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Since first arriving in Canada, the Filipino community has contributed invaluably — and too often invisibly — to the fabric of Canadian society. In this anthology of Filipino-Canadian writing, Magdaragat explores the diverse intricacies of this growing yet underrepresented people, continuing the vital work of recognizing and celebrating their cultural contributions. Writers in this anthology, hailing from across Turtle Island, each provide their singular yet universally resonating insights through stories of new homes and old homelands, of untangling internalized racism and championing solidarity, of the chasms within intergenerational households and the work of repairing them, and more. Poems, essays, short fiction, plays, and speeches — their works collected here showcase a wide breadth of Filipino-Canadian experience. Through stories of sacrifice, violence, and discrimination interspersed with stories of success, recovery, and solidarity, Magdaragat delves into Filipino-Canadian history, the joys and struggles of its present, and the hopes and aspirations for the future.

The poetry book, "gemma" The Bud is replete with a gamut of emotions experienced by the author from childhood to adulthood. Being an illegitimate daughter of a Catholic priest, she was bullied while growing up in a predominantly small Catholic town in the Philippines. Such bullying has impacted her that she thought she was not worthy even to adulthood. Afraid of being embarrassed and judged, she hid her identity telling a lie as to who her father was. To compensate for her lack of self- worth, she excelled in her academic efforts and service for community service. At the age of 77, she finally found her own true self when she read: Ephesians 1.4 - He knew that you would come along no matter what the circumstances of your conception and birth. God was not surprised. He knew about you and prepared an amazing plan for your life". She became a Gemma.

Since first arriving in Canada, the Filipino community has contributed invaluably — and too often invisibly — to the fabric of Canadian society. In this anthology of Filipino-Canadian writing, Magdaragat explores the diverse intricacies of this growing yet underrepresented people, continuing the vital work of recognizing and celebrating their cultural contributions. Writers in this anthology, hailing from across Turtle Island, each provide their singular yet universally resonating insights through stories of new homes and old homelands, of untangling internalized racism and championing solidarity, of the chasms within intergenerational households and the work of repairing them, and more. Poems, essays, short fiction, plays, and speeches — their works collected here showcase a wide breadth of Filipino-Canadian experience. Through stories of sacrifice, violence, and discrimination interspersed with stories of success, recovery, and solidarity, Magdaragat delves into Filipino-Canadian history, the joys and struggles of its present, and the hopes and aspirations for the future.