Hi, I’m Deepa!
I’m a Filipina-Indian writer originally from Manila, residing in Amsterdam.
My writing revolves around desire and intimacy, motherhood and identity, and writing and creativity—all from my own lived experience. Mostly, I explore what it means to be a mother, wife, girlfriend, writer, daughter, lover and adventurer… often, all at the same time.
My memoir, ASK ME HOW IT WORKS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MY OPEN MARRIAGE, will be published by Viking Books UK, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK, in March 2025. It’s also coming out in German and Dutch, thanks to Hanserblau in Berlin and Uitgeverij Nieuw Amsterdam, right here in my city.
Growing up in the deeply religious, conservative Philippines—the last country apart from Vatican City where divorce remains illegal—my views on sex, intimacy, commitment and love were shaken and stirred by moving to Amsterdam and the seismic identity shift of motherhood. It’s been a wild ride and an immensely liberating journey as it unfolds from day to day.
As an essayist and memoirist, I’m fascinated with the depth and range of human experience. It gives me immense satisfaction to follow my curiosity, whether into the thrill of the new or the richness of the familiar, and share what I discover there. And lately, I’m discovering just how much vulnerability helps me feel seen, heard and understood.
I hope you enjoy reading as much as I do writing.
Thank you for being here.
