Mary Grace Bertulfo

I am a wordsmith based in Chicago who has written internationally for television, magazines, books, journals, and children’s education. My work explores and celebrates women’s spirituality, Filipino history in the diaspora, and the wonders of nature. I admire writers and artists who breathe their own spirit into their works and who are conscientious about historical and cultural accuracy in their art.

Over the last 15 years, I’ve had the joy and great fortune to work with others devoted to bringing stories and creative writing out into communities. I like the spiritual sense of the word commune where people from many different walks of life and backgrounds become united in their love of language, storytelling, and creativity. Among them are: Kandila, a four-woman writers & artists collective devoted to Asian American arts, global consciousness, and peace. Meryenda. Families of Asian American Students (FAASt). The Chicago Children’s Museum. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. River Oak Arts. The Flipside of Culture performances at U.C. Berkeley. Pangarap, Filipino American Literature Forum through U.C.L.A.’s Asian American Studies Department. The Historical Novel Society.

WRITING CREDITS

Television

The Know Your Heritage Show. CBS and Central City Productions. Two seasons.

Fiction, Poetry, & Essays

• “Shiny Black Boots”. YA short story. Growing Up Filipino, Volume 2. Editor Cecilia Brainard. PAHL and Anvil Press. 2010.
• “The Fullness of Time”. Creative nonfiction, essay. Finding God. Editors Cecilia Brainard & Marily Orosa. Anvil Press. 2009.
• “Secret Doors”. Essay. Uptown Writers Space feature for May 2008.

• “Windsong”. Short story. Amerasia Journal.
• “Isang anak Sa Pamilya”. Poem. Pacific Ties.

Magazine Articles – Samples

• “Promise on the Prairie.” Feature article. Sierra Magazine.
• “Sounds in the Darkness”. Cover story. Chicago Wilderness Magazine.
• “Ralph Frese: Urban Voyageur”. Feature article. Chicago Wilderness Magazine.
• “New Roots: From the Golden State to the Prairie State“. Essay. Chicago Wilderness Magazine.

Children’s Education

• “Hands and Faces”. Poem. Celebrate English! Coursebook. Pearson Education, Asia.
• “People of the Rainforest”. Script for children’s educational video. ERI Communications & Schlessinger Productions.

Current Writing Projects

Fiction. A historical novel set in the sixteenth-century Philippines – Ships. Canoes. Long hair. Cutlasses. The power of grandfather crocodile. Love, war, religion. And the scent of ylang-ylang flowers drifting down the mountain-side.

Nonfiction. A collection of 25 oral histories and photographs of Filipina Americans about growing up, becoming women, and navigating Filipino and American cultures. A community project with my co-author, Bay Area photographer Elaine Serina.

Available at Amazon.com & PALH

Click on the anthologies for more info.