MANILA – “My heart lives in a big town!” is a child’s hopeful ode to a violent world — the wonder for greeneries, of diamond-bright stars, of rainwater and rivers in a world that permits genocide.

Written by eleven-year-old Ania Sabine, this collection of poems, stories, and drawings offers a heartfelt glimpse into a child’s world, reminding adults of the importance of preserving their sense of wonder. With natural and sincere storytelling, Ania’s work reflects her deep fascination with life and her unwavering faith in her gay parents, her beloved cat and sister Moon, and the countless life forms that exist both beneath and beyond the clouds.

The collection is not only a window to the journey of all things she loves— it is a shared expedition, with Ania at the helm, to help readers navigate the beauty and boundaries of innocence. It also reinforces the close proximity of poetry to children, which we can trace from songs, nursery rhymes, and even traditional child plays.

Complementing her words, the collection also showcases Ania’s drawings, which have been gently-stroked and painted with warmth. She portrays real people and situations in an animated way innate in her perspective, a vibrancy that is uniquely her own. Her work is a successful union of form and content, a fundamental rule in making art forms.

The production of this zine is a lesson to all of us that, while it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a child to rekindle our hopes for a better village — and even, a better world. With unwavering support for children’s artistic expression, we open the door to immersive literary forms, an aspiration for a better and beautiful world that first materializes with boundless children’s imagination.

Beyond all these, I am excited to read the sequel of the last short story in her collection. Her work can also be read in one sitting, as I managed to finish the collection while commuting on my way home. (RTS, RVO)