Lyde Gerard Villanueva

What was your favorite book as a child?

I can't recall having a favorite book when I was a child, but I love the encyclopedia collection of my grandparents. It was a series of books, and the entries were arranged alphabetically. And it had pictures! I was fascinated by the types of rocks and animals endemic to Australia, various cloud formations, and much more. What I cannot forget is the amoeba. A single-celled organism that can make your stomach sick.

Do you remember the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

I wanted to be a singer, but I couldn't carry a single, decent tune, so I decided to be a poet. I've often used this half-meant joke to answer why I started writing creatively. I first took writing seriously in college. I studied Mass Communication because I wanted to be a journalist. When I was a freshman, my English teacher tasked us to read William Faulkner's “A Rose for Emily.” The story and technique blew my mind. After reading it, I started writing poems and short stories. Later on, journalism became a pipedream.

What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?

Back in 2014, I traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia. No smartphone, no reservations, only a few bucks, and huge trust in humanity.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

I love music. But I can't focus on writing when I'm listening to a familiar tune. And I also tend to sing along. I have this habit of reading aloud what I'm writing, and I need to hear myself. Though I listen to recorded ambient sounds, like a library or café chatter.