Moon Dog and Rainbow Dreaming: Special Edition for the 2026 Filipino American International Book Festival (DILIM Anthologies) - Softcover

Flores, Monica T. S.; De Melo, J. J.; Mortis, Maleia

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798997765309

Publisher: DILIM Press, 2026

Synopsis

“Mortis's 'I Dreamt of Gold' is a vibrant and thoughtfully measured poetics of self-discovery. As the poem's speaker works to find their musicality and lyricism, we see them also arrive at a deep knowledge of the beauty of heritage and history residing within.”
—Barbara Jane Reyes, author of Diwata, Letters to a Young Brown Girl, Daughtersong Diaspore, and others


Published by DILIM Press, this collection highlights stories and poems originally featured in the diaspora dark fiction project Galleon Dreaming as well as new work.

J. J. de Melo: The science fiction short story "Tethered" focuses on a monster from Filipino folklore aboard a spaceship, and "Mind Sweep" explores an AI-moderated relationship.
Maleia Mortis: Poems "I Dreamt of Gold" and "Sapin Sapin" examine heritage, memory, and self-discovery.
Monica T. S. Flores: "The Forty-First Day" is an origin story of the first brothers to land on the archipelago and is recognized on the CLMP list for APA Heritage 2026 and nominated for the Pushcart Award. "Moon Dog" follows a supernatural dog-guardian in a magical realism tale with horror elements.

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J.J. de Melo is a queer Filipino-American and Portuguese writer based in San Francisco, California. He’s an active member of the literary community at the City College of San Francisco, where he earned his degree in Creative Writing. He’s also an epidemiologist, working a double life as an author-scientist. Find him at jjdemelo.wordpress.com.

Maleia Mortis is a queer Filipinx-American experimental poet based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their poems have appeared in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, BuliLit Magazine by Sampaguita Press, and Datura Literary Journal. Readers can find more of their writing on their poetry blog, mxmortis.wordpress.com.

Monica T. S. Flores' stories are in the benefit anthology “Hope is Not Passive,” Faoileánach Journal, Amethyst Review, and Capital Letters Eclectic Fiction. Her poetry is in “Haunt” by Michigan State University Libraries and at the Capital City Film Festival. She is on the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) 2026 Asian/Pacific American Heritage reading list and her work is nominated for the Pushcart Award. Find her at monicatsflores.wordpress.com.

Raf Banzuela is an artist and illustrator in Legazpi, Philippines.

About this title

About the Authors

J.J. de Melo (he/him) is an author based in San Francisco, California where much of his writing is intimately tied to his background as a gay, Bay Area native with Filipino and Portuguese roots. As both a reader and writer, his first love is science fiction, especially anything slipstream or new weird. He also has a strong taste for literary fiction, horror, magical realism, and cocktails that blend any of the above.He is an active member of the literary community at the City College of San Francisco, where he earned his Associate of Arts degree in Creative Writing. He also holds advanced degrees in Public Health and Epidemiology, working a double life as an author-scientist.

Maleia Mortis is a queer Filipinx-American experimental poet based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their poems have appeared in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, BuliLit Magazine by Sampaguita Press, and Datura Literary Journal. Readers can find more of their writing on their poetry blog, mxmortis.wordpress.com.

Monica T. S. Flores writes magical realism informed by Filipino culture. She loves to explore cryptids, including mermaids and giants, alongside spirits, the undead, extraterrestrials, and robots.Her stories are in the benefit anthology "Hope is Not Passive," Faoileánach Journal, Amethyst Review, and Capital Letters Eclectic Fiction. Her poetry is in "Haunt" by Michigan State University Libraries and at the Capital City Film Festival. Her origin story, The Forty-First Day: Selurong Arrival, is recognized on the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) 2026 Asian/Pacific American Heritage reading list. Find her editing anthologies including "Galleon Dreaming" at monicatsflores.wordpress.com.

Edition details

• Publisher: DILIM Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798997765309
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Banzuela Raf
• Number of pages: 90