Bawal Book Club Live April 2026: Under the Balete Tree by Lauren Lola

Hot Tropiks is excited to feature a conversation with Lauren Lola as our next Bawal Book Club Live!

For the month of April, we’ll be focusing on her upcoming graphic novel Under the Balete Tree (NOW LIVE ON KICKSTARTER). This title is especially exciting for Bawal Book Club Live because it gives us the chance to talk about a project while it’s still actively unfolding. Lauren is currently raising support for the book through Kickstarter, which makes this a great moment to talk not just about the story itself, but also about the creative ideas, influences, and process behind it.

Along with Under the Balete Tree, we’ll also spend some time talking about Lauren’s broader creative world. She is also the author of Dasig and has worked across comics, fiction, theatre, screenwriting, and film. Her work also includes writing and consulting connected to Kid Heroes Productions, which adds another interesting layer to the range of stories and creative spaces she’s worked in. We’ll also touch on her animated short film project Disarm, which is currently in progress.

This conversation will be a chance to hear directly from Lauren about how she approaches storytelling across forms, what draws her to folklore and speculative themes, and how projects like this come together.

About Lauren Lola

Lauren Lola is a writer and multidisciplinary creator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work includes graphic novels, fiction, screenwriting, theatre, and film, and she is the creator of Dasig and the upcoming Under the Balete Tree. Her projects often explore folklore, identity, emotion, and speculative storytelling across different formats. She has also contributed writing to a range of media and pop culture outlets and has worked on projects in both publishing and screen-based storytelling.

About Bawal Book Club

Bawal Book Club Live is a livestream-based conversation series by Hot Tropiks, centered on Filipino and Southeast Asian books, creators, and storytelling.

It’s designed to make books and creative work feel more social, accessible, and connected to community. Each session highlights a featured title or creator and opens up a wider conversation around culture, art, storytelling, and independent creative work.