Gayle Romasanta
Gayle Romasanta is a writer and artist whose work focuses on the Filipino American experience. Her work has appeared on television, radio, online, in magazines, and in books, such as the New York Times, Time, Smithsonian Magazine, Harvard University’s Education Next Journal, KQED’s The Forum, ABS-CBN and more.
Gayle is also the former artistic director of San Francisco’s Bindlestiff Studio, the only theater space in the U.S. devoted to Filipino American storytelling. As a violinist, she co-composed the first Google Philippines campaign commercial and has performed widely such as at the San Francisco Asian American Jazz Festival 20th Anniversary and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She also co-wrote the book, Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong, with the late and great Dr. Dawn Mabalon.
Currently, she is an artist-in-residence at Brava! For Women in the Arts, writing and co-composing a musical about the life of Larry Itliong. She is also the dramaturg for several upcoming theater productions, including Prieto, by Yosimar Reyes, directed by Kat Evasco, and produced by Joan Osato and Jose Antonio Vargas.
She received a BA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and an MFA, Writing from California College of the Arts. Gayle also founded Kappa Psi Epsilon, a Filipino American cultural sorority, celebrating its 25th year, with chapters at the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, Davis, California State University, Long Beach, California State University, Sacramento, and San Francisco State University.
Gayle is also the founder of Bridge and Delta Publishing, a publishing house dedicated to immigrant stories that are American at their core. She proudly was raised and lives in Stockton, California. For more information visit www.bridgedelta.com.
Gayle is available to speak on the following topics for keynotes, fireside chats, panel discussions, workshops and events
Stockton, Larry Itliong, Filipino Farmworkers, and Why This History Matters
While Filipino Americans are the largest Asian American population in California, with Tagalog the fourth most common language spoken in the US, little is known about Larry Itliong and the Filipinos who started the Delano grape strike that ultimately birthed the United Farm Workers. In this presentation learn about Filipino Americans, the importance of Stockton, labor leader and United Farm Workers co-founder Larry Itliong, and how this community changed US and California history.
Journey for Justice: Creating a nationwide grassroots learning community
When you don’t see yourself in history books, what do you do? Learn how Gayle co-wrote the book, Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong, with renowned Filipino American historian, Dr. Dawn Mabalon and how the Filipino American community came together to tell the history of labor leader and UFW co-founder Larry Itliong. This book created a nationwide movement to rediscover and place importance on Filipino American history for the next generation. This is a reflection, along with professional do’s and don’ts, on how to create change on a nationwide scale in BIPOC communities.
Your BIPOC story isn’t going to write itself. Now What?
Gayle reflects on her activist and artist experience to look at how and why BIPOC communities need to start writing, publishing and producing their own work. As a longtime artist, writer and musician, Gayle pulls from her own experience as the former Artistic Director of Bindlestiff Studio (San Francisco), the only theater space in the US dedicated to Filipino American storytelling, founding co-editor of California College of the Arts Eleven Eleven literary arts journal, author, playwright, and musician.
Articles written by Gayle Romasanta
Smithsonian Magazine “Why Every Filipino American Should Know about Larry Itliong”
about the book “Journey For Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong”
This book, written by historian Dawn Bohulano Mabalon with writer Gayle Romasanta, and richly illustrated by Andre Sibayan, tells the story of Larry Itliong's lifelong fight for a farmworkers union, and the birth of one of the most significant American social movements of all time, the farmworker's struggle, and its most enduring union, the United Farm Workers. A percentage of proceeds from this book will be donated to the nonprofit organizations Little Manila Rising and the Filipino American National Historical Society.
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