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12.2/2024

An easeful interview with: Lerah Mae Barcenilla

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An artist interview series full of he(art) 🌿 by Amara Amaryah

Writing is an act of remembering as much as it is of bearing. We bear words on a page and sink into the future, or the backseat of a memory from our favourite childhood Sunday afternoon. Some writers simultaneously remember the worlds of old and the worlds that must come, and they keep us brave enough to do the same. Lerah is one of those artists who inspire artful ways of storytelling in this way. In today's easeful interview, I share space with a writer I've had the pleasure of witnessing make magic from folk, memory, and listening: meet Lerah Mae Barcenilla.

These interviews exist to inspire us on our journeys to creating the lives, communities, families, and inner environments needed to house ease. I select artists from around the world with different modes of creation and lifestyles to show how possible it is for us to build ease and art into our lives. The intention is to deepen our understanding of what is possible, to think limitlessly, in community.

Enjoy 🌀

In conversation with Lerah Mae Barcenilla

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Who are you and what's your work?

I’m always reminded of that quote from Alice in Wonderland whenever I’m asked to introduce myself: “Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.” I’m the eldest daughter. An older sister. A writer and poet from a small rural town in the Philippines. I write speculative short stories and fantasy novels exploring Philippines’ history, mythologies and folklore, the unreliability of memory and the violence and delight in transformation. I had a short stint as a spoken word artist but that feels like a lifetime ago.

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Where is the easeful place for you?

This was an interesting question, mainly because I don’t quite know how I would define “the easeful place” for me. But, recently, I took a walk through Sutton Park with a friend. We ended up trying to identify whatever plant or tree or fungi that took our interest. From the map we saw, it’s quite a big park and though we only walked a small part of it, at some point, we could hear nothing but silence occasionally broken by bird calls. There, surrounded by towering oak and silver birch, I was strangely reminded of our small town in the Philippines. Everything feels slower when you’re surrounded by trees. But I think I’m not very good at slowing down. My day job involves working at the centre of Birmingham and it feels like I’m always on a deadline. I started to think of other moments where time felt slower – where I felt at ease, if you will.

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The last time we returned to the Philippines, we went island hopping in the Islas de Gigantes, an island chain within the larger Western Visayas archipelago. It took more than thirty minutes via boat from one island to another. You eventually lose sight of shore. All you can see is the water on all sides and the sky above you. Despite being a daughter of the archipelago, I never did quite learn how to swim. But I remember being completely at ease on that boat even when the storm started coming in.

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Those feel like moments of stillness, but I think ease, for me, also stems from what sets my soul alight. In my case, it’s storytelling. Whether that’s reading (I’ve been really enjoying short stories lately) or writing them. Diving into research and learning more about, for example, Filipino folklore and mythology. In trying to translate the stuff in my head into words on the paper. In finding the perfect (or as close to perfect) words. In the way those words fall just right in a sentence, following its rhythm and cadence. Time seems to slow down or, I guess, I get lost in time, when I’m writing.

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Who are your favourite artists?

I’ve been really enjoying the work of short story writers like Gianni Washington (‘Flowers From The Void’), Mariana Enriquez (‘A Sunny Place For Shady People’) and the poetry and short stories of Merlinda Bobis.

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In music, I’ve been enjoying music by Bicolano singer-songwriter dwta. There’s something enchanting about her music and she sings in both Bicolano and Tagalog which I love. The Philippines has over 7000 islands and many different languages beyond Tagalog. It makes me happy to hear artists sing in their native tongue and not just the capital’s language.

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What are some of your favourite practices for encouraging yourself to take up space?

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In the same way that I’m still figuring out what “the easeful place” might be for me, I’m also trying to figure out how to carve that space into existence. I think, for me, taking up space has a lot to do with giving myself patience and in allowing myself to slow down. I think one of the ways I try to do that is by writing things by hand, not necessarily journaling, but simply the act of writing anything down by hand. You know, it’s so easy to just open up your laptop or your phone and just type, type, type but there’s something about scribbling on a notebook that makes my brain happy. There’s a certain sense of satisfaction and ease in filling a page with scribbles and another kind when crossing them out.

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You are so worthy of ease. How do you remind yourself of this?

Some bits of certain books stick with me for a long, long time even if I’ve forgotten the rest of it. There are two quotes that I constantly come back to whenever I get impatient with myself. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” and “I follow my own rhythm.”

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Stay updated with Lerah's work and writing or connect via Instagram. Lerah's short story was recently published in MODERN GOTHIC (Fly On The Wall Press, 2024). Lerah's short story is inspired by Filipino folklore, particularly the archipelago’s magical, invisible cities and their equally beguiling inhabitants.

Community Question::

What are some phrases or words that you offer yourself when you lose sight of ease or patience?

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December workshop: Winter Solstice

Attuning to the darkness through rest ~ free event for community members

Join us on Friday 20th December for a winter solstice workshop to ground, rest, and discover the collective power of welcoming and slowing down for the coming light. The virtual workshop is led by Amara Amaryah, a poet, author, a travel and wellness journalist, to offer a creative and rejuvenating community space. This is a workshop for all writing/creative levels and mindful folks at any stage of the journey to wellness. We'll write, discuss, reflect, and take notes in this session in honour of the darkest day of the year.

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Save your spot here

A recommendation for holding space online plus 30% off

If you're a creative or building a community of any kind, I highly recommend checking out what Kit has to offer. From creating landing pages, to segments and even experimenting with creator networks, the entire process has been ease-filled and allowed me to focus on what truly matters: writing to you about creating a life we can sink into, and show up easefully in for self and others. As part of the Cyber Monday discount, Kit is offering 30% off annual creator profiles if you'd like to get started.

Check out Kit here

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Love,

Amara Amaryah

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