Nina Estrada Puyat-Born 1921 Died 1993

Born in Tarlac, Philippines. She and her sister, Eva, were known as celebrated talented campus beauties.
Their second cousin was the hero-martyr Benigno Aquino.

Nina became a well known poet. She was in fact known as the Elizabeth Barrett Browning of the Philippines.
Nina was also short story writer, for which she was a Shelley Memorial Awardee. She also wrote essays;

she was a columnist, civic leader, society matron, and "a childless perennial Auntie to the young.

Nina was the 1979 Poet Laureate of the Philippine poet Association; she was the first recipient of the special diploma of Master in Literature from the University of Santo Tomas.
The poem "Elegy" was written on the night of the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, and is said to be the most significant piece of poetry to come out of the People Power era in the Philippines. Her collection of fifty sonnets, Heart of Clay, was published by Doubleday as This Love Within. Her political works include a three-act play, The Cripple, which was censored by the Marcos regime.

Nina when she retired , lived part time in the Los Angeles area. Where she had joined in several literary events, including this one held at the iconic Midnight Special Bookstore in Santa Monica.