How I Became a Writer - Ian Rosales Casocot - Filipino FilAm Series #1

Ian Rosales Casocot, Copyright by Ian Rosales Casocot. 

From Cecilia Brainard: I am proud to kick off my Guest Blog Series featuring Filipino and FilAm Americans writing on the topic: HOW I BECAME A WRITER.  Please stay tuned because I'll be featuring more accomplished writers here. All articles and photos are copyrighted by the individual authors. All rights reserved. Cecilia Brainard and PALH have permission from the authors to use their materials here. To start us off, here is IAN ROSALES CASOCOT 

***

 Ian Rosales Casocot is the author of Don’t Tell Anyone, Bamboo Girls, Heartbreak & Magic, and Beautiful Accidents. He has won the Palanca nine times for his fiction, plays, and children’s poetry. In 2008, his novel Sugar Land was longlisted in the Man Asian Literary Prize. He was Writer-in-Residence for the International Writers Program of the University of Iowa in 2010. He is based in Dumaguete City

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WHEN MOST WRITERS are asked to explain why they write, they evoke the usual responses: they are heeding the call of the archetypal storyteller, and they are perhaps also trying to approximate the divinity of creation. Thomas Berger once famously said, “Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there”—with such pronouncements, the writer aims to be God-like in the piecing together of a universe peculiar to his literature.

But the Pulitzer Prize-winning James A. Michener may have said it best when he tried to explain why he wrote stories: “I write at eighty-five for the same reasons that impelled me to write at forty-five; I was born with a passionate desire to communicate, to organize experience, to tell tales that dramatize the adventures which readers might have had. I have been that ancient man who sat by the campfire at night and regaled the hunters with imaginative recitations about their prowess. The job of an apple tree is to bear apples. The job of a storyteller is to tell stories, and I have concentrated on that obligation.”

            I like that word “obligation” that Michener uses, because the fact of the matter is—and this all of us here may know to be a throbbing truth—nobody really forces anybody to write stories, and in fact one can handily go through life without knowing how it is like to write well, or to read well.

            And yet we write. And we back our choices up by constructing a sense of personal aesthetics that would explain why indeed we write, and why we write what we do write.

Tony Perez Portrait of Cecilia Brainard

I work at my computer just a couple of arms length away from this oil portrait by the artist/writer/master Tony Perez. I have been studying this portrait and admiring it, appreciating how difficult it is to create something big (for one thing) and get the proportions right, how challenging to get the expression right, and so on.

Tony and I first met years ago, when the US embassy awarded me with a travel grant; my first novel had just come out and the US embassy sent me on abook lecture to Mindanao, Baguio, and Manila of course. Tony and Tanya Anderson took care of me. I recall that there were teachers who traveled for 6 to 8 hours by bus to attend the lecture. I was amazed.

Tony is a psychic apart from his other gifts, and we had great talks about supernatural phenomena. One of the things he did was organize a "Ghost buster" type of group at the Ateneo, and they would go to haunted houses and send away the ghost or spirit haunting the place.

I recall Tony saying our hotel in Zamboanga had a ghost. I didn't feel the presence of the ghost -- I sometimes do --- but I thought that it was really fun, to have a ghost in your hotel while on a book tour.

These are some thoughts that come to my mind as I look at Tony's work of me -- his creativity, his broad interests and gifts are impressive.

Here are some pictures of his "Cecilia Brainard" which he includes in his gallery of Philippine writers.

Hi, Tony, thanks for the wonderful painting, and all the pleasant memories.

tags: Filipino art, Filipino artist, TonyPerez gallery

Cecilia Brainard's Travel Report of Frankfurt Book Fair 2023 #FBM24

 

l-r: Hope Sabanpan-Yu (Cebuano Studies Center), Senja Pozar (literary agent), Cecilia Brainard, Prashant Pathak (PublishersvWithout Borders)

Travel Report of Frankfurt Book Fair 2024 (Oct 15-21)

By Cecilia Manguerra Brainard 

Tues. October 15, 2024 – I arrived Frankfurt at 10:45 am and by 3 pm was at the Philippine National stand to join the other delegates attending the 5 pm Opening Ceremony of the 76^th Frankfurt Buchmesse with Italy as Guest of Honor. (The Philippines will be the Guest of Honor in 2025.)

Entrance was strict, with an invitation pass and ID required to get in. The 2 and ½ hour event had three or four terrific speeches. Most touched on the importance of books during these dangerous times of threatening autocracy.

