History remembers the loud ones: the women who took the streets, fist raised, banners high, and voices echoing. But change also happens in quieter moments, in the margins of a page, in the stories that shape how we see the world. Words have always been a weapon, and today, young Filipina author and editor Katya Lichauco is wielding hers as both mirror and movement—a way to capture the beauty and brutality of women’s stories while dismantling the narratives that seek to contain them.
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The Rest Was Still Unwritten
Like many fresh grads, Katya had no grand plan—just this hunger to write. Her senior thesis, ONE WOMAN, is a nonfiction book that stitched together essays on the fractured yet interconnected realities of one woman. Yet something nagged at her as she pulled from “modern” works by Filipina women. “There were some standalone works I turned to, but nothing as current as what I was experiencing,” Lichauco shared. The stories she needed didn’t exist, so she made a mental note, one that would prove invaluable later on.
A few years and a global standstill later, life gave her a beautiful opening. Stuck at home during the pandemic, she and her childhood best friend Yanna Garcia found themselves sifting through their own memories, the triumphs and wounds alike. “Together, we decided we wanted to work on a project that combined both our areas of expertise,” Lichauco explained, hers in women empowerment and writing, Garcia’s in mental health and psychology.
Then, Big Deal was born, an anthology that shared Gen Z and Millenial Filipina voices in essays, poems, short stories, and art. Lichauco and Garcia reached out to friends, acquaintances, and strangers to “celebrate the plurality of women’s voices and the myriad ways there are to tell a story.” “We wanted to recognize women’s talents, keep it localized, and create an archive that reclaimed the expression ‘It’s not that big of a deal’ to tell people that their voice matters,” Lichauco said.
This belief in the weight of stories carried into her next project. As co-author and managing editor of Fearless Filipinas II: 24 Women Who Dared to Dream, she helped document the lives of Filipinas who shattered expectations and redefined success, ensuring their legacies were etched in history. Among the celebrated women were journalists Pia Ranada and Ces Drilon, former racer driver Michele Bumgarner, Disney animator Josie Trinidad, and Kids for Kids co-founder Tasha Tanjutco.
The Impact of Ink
Naturally, we asked the golden question: “why do you do what you do?” Her answer was personal.
“Growing up, I was very shy. I still am,” Lichauco admitted. Books became her refuge until reading wasn’t enough, and she eventually felt the pull to write. “It became an outlet for expressing myself and articulating my thoughts. It helped me find my voice, and to cultivate and appreciate the voices of others.”
Somewhere along the way, that quiet girl with her head in the pages became someone who now speaks at rallies, career fairs, panels, and radio shows. But it wasn’t just about finding her own voice—it was about amplifying others. “Publishing Big Deal helped me find my purpose,” she shared. “I still get impostor syndrome saying I am a published author and editor, but this is not the reason it was the most pivotal part of my career. It’s not just about having these labels, but being able to find women who wanted to share and tell their stories alongside mine.”
Writing The Wrongs
For the ‘I don’t really read’ people, these books about women might seem like just documentation—a nice-to-have, but hardly urgent. But what if writing was the very thing keeping women’s rights from slipping away?
Through publishing, editing, and advocacy, Lichauco has seen how reclaiming narratives is still an uphill battle for Filipina women. “Our society is still rather conservative, so talking about taboo topics can still cause quite a stir.” Stories of consent, for instance, are often reduced to gossip. “There’s still a ‘he said, she said’ mentality. This is why a lot of women hesitate to come forward.”
That hesitation is why Lichauco treats these stories with care. “I’ve learned the importance of listening—to give them validation and a platform to reclaim their agency.” For her, storytelling isn’t just about words on a page. It’s about giving women their voices back, in their own time and on their own terms.
If there’s one thing to take away, it’s that the only thing more powerful than a pen is a woman who knows how to use it. Katya Lichauco may have started as a bookish kid idolizing Junie B. Jones and Jacqueline Wilson’s heroines, but her words hold weight well beyond the pages.
“This is the beauty of storytelling; it keeps your personal history alive even when you are no longer the one telling it.”
Katya Lichauco on the power of storytelling in reclaiming women’s voices
And as long as there are stories to be told, Lichauco will be there—standing on the shoulders of giants, making sure no woman’s voice is lost.
Featured Image and Photos: KATYA LICHAUCO
