Read Irene’s Latest Novel
Stray Cats
Eighth graders Elisa Paz and Raquel Madria are unstoppable as bruhas in the magical world they’ve created together. But when Raquel goes missing, Elisa discovers a different reality—one that is unjust and ever present, yet often ignored. The only one willing to help Elisa find her lost friend is Oscar Santos, a talking cat. Together they search through clamorous city streets, bustling plazas, gloomy districts, and holy hideaways, where they find unlikely monsters lurking dangerously close to home.
Stories about the Philippine worker diaspora, challenges to migration, and growing up
Irene Sarmiento’s writing explores challenges to migration, race, coming of age, and the Philippine worker diaspora. Her work encompasses her own research, analyses of current events, and experiences as an occupational therapist and Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW).
Explore Irene’s work
Stray Cats
Eighth graders Elisa Paz and Raquel Madria are unstoppable as bruhas in the magical world they’ve created together. But when Raquel goes missing, Elisa discovers a different reality—one that is unjust and ever present, yet often ignored. The only one willing to help Elisa find her lost friend is Oscar Santos, a talking cat.
Tabon Girl
For Mina, the garden is one of the Tabon Caves, where the Tabon Man, one of the oldest Homo sapiens in the Philippines was found. This is a story about archaelogy and unearthing pieces of ourselves. With parallel English and Filipino texts.
Spinning
Families of children with special needs learn to cope and grow together in this heartwarming story about a boy with autism.
Irene Sarmiento at Rappler
Irene has contributed several opinion pieces to Rappler, the Philippines online global news magazine founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa.
Irene Sarmiento 