Letters by Deepa

Hi, I’m Deepa!

I’m a Filipina-Indian writer originally from Manila, residing in Amsterdam.

My day job as a freelance copywriter is all about listening and learning—indulging my insatiable curiosity about how people live, feel and think. Then I turn my observations into language that brings an idea to life, tells a story and connects on a human level.

But here on Letters by Deepa, I write about sex and relationships, motherhood and family, and writing and creativity—all from my own lived experience.

I’m currently working on my first book, a memoir of an open marriage. Coming from a deeply religious, conservative culture—in fact, the last country on earth where divorce remains illegal—my views on sex, intimacy, commitment and love were shaken by moving to Amsterdam and the identity shift of motherhood. It’s been a wild ride and an immensely liberating journey that I’m still learning about as it unfolds from day to day. Writing helps me do just that.

I strive to always be vivid and honest in my writing. (I would also really like to manage elegance and wit, but there’s just not enough coffee in the world.) And lately, I’m discovering just how much vulnerability helps me feel seen, heard and understood.

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.

I hope you enjoy reading as much as I do writing.

And thank you for being here.