Rising literary voice Ryan Caidic is quietly reshaping the global poetry scene, carrying the nuances of Filipino life and diaspora across continents.

This year alone, he achieved what many writers can only dream of: winning the International Poetry Prize at London’s inaugural Bermondsey Literary Festival, earning “Highly Commended” award at the Bridport Prize—one of the world’s most competitive poetry contests with over 11,000 entries—and now, recognition from home with a Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for his poetry collection Exodus.

Caidic’s winning Bermondsey poem, Rules for Leaving, meditates on Filipino funeral traditions and superstitions, exploring how rituals create order and meaning in grief. In How We Eat, the piece that earned him high commendation at Bridport, he transforms an everyday act—preparing and eating fish—into a reflection on patience, care, and the courage to move forward.

On social media, he wrote: “There’s nothing like seeing your poem on the printed page… honored to be in such great company of writers.”

Now based in Denmark with his wife and two children, Caidic continues to write about the country he left, carrying its rhythms, customs, and memories into the European literary sphere. In a TGFM interview, he reflected: “Diaspora probably figures in 70% of my work… From a distance, I’m able to see our country more clearly, both its beauty and its wounds.”

Recognition at home came with a Palanca award for Exodus 15, part of his 15-poem collection Exodus, which explores different ideas of home. Sharing the news on Facebook, he said: “Of all the honors I’ve been lucky to receive, mostly recently from the international community, this is the one I’m most grateful for. There’s nothing like being recognized in your own country, when you’re writing about what it means to be away from it… so I’m thankful that today, they’ve found their way back home. Huge thanks to the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards.”

His literary success extends beyond the UK. He has been recognized at the Chesham Literary Festival, shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize, and featured in journals including Breakwater Review, Southword, Southeast Review, Poetry Wales, and Mobius: The Journal of Social Change. This international footprint reflects both the universality of his themes and the intimacy of his perspective—a bridge between homeland and the broader world.

Earlier this year, he announced his first book deal with Fernwood Press on Facebook: “Just signed my first book deal with Fernwood Press! 50 Ways Home, will be launched in 2026, available online (Fernwood, Amazon, Barnes & Noble) and in a few brick and mortar stores in the US.”

He continued: “50 poems, 50 ways to come home without the plane ride… I’m thankful for the reception my writing has been getting from the global community… I’m excited that my writing has found a home at Fernwood.”

Caidic’s work is rooted in the familiar yet rendered universal. He noted: “I always start from what I know and what’s familiar… It’s also a metaphor to the risks we take in life, where every bite is a leap of faith that it will all work out in the end.” Even in moments of creative block, he trusts the slow, patient work of observation. On social media, he reflected: “One night, after dinner, How We Eat just poured itself out on a page.”

For Caidic, poetry is both art and advocacy. He told TGFM: “Writing becomes a way to celebrate it, question it, and always carry it with me.” On social media, he added: “I’m just grateful every time our culture is being shared on the global stage.”

As the only Filipino recognized in the 2025 Bridport Prize, and with a Palanca win bringing his international acclaim full circle, Caidic’s journey underscores a larger truth: Filipino voices are making their mark on the global stage.

Looking ahead, Caidic remains driven by the community he represents and the stories that span oceans. His work continues to trace the delicate intersections of memory, identity, and home, proving that Filipino voices are not just present on the global literary stage—they are rising, resilient, and unmistakably alive.