There was a bit of drama when 2 people stood up, one yelled at the Italian speaker, and 4 people walked out. Apparently this was politically-motivated. Last year's outburst was reportedly worse.

 

l-r: Consul Mary Luck Hicarte, Cecilia Brainard, Consul Mina Ganzon

l-r: Anthony Balisi (Director NBDB), Consul Hicarte holding Linda Ty-Casper's book about her husband Leonard Ralph Casper; Cecilia 

 

Philippine delegation 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair - Cecilia Brainard Report #2

 

L-r: Philippine Consul Mary Luck Hicarte, Cecilia Brainard, Consul Mina

I made it to Frankfurt! Weather was gray and it was around 61 degrees mid-day. My Uber driver was a chatty young man who was perhaps showing off his English skills. "Ask me any question," he said. "Where's the sun?" I said.

My room at the nHow is just fine, with windows and lots of whatever-sunshine can stream in. NHow has theme-rooms and I got one with Queen Elizabeth and the US dollar -- not sure what-all is going on with the decor, but it's a nice, modern, large room that's literally a stone's throw from the fair grounds. 

I received a ticket to the Frankfurt Book Fair Opening and had the opportunity to meet some delegates and Philippine consular folk. I have to sort out my photos but here are some not yet identified.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Philippine Delegation #FBM24 - by Cecilia Brainard Report #1

 

Philippine Delegation #FBM24 - by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Report #1

Hi, I'm Cecilia Brainard, a grantee delegate of the Philippine Delegation going to the 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair. I'll be blogging about the forthcoming Frankfurt Book Fair 2024, or Frankfurter Buchmesse (FBM). This is my first blog report. 

What is the Frankfurt Book Fair?

The standard answer is that the FBM is the world's largest book trade fair held annually in Frankfurt, Germany.

Many people don't really understand what the Frankfurt Book Fair is. This seems surprising to me, a writer, who has always wanted to go to the FBM. Some where, some time, during my long career as a writer-editor-publisher, I had heard about the FBM and had the idea in my mind that I'd like to go there one day. 

The Frankfurt Book Fair is not the usual book fair where books are sold. The primary market for the FBM are publishers, literary agents, scouts because the main thrust of the FBM is rights selling -- of translation rights, subsidiary rights, publishing rights. Even though the FBM encourages writers and normal folk to visit the book fair, they are not the main players.  Books are displayed, catalogues made available, and there are some 100 countries participating during this five-day event. Attendees negotiate publishing rights, license fees, business deals, and network. Perhaps it is because these people are there, that writers may want to showcase their works, or try to find a publisher or agent, although I read an account by an American woman writer who spent quite a lot to go to Frankfurt, her books in a backpack, paid for air fare, hotel, entrance, and meals (prices zoom during the FBM), and she ended up ignored and rejected by the agents and publishers she tried to see.  

The Philippines did not always attend the FBM, and I believe it was Karina Bolasco who muscled the participation of the Philippines in the Book Fair. Over the years the Philippine delegation has grown, with some 70 publishers displaying over 700 books in the 2024 FBM. Others who have worked to get Philippine representation at the FBM include Neni Sta. Romana Cruz.

Now, it is the office of Senator Legarda who runs this program, and several government offices participate in making the Philippine represented at the FBM - NCCA, NCDB, DFA, among others. 

 

Because the Philippines is the Guest of Honor (GOH) for FBM2025, there are many preparations, and the delegation to Frankfurt is quite large. I'm estimating there may be some 100 delegates, with perhaps half of those grantees. Noted Filipino authors are showcased in various literary events.  The connection that the Philippines emphasizes is Philippine hero Jose Rizal who had lived in Germany and who found a German publisher for his famous Noli and Fili, two powerful novels that contributed to the Fall of the Spanish regime in the Philippines. 

The Philippines has scheduled a Press conference on Oct. 17, 2024 and a reception later that day. Last year's GOH  (Italy) will pass the mantle to the Philippines on Oct. 20, 2024.

As far as the Philippine delegates are concerned, we've been at this since April. As soon as the candidates were chosen and awarded, we had to work. (I should add that Grantees had to undergo a rigorous selection process. Grantees have to be Filipino citizens in the creative, publishing, literary fields, and they should have several awards/ commendations and strong credits before they can make the cut.)  

As Grantees, we had to attend zoom sessions and in-person meetings to learn about rights selling, preparation of promo and other publicity materials, as well as practical matters about the Book Fair - where it's located, how to get there, etc. 

