Irene Sarmiento, an award-winning writer of children’s book Tabon Girl and young adult novel Stray Cats, made history of sort by being the first author from the Philippines to be invited to this year’s White Ravens Festival, held July 13-17 at the Blutenberg Castle in Munich, Germany.
A native of Quezon City, Sarmiento moved from the Philippines to Texas in 2011. She currently works as a pediatric occupational therapist for children with special needs in northern Colorado.
In an interview with the National Book Development Board (NBDB), Sarmiento narrated “it was in college when I won my first Palanca [award] in the now defunct future fiction category and made me realize I have two lives [studying occupational therapy and writing]. But I never really questioned whether I should stop or keep writing.”
“As a writer, I recognize that in this unequal world, we who are marginalized have to assert our humanity, and this is my way of doing that. I am a Filipino writer talking to multiple cultures in my works. I am both a writer and a healthcare practitioner,” she said.
The White Ravens Festival is dedicated to international literature for children and young adults, bringing together authors and illustrators from different parts of the world to read from their most recent works, lead writing workshops and other interactive events, and discuss their life and works.
The festival has hosted various prominent authors such as Ingo Siegner from Germany, Micaela Chirif from Peru, Shaw Kuzki from Japan, Anete Melece from Latvia, Tuutikki Tolonen from Finland, MG Leonard from the United Kingdom, André Letria from Portugal, Yves Grevet from France, Jamshid Khanian from Iran, and Ondřej Buddeus from the Czech Republic, to name a few.
The event was organized under the auspices of the International Youth Library (IJB) in Munich, Germany.
“The invitation was a huge surprise. It is important because it gave me the opportunity to tell them about the Philippines. It prompted the audience to know more about us [Filipinos]. It helped me to bring our works to the global stage,” Sarmiento noted.
Aside from a radio interview, attended eight interactive reading events across Germany with 10 different participating schools (and with 50 to 150 students in attendance each session) from July 13 to 17 this year. The event was under the patronage of the Bavarian State Minister for Science and the Arts, and featured renowned, multi-award-winning writers.
Sarmiento’s works, often about children overcoming challenges, have received recognition from prestigious organizations such as The Palanca Memorial Foundation, the Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards, and Stories to Change the World.
“My family and I always love books and stories. When I was eight years old, I won a short story writing competition called Young Minds, and it was the first time that I got really published, which started me on that trajectory,” said Sarmiento.
Her novel, Stray Cats, was named one of the Kids’ Choice winners at the National Children’s Book Award in 2024. It tells the story of Elisa Paz, an eighth grader in search of her best friend.
She advised aspiring Filipino writers to “speak in your own voice. Who knows? One of these days, someone might listen.”
Sarmiento’s participation in the festival coincides with the Philippines’ preparations as the guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Oct. 15-19, 2025.
