About the BWB Editors

Lenny Bugayong

Editor

Lenny is a hunter and gatherer of true stories yet untold. She was raised by Filipino parents from Batangas and Davao but grew up in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Through her writing and advocacies, she aims to fan the discourse on subjects like intergenerational migration, multiculturalism, and post-colonialism. She likens her experiences as a 2nd-generation migrant to the solving of a Rubik’s cube: they effect a constant arranging and rearranging of notions, emotions, and convictions. Being a part of this project has certainly contributed to one more twist.

She finished her MA degree in English Language and Literature/Letters at Universität Freiburg and is currently a linguist, specializing in project management, research, writing, editing, and translation.

Lily C. Fen

Editor

Lily is honored to be part of this Filipino-Swiss migration project. She became a migrant herself in 2011, moving with her Czech husband to Prague and staying there for several years. They are living in their third city together as a couple: Zurich. Migration has taught her to separate identity from her occupation, and she writes her way into finding her own sense of self through works like Bending without Breaking. She loves the sea and will always be a storyteller, whether as an actor or writer. This is her first project as a book co-editor.

Lily’s features and Filipino fantasy fiction have appeared in QLRS, Asian Cha, Asian Dragon, The Local Switzerland, and New Asian Writing. She earned her MA degree in English Studies from the University of the Philippines and co-edited a book entitled Bending without Breaking: Thirteen Women’s Stories of Migration and Resilience. She translated one of Čapek’s beloved children’s stories, O pejskovi a kočičce, into Filipino, entitled Si Aso at Si Pusa. She is working on her first novel.

Monette Bichsel

Editor

Monette is a confessed neurotic who tries to translate her “heimweh” into words. Since moving to Switzerland in the autumn of 2015, she has grappled with the realities of moving from one country to the other — from learning the language to finding a space where she can continue her career in training and development. Despite difficulties, she persists in finding pockets of refuge in family, friends, and this small community of strong and independent Filipinas who constantly show her that over time, she can call Switzerland home.

She graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Literature and works in corporate training while pursuing her love for travel and writing.  Her works were published by Southeast Asian Travel Magazine, Juan’s Destination Magazine, Navigator Magazine, and top online publications. She also wrote several travel essays as part of Dispatch Magazine’s travel anthology book published in the Philippines. She has collaborated with tourism departments, airline companies, and hotel associations in promoting the Philippines as a travel destination. She recently co-authored and co-edited the anthology of short stories about Filipino women living in Switzerland, Bending Without Breaking: Thirteen Women’s Stories of Migration and Resilience.