This week we are kicking off the end of the year with a very special guest host: Amelia! She is a local Bay Area highschooler and graduate of our Unsung Heroes youth podcast program. In this student-produced episode, Amelia invites multidisciplinary writer, Zee Lacson, to talk about her journey as a published YA author of The Woolgathering Trilogy and her most recent novel, Twice Removed.  Amelia relived a dream with Zee, a firm believer in following your heart, the power of love, and all things Star Trek. Before rekindling her love for the arts and transitioning to writing, Zee had pursued careers in mechanical engineering, early childhood education, and photography. With stories inspired by culture shock and her own risk taking, Zee explores what it means to be whole when you’re torn between two worlds as an immigrant in between two generations, and a literal manananggal, or as Zee likes to put it: twice removed.  From revealing the in’s and out’s of the publishing world, the difference between “Pantsers” and “Plotters,” this is a must listen episode for aspiring writers and readers! Follow Zee’s writing journey on Instagram and books: @zeelacson on Instagram and https://zeelacson.com/ This project was made possible with support from California Arts Council and California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org. Music Credits: "Nighttime Breeze" by Ann Zhou We’d love it if you could take just a few minutes to fill out our listener survey. Your feedback is essential—not only does it help us improve, but it also strengthens our efforts to secure the funding needed to keep this platform alive. As a thank you, we’re offering some awesome Kultivate Labs swag for folks that participate and leave their email! https://forms.gle/VeA2qCohUQwAd3Nj8 Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. Your support means everything to Cultural Kultivators and the Filipino American community we celebrate in every episode.   WHAT IS BALAY KREATIVE?BALAY KREATIVE is a pop-up Filipino-American arts hub in SOMA Pilipinas, San Francisco, California. EXPLORE BALAY KREATIVEWebsite: www.balaykreative.com Instagram: @balaykreative  Facebook.com/balaykreative Kumu: @balaykreative