San Mateo County Libraries invites you to meet Jill Damatac—writer, filmmaker and author of the powerful new memoir Dirty Kitchen.
Join us at Foster City Library on Saturday, January 31, from 3-4 PM for an author talk where Jill shares the stories behind her book, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. Attendees at this event will have an opportunity to receive a free copy of Dirty Kitchen at the door, while supplies last. Giveaway copies are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
About Dirty Kitchen
Following in the footsteps of wildly popular food memoirs like Crying in H Mart comes DIRTY KITCHEN: A Memoir of Food and Family. In this unflinching book, Jill revisits the outdoor “dirty kitchen” she grew up with in the Philippines— a space full of heat, smoke, laughter and truth. Through food, memory and lived experience, she reflects on:
- Complex layers of migration
- Growing up undocumented in the U.S.
- Family resilience across distance and uncertainty
- The lasting imprint of colonial history
- How cooking can become a way to reclaim identity and home
Her storytelling is vivid, honest and deeply rooted in Filipino traditions and the complexity of migration.
Praise for Dirty Kitchen
“Unblinking . . . fierce. This is not an easy memoir, nor should it be. Damatac writes, she says, ‘to document myself into existence.’ And, as she says of some of her recipes, it will serve many.” —Sadie Stein, The New York Times Book Review
“A fiercely honest, eye-opening view of one undocumented family’s experiences trying to start over in a new world.” —The San Francisco Chronicle
About Jill Damatac
Jill is a writer and filmmaker born in the Philippines, raised in the US and now a UK citizen, she lives in the SF Bay Area. Her film and photography work has been featured on the BBC, Time and film festivals worldwide; her short documentary film Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta), opens a new window, about the indigenous Filipino tattooist Apo Whang Od, was an official selection at the Academy Award–qualifying DOC NYC, opens a new window, winning best documentary at Ireland’s Kerry Film Festival. Jill holds a Master of Science in Teaching in creative writing from Cambridge University and an MA in documentary film from the University of the Arts London.
Dirty Kitchen is her debut memoir.
Join us for an afternoon of storytelling, cultural roots and warm community connection as we welcome Jill Damatac and explore the world of Dirty Kitchen.
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