BUMIGAY

ESL or You Weren’t Here (2018)

ESL or You Weren’t Here tells the story of a queer Pinoy who immigrates to New York in the 1990s in order to be reunited with their parents. What follows is the poet’s awakening to the legacy of American imperialism & colonialism in the Philippines, and to the experience of living between languages, cultures, temporalities, and genders―untranslatable. ESLasks the reader to bear witness to embodied histories of forced immigration, separation and abandonment rooted in patriarchal racism.

by Aldrin Valdez

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Aldrin Valdez is a bakla Pinoy writer and visual artist. Their first book ESL or You Weren’t Here was a 2019 finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Poetry. Aldrin has been awarded fellowships from Queer/Art/Mentorship & Poets House.

Surya Narayana (the Sun God), unknown Indian artist, circa 1740s

Terracotta statuette of Eros, 3rd century B.C., Metropolitan Museum of Art: Greek and Roman Art

Rogers Fund, 1912 Size: H. 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm) Medium: Terracotta

Wasting time.

Aka. I just wanted to draw kitty cat.

Standing Buffalo, 20th century, Brooklyn Museum: Arts of the Americas

(lower center in photo) Modeled buffalo with indications of hair in his mane and head. His head is raised. He has a hide tail and ears. Size: 1 ¾ x ¾ x 2 ¼ in. (4.4 x 1.9 x 5.7 cm) Medium: Clay, paint, hide