Verse & Vision | Exploring the world of FilAm Poet Veronica Pamindanan
Dallas based poet Veronica Pamindanan is all about creative empowerment. Through her craft, she fuses her Christian Filipino heritage with American culture in the forms of beautifully written poems and powerful on stage performances. Beyond the mic, she is on a mission to empower others on their journeys to embrace their own creative sides and pursue their passions.
Veronica grew up in Dallas, Texas in a household that contained a mix of American and Filipino culture. Because of this, she did not have to venture outside of her house to discover her Filipino roots. Those roots were already instilled in her along with the traditional Filipino values at an early age.
“There was actually a brief time in my childhood where I stopped talking because I was being taught Tagalog, Spanish, and English. My little brain was like, “Hmmm, hold on a second. Which one is the right language?,” she shared.
Veronica described her journey through education as short and sweet. As she grew up in Texas, she encountered racist teachers who would oftentimes treat her differently from the other kids. This continued all the way until she got to highschool. Then, it wasn’t just teachers that would crack racist remarks. Her schoolmates chiming in on the racism was hurtful, but Veronica didn’t let it get to her.
“I was always considered Asian and the way people responded to me was based on my Asian-ness. Meaning, for some reason, some would ask if I could speak English or ask how does it feel to be away from home? Or other things similar to that. I have truly been sheltered by God’s grace because I have not been bullied or pushed around for being asian. It was always about other characteristics about myself,” recalled Veronica.
As soon as she was able to write, Veronica found her love for poetry, which quickly became a creative outlet for her to limitlessly express herself. She started off writing haikus and transitioning to free stanzas. Her passion for English and writing grew each and every day that she immersed herself in the art of poetry.
When asked how “Talk Your Creativity” came about, she shared, “It started when I decided to take my art seriously, which was in 2019. I hated how artists would say ‘Talk your shi__.’ I don’t like cussing because I didn’t feel like it was uplifting and I also needed a stage name other than my own name. I created TYC, Talk Your Creativity. TYC is a brand that allows me to help artists transition from being open mic-ers to working with other small/medium sized businesses. My goal with this brand is to help artists tell their story with truth, say it with power, speaking it to inspire.”
Veronica’s involvement as a member of the Dallas Poetry Slam was something that was actually not entirely planned. Her journey started as she joined a competitive open mic, where she had no idea that the winner would be selected to join the team. Ultimately, she lost but her performance was so good that the coach, who noticed her potential, asked her to join anyway.
When she’s in her element, Veronica draws inspiration from personal experiences she’s lived through or is going through. She views her craft as a means of therapy without having to communicate with anyone on the other side.
When asked if she’d encountered any obstacles throughout her journey, she shared, “A constant struggle I suffer through is remaining authentic and trusting myself when I release new pieces. My writing was purely for me when I got into poetry so I could experience free therapy. Now it’s about sorting through which poem pieces I can release that is in connection with others and myself, not allowing myself to lose myself while releasing these poems. I allow myself to take the time that is needed to allow a poem to breathe as one may say give it time to rest. I cannot release every great poem I write and someone finds a connection to because it takes away pieces of me. I overcome this by understanding what I want to achieve at the releasing and the importance of God sending me these words to express to others. My words can heal and over time it has shown that it inspires others. I would only be a rock in the road if I did not push forward.”
Veronica now makes it a point to provide up and coming artists with opportunities to showcase their own talent through her Inclusive Mics. Here, she gets them paid opportunities and helps them connect so that they can build a network within the Arlington Arts community and beyond.
When asked what advice she’d share with those who wish to follow in her footsteps in pursuit of a career as a poet, she shared, “Remember artists, our minds need to be a sanctuary from this world. Take care of yourself, understand your path, and make sure that this is the life that you are wanting. Create the life that you want to see. This is all for you.”
Written By Nico Belasco
Photographer, Writer, Speaker, Podcast Host, Creative
Filipino names are truly some of the most diverse names you’ll ever come across. Our last names alone can have Spanish influence, Chinese influence, and in some cases American influences due to the involvement of the U.S. during World War II.
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