Issa Bautista

Issa was raised in a modest household in the unassuming town of Kalibo. Growing up with very limited access to material luxuries, she allowed her imagination to go beyond economic, cultural and geographic boundaries. Her love for writing and literature flourished in the dark, stuffy hallways of her public high school, notebook in hand and a great new idea in her head. Because she was bookish and introverted, she didn't have many friends. Her best friends were the characters in the stories she read, the house sparrows that visited their porch daily and an imaginary friend named Master who lived in a cloud. When she moved to Manila to study creative writing, she developed a passion for travel and culture. She was fascinated by the stories of people she met along the way. In her travels, she also developed an advocacy for all forms of art, cross-cultural communication and environmental conservation. One day, she would like to live in a bungalow in the middle of the forest and write books.

At the moment, you will find her leisurely wandering around a place called limbo, figuring out what to do with her degree, a short list of mediocre skills and a hard-line idealistic mindset.