The next workshop in our four-part, in-person series exploring Filipino foodways invites participants into a gentle, guided space to explore the relationship between food, memory, and grief with writer Karla Jubaily.
In many of our homes, grief lives in recipes. It lingers in the way we slice garlic, in the smell of simmering adobo, in the dishes we cook when we miss someone. This session asks: How can food become an entry point into remembering? How can storytelling help us hold both loss and love?
Rooted in an anti racist and decolonial framework, and funded by the Future Arts Network @futureartsnet & made possible in part by the Government of Canada, this series invites participants to cook together, share stories, and rediscover how traditional dishes carry ancestral knowledge and community values.
While you may know Karla as FBC’s Community Engagement Manager, she is also an avid storyteller and writer whose work explores food, culture, grief, and community. Karla has been writing about her own experiences of grief in various forms for nearly a decade, since losing her dad in 2017. Writing about her dad through food memories has given shape and meaning to her grief, and opened pathways for connection with others who carry their own stories of loss.
Karla holds a Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia, where she received recognition including the Pattison Media Ltd. Equity Scholarship and the RTDNF Narcity Digital Journalism Scholarship. In 2023, she was named one of the Canadian Arab Institute’s 30 Under 30. Her writing has been published in The Canadian Encyclopedia, The Globe and Mail, and The Georgia Straight, among others.
To better serve her community, Karla has completed Psychological First Aid (PFA) certification through BC’s Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) Disaster Psychosocial Services program. She is currently completing a micro-certificate in Mental Health and Substance Use through UBC’s School of Social Work.
In this workshop, participants will learn practical tools for writing, interviewing, and archival work, including:
How to write about grief with care and self-awareness
How to interview family members or community members with sensitivity and curiosity
How to document, preserve, and organize personal memories and community histories
How to transform lived experiences into reflective, creative writing
How to use food and sensory memory as an entry point into story
Self and after-care practices when writing about emotional material
Through her guidance, participants gain techniques and resources that go beyond a typical writing workshop—combining creative expression, memory work and professional storytelling skills within a supportive and thoughtfully facilitated space.
Is this workshop for you?
This workshop is a creative, reflective space for exploring memories, emotions and personal experiences through writing and food. It is designed for participants who are interested in reflecting on past experiences of grief and loss.
***Disclaimer***: Karla is not a registered clinical counsellor or mental health professional. This workshop is not a substitute for counselling, therapy, or support for recent or ongoing grief. Participants are encouraged to seek professional support, if needed. Our focus is on creative expression, storytelling and connecting memory with food.
Limited spots. Registration is required.
Registration opens February 27 at 12 PM PST and is first come, first served. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the registration link on February 27 via the link in our bio or here: https://form.jotform.com/BCFilipino/filipino-bc-email