Jean Lee "Jeanette" C. Patindol
Jeanette started writing at age 8 in her own journal, which she has religiously kept until now (more than 30 volumes and counting). She then moved on to writing freelance for national magazines and papers at 14, but only started seriously learning and writing creative fiction and poetry at 32, when she was granted her first fellowship grant to a national creative writing workshop, in summer of 2000.
Her first children’s story resulting from that workshop, Amah’s Rebellion, was accepted for publication in its book collection by Whispers from Heaven, an Illinois-based publishing company.
She hasn't looked back since then.
She was granted fellowships in three more national creative writing grants in the succeeding years even as she reclaimed and handcrafted her life on her own terms as a single parent of three young children.
She moved on to winning the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) Salanga Prize for Children’s Literature for Papa’s House, Mama’s House in 2004, and then the PBBY Salanga Prize again in 2007 for Tight Times.
Both are published by Adarna House.
The Future
Two days before Christmas of 2007, she signed her first international book contract with Living Waters Publishing Company for My One-Boobed Mamma.
In between stories, she keeps the creative juices flowing by writing prolifically in her private journal as well as her many blogs (seven to date), six of which are listed in her seventh and author’s blog, Children, Books and Life Lessons.
She also works fulltime as an Asst. Professor teaching Economics, Communications and Culture courses at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, Philippines. She has a Master in Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Arts in Conflict and Reconciliation Studies (M.A. CRS) degree from the same University where she has taught since 1997. She also does volunteer peace and conflict-sensitive work for Pax Christi Pilipinas and for PECOJON - The Peace and Conflict Journalism Network. She also participates at The Negros Museum as a volunteer storyteller.
Using her baptismal name as her pen name now, Jeanette intends to go on writing wherever, however, forever.