Some new readers have been inquiring if they can write for PF. The answer is Yes, we always welcome articles with a Filipino slant, from everywhere in the world. And you don't have to be Filipino to write for us.

Here are answers to FAQs about contributing to PF:

Q: How do I start writing for PF?

A: The first step is to send us a query email about the topic you wish to write about, a brief description and your short bio (make sure you include your location). If the editorial desk okays your topic, we will send you guidelines and suggestions. Send your query to submissions@positivelyfilipino.com or PFeditor@yahoo.com.

Q: How do I submit an article to PF?

A: Email your finished article (corrected for facts, typos and grammar), preferably as a Word doc, to PFeditor@yahoo.com. Make sure you include photos with photo credits, and captions. Send us at least five photos to choose from. We will also need your 2-sentence bio and your headshot.

Q: What happens after I send in my article?

A: The editors will evaluate your piece. If revisions or clarifications are required, we will send it back to you. You will then send us back the revised version for final editing by us. Your edited article will then be added to our editorial schedule.

Q: How long does it take from final submission to publication?

A: Normally it takes 2-3 weeks, but there are caveats. If we have a lot of pending stories lined up, it might take longer. Since PF comes out with a new issue only once a week (Wednesdays), we make sure that there is a balance of stories that will keep our readers interested. So we will have to determine where your story fits. Time-sensitive stories will be fast-tracked.

Q: Do I get a writer's fee?

A: Yes, we have a standard fee for each story that is original and exclusive to PF, meaning it is not posted or published anywhere else (not even personal blogs). If your article has been published/posted on another site, we will include the link to the original post, but no fee. Writers' fees are paid via Paypal the month after publication.

Q: Can my published article be read elsewhere other than the PF website?

A: We will post the link to our social media sites (Facebook, X and Instagram). You're also free to repost the link to your networks.

Welcome to the Positively Filipino writers pool, where you'll be in the exalted company of some of the best writers of Filipino heritage.

Funding provided by the State of California.

Stories This Week

The Stories Behind ‘Searching For Maura’ Of The Smithsonian’s Racial Brain Collection by Titchie Carandang

‘We Want Justice For Our Daughter’ by Cherie M. Querol Moreno

San Miguel De Allende: A Mexican Heritage Jewel by Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard

Remembering The ‘Brain Man’ by Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr.

Documenting The Diaspora by Corin Ramos Lujan

[Video This Week] Internet Trolls: The Unseen Force Behind Philippines' Politics

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Hate Crimes Surge in 2022, Leading to an Urgent Call for Unity and Action
https://africanamericanvoice.net/?p=5507

Justice Dept Cracks Down on Hate Crimes
https://www.culvercityobserver.com/story/2023/11/02/news/justice-dept-cracks-down-on-hate-crimes/12954.html

US Hate Crime: Indian Student Stabbed In Head For Looking 'Threatening, Weird' To Attacker; On Life Support
https://zeenews.india.com/india/us-hate-crime-indian-student-varun-raj-stabbed-in-head-for-looking-threatening-weird-to-attacker-on-life-support-2683130.html

PANG: Celebrate the Asian American Student Center
https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2023/11/pang-celebrate-the-asian-american-student-center

Sacramento AAPI leaders outraged after robbery of supermarket shopper caught on camera
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/south-sacramento/sacramento-aapi-leaders-outraged-brazen-robbery-inside-supermarket-caught-on-video/103-3f6e95ae-1cc8-4fe3-b1f2-bdbdd3694c43

‘I don’t feel safe right now:’ BHS AAPI community grapples with social impacts of COVID-19
https://berkeleyhighjacket.com/2023/investigative/i-dont-feel-safe-right-now-bhs-aapi-community-grapples-with-social-impacts-of-covid-19/

Funding provided by the State of California.

In The Know

The Dimensions of Inequality in the Philippines, by the numbers
https://coverstory.ph/the-dimensions-of-inequality-in-the-philippines-by-the-numbers/

California professor talks Filipino Americans' underrepresentation despite large population
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/california-professor-talks-filipino-americans-underrepresentation-despite-large-population/?fbclid=IwAR0jMz96Pjawo6BaBFNXiQ0V4FyJpkcRBNwZu7nk8TG1EuhtAreWm74Md5I

As the world looks elsewhere, China stirs trouble in the South China Sea
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/world-looks-elsewhere-china-stirs-trouble-south-china-sea

Seaside town’s once abused territorial seas now protected
https://www.ndbcnews.com.ph/news/seaside-town%E2%80%99s-once-abused-territorial-seas-now-protected

How New Jersey’s first Pinoy coffee shop brews Filipino culture and community
https://nextshark.com/new-jersey-first-filipino-coffee-shop-ayala

This month marks the 31st year our FilAm community is celebrating Filipino American History Month (FAHM). October was the month chosen in 1992 by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), as initiated by the Seattle-based historians Fred and Dorothy Cordova [read about her in our In The Know links below].

Why October? The first recorded landing of Filipinos (then called "Luzones Indios") happened on October 18, 1587 in or around Morro Bay, California via the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Buena Esperanza. For more information about this, read again Abraham Ignacio Jr.'s story. https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/where-exactly-did-filipinos-first-land-in-california

Since 1992, FANHS chapters and FilAm community organizations in various cities and states in the US have commemorated the month with events and activities to mark the presence of Filipinos in the US. And what a presence we have! Already, the Philippine national language is the dominant household language in 15 US cities, and the third most spoken (next to English and Spanish) in the state of Nevada [See "Tagalog Spoken Here"].

Finally in 2009, the US Congress made it official: October is FAHM, a designation that is recognized in all 50 states. In 2015, the Obama administration celebrated the first FAHM in the White House.

How to celebrate FAHM this year? Check out your local libraries and community centers; many of them have cultural presentations, film showings and exhibits on FilAms. [See our Community News section for information.] If you're in Northern California, visit Stockton, where the FANHS Museum is located. Gather friends and family for a Filipino meal or two in restaurants serving Filipino food. Watch films and read books that tell our people's stories. The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. is about to come out with "The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture in 101 Objects" [Read Titchie Carandang's "Historical Memories Are Made of These"]

Positively Filipino has, through the years, compiled real stories -- good and bad-- about our FilAm communities, including those that pay tribute to those who came before us and on whose shoulders we stand on as we navigate our way through this idea called America. [Read Again "We Stand On Their Shoulders, Part 1 and 2].

It's not always pretty, our stories in this land. The past three years have been particularly fraught with the increasing incidents of hate directed against Asians. Veteran journalist Cristina Pastor visits Noel Quintana, our kababayan in New York City whose face was slashed when he was in the subway on his way to work one morning in 2021. Despite his trauma, he soldiers on, speaking out against racism wherever and whenever he can. Determination and resilience, that's what he's demonstrating.

And that, in essence, is what our community is celebrating this eventful month of October 2023.