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Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0173-452X

Date Available

4-28-2027

Year of Publication

2026

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

MFA in Creative Writing

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/School/Program

English

Faculty

Hannah Pittard

Faculty

Andrew Milward

Abstract

Kayumanggi is a collection of stories that, beginning with narratives set in one’s twenties and concluding with a reflection of childhood, examines the nuance of human relationships by exploring themes such as longing and desire, grief, familial expectations, and the search for identity and home. In “Ballade No. 1 in G Minor,” a music graduate student struggles with her suppressed desire, the story mirroring the structure of Chopin’s eponymous piano piece by juxtaposing present performance and memories of desire. “Despedida” delves into the aftermath of friendship fractured by scandal and focuses on loss and acceptance of new beginnings. “Banana Reunion” adds an absurdity to the mundane by featuring a banana-thieving fortune teller but is ultimately a story that explores motherhood and belonging. The flash fiction and prose poetry pieces are part of an ekphrastic collection taking after Pilipino National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, touching on pastoral life, folk legends, and wartime history. The novelette “Balete” combines folk literature and coming-of-age narratives to reconceptualize Pilipino mythology beyond cautionary tales. Collectively, Kayumanggi invites readers to inhabit the perspective of a Pilipina writer constantly in motion, either in place or in time.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.141

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Archival

Available for download on Wednesday, April 28, 2027

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