Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Sow.
Hi Daniela, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always loved reading, writing, and art! I remember writing fiction stories in black-and-white Composition Books when I was ten years old, and I filled blank journals with my poetry and mixed media drawings all throughout high school. At the time, the form and process of my writing was raw–I was highly tuned into my imagination and emotions.
At the College of Creative Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), I studied literature and engaged in writing workshops more formally. This helped me experiment with the aesthetics of poetry without compromising my authentic voice. I also participated in the open mic scene and loved spoken word; in fact, one memorable experience was when I repped Team Ventura at the National Poetry Slam–writing, memorizing, and performing both individual and group poems, to be scored by judges selected from the audience.
I continued to refine my skills and immerse myself with literary folks through the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Poetry) program at San Diego State University (SDSU). That was also when I discovered my love for teaching, thanks to the Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies (DRWS) and the internship with San Diego/Imperial County Community College Association (SDICCCA). After grad school, I became a community college instructor, and I’m happy to say that I’ve served as a tenured faculty member at Grossmont College since 2016! I get to teach composition and creative writing, coordinate diverse events for the campus, and more. I enjoy working with students and helping their writing come to life.
Aside from teaching, I’d always wanted to craft and publish a full-length poetry collection. So when the college granted me a sabbatical leave in 2022, I worked on what would later become Half Moon Rising. I applied and got accepted into an intensive three-month AWP’s Writer-to-Writer Program during that same time frame–so fortunate! My poet-mentor, Gustavo Adolfo Aybar, gave me weekly feedback, and I was also receiving poem critiques and encouragement from Erin Rodoni, Jose Hernandez Diaz, and Ina Cariño. My spouse, Mandela, and daughter, Ella, also have supported and inspired me in countless ways. Having great people in your corner, coaching and encouraging you, can help turn an isolated dream into a reality.
The book came out in May 2024 and, since then, I’ve had such a wonderful time doing collaborative reading events with other San Diego writers, getting interviewed on a podcast, visiting classes, and more. The literary community in our city is enriching and amazing!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Writing and refining the poems involved a lot of introspection; I often had to interrogate the poems to see how I could make them “live” as best as possible–for both me and my readers. Some questions that would come up while writing and revising: What is my main message or epiphany here? Is it true? Is this poem going deep enough and taking risks? Is my imagery or metaphor original and making sense? In what form does this poem flow best? Am I saying/explaining too much here? Not enough? How can I make the poem both emotionally moving and accessible without compromising its integrity and complexity? Also, as a mixed race person–Filipina and Romanian American–I wanted to do more than simply write “identity” poems in the collection. So figuring out how to do my cultural heritage justice while adding other textured elements of poetry and content themes was a healthy challenge for me.
Additionally, I definitely faced a lot of rejection during the publishing journey. I’d send out individual poems to various journals and presses, and some would get accepted while others would not. There would be weeks of rejection after rejection, and it was hard to feel good about and believe in my writing. Then a poem would get accepted somewhere, and I’d be reinvigorated again to write and send out my work. The experience was similar for the manuscript as a whole; I’d send it out to many contests and open reading periods, but most of the time, there was a lot of rejection. Writers have to believe in themselves and stay focused; it’s a long game.
I knew that Half Moon Rising had a lot of promise when it was selected as a semifinalist for the Airlie Poetry Prize, and it was longlisted for the Palette Poetry Prize. I’m glad that Kelsay Books accepted the collection! They are a wonderful independent press with a great, communicative team. They even sponsored and nominated it for The Eric Hoffer Awards this year. Also, I’m happy that the book has been celebrated as part of the San Diego Local Author Showcase. However, the best part of going through the writing, revision, submission, and publishing journey has been connecting with readers and writers at various events! I’ve connected with some incredible people at places like the Filipino American Friendship Festival, the San Diego Poetry Annual readings, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, the San Diego Central Public Library, and more. Our former SD Poet Laureate, Jason Magabo Perez, and other writers/emcees, like Michael Klam and Jim Moreno, are some of the people I appreciate getting to know in our community.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As an educator, not only do I love making my classroom experiences fun and engaging, but also I’m proud of my collaborative work across the campus. I’m currently a coordinator for the tutors through the English Department and the English Writing & Humanities Center at Grossmont College, and I coordinate events for the Creative Writing Program’s Fall Readings Series and Spring Literary Arts Festival. I also coordinate events for the Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Committee’s Filipino American History Month (FAHM) and Asian American, Native Hawai’ian, and Pacific Islander’s (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Diversity matters. So does inclusion. I believe that every underrepresented group deserves to be celebrated and recognized.
As a writer, I’m proud that my poetry book addresses a wide range of topics such as: motherhood, love, feminism, cultural heritage, multiracial experiences, privilege, food, family, celebration, and more. The beginning poems speak to the loss of my mother (after her long battle with breast cancer), and the notion of her comes up again and again in the other pieces, especially in the closing piece because now I’m a mother myself. She is a major backbone of this work. Everything comes back to her and is cyclical, like the moon in its phases. When I stayed in Cebu, Philippines, with relatives, this deepened my understanding of my mother and her legacy and the many facets of an immigrant daughter’s purpose. My poetry book is not only about engaging in the personal process of decolonization and trying to heal cultural amnesia, but also it’s about acceptance and belonging.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I remember that I used to get $5 per week as an allowance, and automatically I would use it to buy new books; back then, my favorite ones were about $3.50 each. I would spend hours in both libraries and bookstores. Once, I was happily perusing young adult literature in the bookstore at the mall, but I didn’t realize it was closing time; I got locked inside by accident! I went to find my mom, but she was outside in the main mall area, looking for me. Fortunately, an employee spotted me and was able to get me out.
I also remember how surprised and excited I felt when I won the Santa Barbara County Spelling Bee–as a 6th grader representing my school, Jonata. My mom had me follow a schedule of studying one hundred words per day–and if I missed any, they would end up on the next day’s study list–but I didn’t actually think I would win the spelling bee! So when I came in first place (I think my final winning word was “capybara”) and received two trophies–one for me and another for my school–my family and community were so proud of me. That felt great as a kid. However, I didn’t make it past the first round in the state-level spelling bee. I’ll never forget: I misheard the word “zephyr” spoken on the mic, and so I spelt it incorrectly. The 5th grade girl sitting next to me ended up winning; her final word was “quincentennial.” I didn’t know how to spell that word back then anyway–and honestly, I still don’t know how (I had to look it up just now)!
Contact Info:
- Website: danielasow.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniela.p.sow/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniela-sow-grossmont-college/
- Other: https://kelsaybooks.com/products/half-moon-rising
Image Credits
Elizabeth Domingo (photographer) and Stephen Harvey (photographer)
