Jenah Maravilla
Community Leader, Spoken Word Poet, Author
For inquiries, please email me: jenah.maravilla@gmail.com
Who i am
Read more about me here
ShoutOut HTX Article | Voyage Houston Article
At the wake of hurricane Harvey in 2017, I stepped out of the healthcare field to learn more about my natural capabilities as a writer, editor, and community leader (Filipino American National Historical Society - HTX, Pilipino American Unity for Progress TX, Filipinx Artists of Houston).My lessons of cultural competency and fast-pace decision making from being a critical care nurse gave me the courage and steadfast devotion to step into these varying roles. These lived experiences truly changed the way I communicate and the intentions I put forth in my work.In the past couple of years, I have participated in the hosting and facilitation of various workshops, conferences, and events; from city-wide to nationwide, which revolve around the duality of the Filipinx American identity.In co-authoring Filipinos in Houston, it became a manifestation of these previous life lessons and a love letter to our community. I used the same detail-oriented attention span, empathy, and communication skills to gently tease stories out of those we interviewed.With each step, I find myself surprisingly adept at shifting between the logic/systematic procedures of STEM and the passion/highly-emotive spaces of the community. I am determined to uplift our storytellers and show up in spaces we've historically haven't been a part of.
what i do
I care about honoring those who came before, empowering those in the present, and shifting the conversation toward radical vulnerability.
With over eight years of experience in community organizing, programming, and workshop facilitation and six years of experience in speaking engagements and advocacy, take a look at what I'm proud to be involved with!
(click the images below for more information)
WHO WE BECOME is a story of kapwa and follows three Filipino women each coming into their political consciousness and discovering themselves during a pivotal moment in their lives.
THE KUWENTO BOOK: An Anthology of Filipino Stories + Poems. Published Jul 2023.
Arcadia Publishing's
Images of America: FILIPINOS IN HOUSTON
Published Sept 2018.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS Spoken Word, Workshops & Interviews
CREATIVE VENTURES Installations, Featured Poetry, Short Story, Realistic Fiction, & Prose
LUALO STUDIO A cause-driven creative studio committed to amplifying movements, socially impactful businesses, and grass-root organizations.
Organizations
HCRE for AAPI Voices Project. (2021-)
FXAH (2020-)
FANHS-HTX (2016-2023)
PILIPINO AMERICAN UNITY FOR PROGRESS, INC (2016-2020)
(July 2022 - May 2024)
Our intentional workshops, films, and interactive events engage the audience in artmaking/creating, to sculpt the world we imagine for future generations.
Each caption opens a new website.
- Workshops -
- Marketing Clientele -
AAPI Voices project is a brainchild of Lualo Studio. This ongoing project aims to uplift and engage some of the most affected by systemic change, the youth. We are documenting a burgeoning movement, spearheaded by Houston Collective Reimagining Education to include Asian American Ethnic Studies into the K-12 Texas Curriculum.
- Documentary Screenings -
FANHS National Conference - "Third Coast Storytelling: New Wave of Voices for Asian American Studies," 2022
OCA National Convention - "Third Coast Storytelling: New Wave of Voices for Asian American Studies," 2022
- Speaking Engagements -
Speaking Engagements
These events spanned local and national audiences where I've led creative writing workshops & dialogues on intersectional identities.
Each caption opens a new website.
- Spoken Word -
WAVES Charity Livestream, 2020
OCA Starry Nite, 2020
Shitfaced Poetry, 2019
- Workshops -
UniPro Texas Mentorship, 2021
ECAASU Conference: Resilience, 2021
SIFA Leadership Retreat, 2019
- Interviews -
Check out my story, 2021
Meet Jenah, 2020
Discovering Ancestors, 2020
Houston Asian American Archive, 2020
Living between the Dash, 2019
Creative Ventures
My multimedia artwork and creative writing have been featured at Midtown Arts Theater Center Houston, the McNay Art Museum, and Rice University.
- DiverseWorks Exhibition -
(2022)
Overlapping Territories is an interdisciplinary, experimental space for six artists to engage, discover, and reimagine what it means to be in relationship to the land. Curated by Ashley DeHoyos, this ongoing project begins with a Houston-centered approach as a way of understanding what conversations around land already exist within the city.
"Dear Motherland –Love, Summer Baby" 2; Papier-mâché on Cardboard
"Dear Motherland –Love, Summer Baby," Poem
"Dear Motherland –Love, Summer Baby" 2: Close-up; Papier-mâché on Cardboard
"Dear Motherland –Love, Summer Baby" 3 in collaboration with Matt Manalo; Vinyl
"You Are Here" Banana Leaves on Mirror
- Featured Poetry -
- Other Creative Writing -
Visual Poetry Archive
Short Story
Amitabha's Sky, 2011
Prose on Tumblr
Now Streaming on Netflix in 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇳🇿 🇮🇪
I'm credited as a Director of Photography & Cast member! If you've watched it, please leave a review on Letterboxd.
NextShark: How the Filipino concept of ‘kapwa’ shaped PJ Raval’s ‘Who We Become’
New York Times: ‘Who We Become’ Review: Interrogating Identity and Injustice
Deadline: PJ Raval Doc ‘Who We Become’ Sets Premiere Date At Netflix Following Array Acquisition
Inquirer.Net: A Fil-Am docu on Asian activism is debuting on Netflix this December
A groundbreaking collection of powerful stories and poems by 28 accomplished Filipina/x/o community writers, storytellers, artists, and leaders. You are invited to dive into this anthology of kuwentos, as contributing authors unpack the realities of being Filipina/x/o and express their truth about love and loss, family and community, dreams and fears, and self-discovery. No doubt, all readers of every age will connect and contemplate upon these experiences–being moved to laugh, cry, and root for them within these pages.
A love letter to the community. Christy Poisot and I spent countless hours pouring over photograph submissions from elders in the community to weave into the story of us. We collected at local Filipino restaurants, shared warm meals at homes, and took time to listen. Thank you to all who participated, contributed, and continues to support the work of Filipino American National Historical Society.
Links
