Once Upon the Sun & Sea is co-authored by Denise Orosa and Jo Tiongson-Perez
Denise Orosa was born and raised in Manila, but left the Philippines in 2001; she moved to Canada and then spent ten years in the Cayman Islands,only to inexplicably find her way back to the Canadian winter. An award-winning arts and elementary educator, writer, and artist who has been working with and writing for children and families for over 20 years, she deeply believes in the important role storytelling plays in preserving and passing on human truth, culture, and identity. She especially values the powerful tradition of oral storytelling and the importance of shared literary inquiry for young minds. She is still working on her novel—don't ask her about it.
Jo Tiongson-Perez is a Filipina-American writer investigating how stories, language, and media shape worldviews and identities. In addition to a Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications from the University of Asia and the Pacific, she holds certificates in Creative Writing and Leading Digital Transformation from Wharton, and has completed a course in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. At the world-renowned Barnes Foundation and Penn Museum, she led ADDY and AAM MUSE award-winning multimedia campaigns, making art, anthropology, and archaeology accessible to all. Jo served as a Board Trustee at the Independence Charter School, a K-8 public school centering global citizenship, bilingual education, and STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) academics. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, daughter, and rescue poodle.