boundary keepers & path shifters: forest spirits in Filipino & Finnish folklore Read More »
