2026 Featured Writers

Eloisa Francia
Short bio about the Author

is a Toronto-based Filipino writer, poet, and screenwriter. She writes across poetry, film, journalism, and community storytelling, with a focus on migration, language, memory, and everyday social realities. Her work has been published in anthologies in Canada and the Philippines, and she co-wrote We Will Not Die Tonight, which screened at the 2018 New York Asian Film Festival. She is a
founding member of Kapwa Cultural Initiatives, a Toronto-based nonprofit arts organization inspired by kapwa, the Filipino idea of shared self.

Diego Kalaw Linan
Short bio about the Author

is a retired business, political, and aviation consultant and an author with a cross-continental background spanning the Philippines, Japan, the United States, and Canada.

● Early Career: Began his public life at age 24 as the Bicol Region Election Coordinator for Ferdinand Marcos Sr. during the 1965 presidential campaign, stepping away from politics prior to the Martial Law period.
● Entertainment Industry: Built one of Japan’s largest entertainment companies, recruiting Las Vegas-style performers to entertain at U.S. military bases across Japan and Okinawa.
● Aviation Leadership: Spent over three decades in airport operations, serving 15 years as Airport Ramp Operations Manager for Japan Airlines at LAX and 16 years as Airport Manager for Canadian Airlines at Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
● Consulting & Community: Established a Seattle-based strategy and operations consultancy for West Coast clients and remains an active supporter of Filipino-American and Filipino-Canadian community groups, including the Filipino Seniors of Mississauga.

Now in his 80s, he divides his retirement between Toronto, the U.S., and the
Philippines, dedicating his time to travel and publishing written works reflecting on
his multi-industry life journey.

Corie Laraya-Coutts
Short bio about the Author

is a Filipina entrepreneur, fashion handbag designer, and published author of the young adult fantasy novel DJ MacDonald Book 1: A Tale of a Malipayon Warrior. Her work is deeply rooted in storytelling that celebrates culture, identity and resilience.

Beyond literature, she is the Owner and CEO of La Coutts Toronto, co-owner of La Isla Manila Restaurant in Barrie, Ontario, and a shareholder and Director of Alon Coastal Philippines, a company specializing in vessel monitoring system devices for maritime services.

A dedicated community leader with Filipino Achievers Canada, Corie is committed to amplifying Filipino voices and empowering communities. In 2019, she was honored in Paris, France as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World, recognizing her global impact and leadership.

Joycelyn David
Short bio about the Author

is a trailblazing entrepreneur and thought leader in multicultural marketing, technology, and cross-cultural business leadership. With 20+ years of experience in corporate marketing, Joycelyn has worked with global brands and clients in a variety of roles, including go-to-market, product marketing, and communications.

In 2019, she acquired AVC, one of Canada’s leading multicultural marketing agencies.
And in 2023, she founded Tulong Technologies, a martech start-up focused on
AI-powered B2B solutions for the marketing industry. Joycelyn was named one of the “Most Influential Filipinas in the World” in the Thought Leadership category, and in 2023 and 2024, her companies were ranked among the “Top Growing Companies” by the Report on Business at the Globe and Mail. With 20 years of marketing experience at global organizations, Joycelyn is the quintessential big-picture thinker who brings her signature “anything’s possible” approach to every strategic challenge. Prior to acquiring AVC in 2019, Joycelyn served as Global Head of Customer Go-to-Market Strategy, Digital Business Leader, and Product Marketing Director for Western Union, where she spearheaded the company’s fastest-growing digital business unit. An active industry voice, Joycelyn serves on the boards of POCAM (People of Color in Advertising and Marketing) and the Multicultural Marketing Alliance Canada, while frequently contributing as a speaker and guest lecturer. She holds degrees from the University of Alberta and York University and resides in Toronto with her husband, Abe, and son Lorenzo.

C.E. Gatchalian
Short bio about the Author

Born and raised on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tseil-Waututh peoples (colonially known as “Vancouver”), now based primarily in Tkaronto (“Toronto”), C.E. Gatchalian (he/him/his) is a Filipino diasporic queer author, editor, playwright, dramaturge, teacher and consultant. The author of six books and co-editor of three anthologies, he was the 2013 recipient of the Dayne Ogilvie Prize, is a two-time Jessie Richardson Theatre Award recipient, and is a three-time Lambda Literary Award finalist.

His plays have been produced nationally and internationally, as well as on radio and television. Formerly Artistic Producer of the Frank Theatre Company in Vancouver, he is currently Community Engagement Producer for CultureBrew.Art , a digital database and community-building platform for Indigenous
and racialized artists. His memoir, Double Melancholy: Art, Beauty and the Making of
a Brown Queer Man , was published in 2019 by Arsenal Pulp Press , and he is co-editor
of the recently published Magdaragat: An Anthology of Filipino-Canadian Writing ,
published by Cormorant Books . In 2022 he was one of the recipients of the one-time
only Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia’s Arts & Music Awards for his
contribution to the arts in BC.