Key Points
- Luwalhati Alvero Kendrick is a Palanca Award recipient, a prestigious literary prize in the Philippines, for her poem “Isang Tingkal na Alikabok”, A lump of dust in English.
- She uses her own experiences and the people around her as subjects of her work.
- Luwalhati enjoys spending time in her garden and with her family in Canberra while still scribbling thoughts for her next literary projects.
Her name is Luwalhati – a Filipino word meaning glory. Perhaps that’s what her parents thought when she was born in July 1948. Or how she felt about her award-winning work. Whatever the reason may be, she is an artist deserving of praise.
Luwalhati Alvero Kendrick’s life experiences influenced and inspired her work. Her literary pieces, mostly poems and short stories in Filipino provoke deep thinking. Her favourite subjects include women empowerment, the environment, Filipino romanticism, and patriotism. She is unafraid to express her views and encourages empathy in her readers.
Challenges of the accidental poet
Kendrick didn’t dream of becoming a poet, but her competitiveness made her one. At seven, she started joining declamation and poetry contests in primary school which harnessed her skills.
As a child, she resented comparisons with her father, Philippine poet and novelist Aurelio Alvero. Because of this, Kendrick decided to drop her father’s last name and created her own identity.
“I realised that I will never be like my father. But most of the time I would feel that I am him – his physical features and way of thinking are similar to mine”, she says.
Kendrick with a portrait of her father Aurelio Alvero.
Kendrick said that searching for identity and purpose is a universal human experience. She took a hiatus from writing to rediscover herself.
During this time, she taught creative writing in English at the Philippine College of Commerce (PCC) after completing her literature degree at the Lyceum of the Philippines.
She balanced passion, work, and motherhood as she continued to participate in writing competitions while working at PCC to support her son Erick.
A young poet
At 12 years old, Kendrick had her first poems published in Liwayway, a leading Tagalong weekly magazine.
Her first published poems were entitled “Si Ina” [Mother], and “Under the Friendly Tree.”
The author at 12 years old.
“As I become older, my works draw inspiration from events that happened in my life and the lives of people around me.”
Kendrick’s works are relatable to topics such as love, both joyful and tragic. She has developed her own unique creative thought process. Words come to her while she does the dishes. Memories of past events are also inspirations.
“My emotions control the tone of my works. If it’s about other people, I listen and share their stories on how their experiences made me feel. Sometimes I would find myself weeping while I write because my thoughts evoke strong emotions.”
An artist through and through
Besides writing, Kendrick also paints, gardens, and decorates cakes. She won as cake decorator of Canberra for four consecutive years.
Kendrick's 70th birthday cake which she decorated.
“I am a rebel.”
Kendrick was a rebel even at six years old. She recalls her mum Encarnacion Villamor getting mad at her for cutting the edges of her expensive leather shoes and, pasting adornments on them.
Kendrick with her mum, Encarnacion.
Her art is as unconventional and unapologetic as her personality.
Kendrick’s watercolour painting inspired by her garden.
She married her second husband Major Gary John Kendrick, an Australian, in the Philippines. While there, she introduced him to her graduate studies adviser Dr. Feliciana Reyes at the Centro Escolar University.
The author with her husband Major Gary John Hendrick
When Kendrick moved to Australia in 1975, she stopped writing to raise her family but would still scribble her thoughts.
In her husband's final years, he expressed his desire to see her and her father’s pieces published in the same book.
Her latest project, “The Shadowed Garden” is a collection of poems reflecting her experiences combined with her father’s own pieces. It’s a passion project, dedicated to her late husband.
The poet at the launch of her latest book “The Shadowed Garden” with her grandson Harley Gary Kendrick, son Erick Homer Kendrick and friend Evelyn Navarra Greaves (L-R) at the Philippine Embassy.
When she finally received the copyright to publish the works of her father in 2021, she completed the book.
“Reading ‘The Shadowed Garden’ is knowing your Filipino roots through poetry – revisiting our history through my words,” she says.
Love and legacy
She won the Palanca Award, a prestigious Philippine literary prize, for her poem “Isang Tingkal na Alikabok”, [A lump of sand]. She says that winning the prestigious award was not only a recognition of her artistry but a responsibility to give back to the community.
Giving back means donating the earnings of her book The Shadowed Garden to build toilets and support sanitary projects in Gibitngil Island in Cebu.
Kendrick at the book launch of “The Shadowed Garden” at the Philippine Embassy in Canberra.