So, now after almost half a year of training we are ready for next week's FBM, or as ready as we will be. Some delegates are already in Frankfurt and they are talking about the cold weather, and some are stuck in an airport some where, and some have discovered small inexpensive but delicious Greek restaurants.  I leave tomorrow, and it will be a fine adventure.

Stay tuned for more of my thoughts and experiences about the 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair. 

Photos show: 

The group photo shows the participants of a Webinar "Glimpses into Writing in the Philippines" sponsored by the FBM, NBDB, LitProm on September 25, 2024, at 10 AM CET; Top row, l-r: Cindy Wong, Renato Tranquilino, Carla De Guzman; middle row l-r: Ned Parfan, Sarge Lacuesta; Bottom row l-r: Cecilia Brainard, Julian Fuchs, and Mara Coson.  

Here is the link to that Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3WaZ5oD_9U

Here is an excerpt from the 1 1/2 hour webinar, with just Julian Fuchs and Cecilia Brainard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCMHuZzswFc

The  NBDB poster is about a panel discussion on Oct 20, 2024, 1 pm. 

tags: #FBM24 

 

 

Cecilia Brainard at Frankfurt Book Fair 2024 - Updates here

 

 

I'll be at the Frankfurt Book Fair #FBM24 and will blog about it when I can, so stay tuned. It's my first visit to the Frankfurter Buchmesse so I'm excited about this. 

I'm in a panel discussion on Oct. 20, and if you are there, join us!

#Frankfurterbuchmesse #Frankfurtbookfair24 #Philippineliterature #Filipinoauthors 

Cecilia Brainard Talks About Her Novel The Newspaper Widow and More - video link

 

Cecilia Brainard Talks about Her Novel The Newspaper Widow and More -

 Excerpt from the Frankfurt Book Fair, LitProm, and NBDB Webinar "Glimpse into Writing and Publishing in the Philippines with Cindy Wong, Sarge Lacuesta, Renato Tranquilino, Mara Coson, Carla de Guzmna, Ned Parfan, and Cecilia Brainard. Moderator is Julian Fuchs of the Goethe-Institut Philippinen.  

The Webinar occurred on September 24, 2024. This excerpt is courtesy of LitProm.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCMHuZzswFc

 

THE NEWSPAPER WIDOW is a part-detective, part-historical novel, set in the Philippines in 1909. This unique literary mystery reveals a lot about Philippine history, culture and society. It is published by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House and PALH.

 

#frankfurterbuchmesse #Frankfurtbookfair #goethe-institut , Litprom E.V. National Book Development Board of the Philippines, NBDB

YouTube Link - Glimpse of Writing and Publishing in the Philippines

Glimpse of Writing and Publishing in the Philippines

View in YouTube - Glimpse into Writing and Publishing in the Philippines, a Frankfurt Book Fair, NBDB, LitProm event, with:

Cindy Wong, Sarge Lacuesta, Renato Transquilino, Mara Coson, Carla De Guzman, Ned Parfan, Cecilia Brainard, and moderated by Julian Fuchs of the Goethe-Institut Philippinen.

#fbm24 #frankfurtbookfair #frankfurterbuchmesse #Philippineliterature #filipinoliterature #Litprom

Glimpse into the Writing and Publishing in the Philippines

 

 

JOIN US! #frankfurterbuchmesse A Frankfurt Book Fair event, September 25, 2024, 4 pm Manila time; September 25, 10 am CET; and September 25, 1 am California time.

 

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3WaZ5oD_9U

 

GLIMPSE INTO THE WRITING AND PUBLISHING IN THE PHILIPPINES, with: Cindy Wong, Sarge Lacuesta, Renato Tranquilino, Mara Coson, Carla De Guzman, Ned Parfan, Cecilia Brainard,

 

Moderated by Julian Fuchs 

#Frankfurtbookfair2024 #frankfurtbookfair #Frankfurterbuchmesse2024

Carlos Inigo Roxas' Review of Brainard's Fundamentals of Creative Writing, Revised and Expanded Edition

 

A TEXTBOOK ON CREATIVE WRITING 

By Carlos Inigo T. Roxas 

Published in the Inquirer Lifestyle, Aug. 31, 2024 (reprinted with permission from the author)

I recently read the book “Fundamentals of Creative Writing (Revised and Expanded Edition)” by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, celebrated author and editor of over a dozen books.

Brainard, who hails from a prominent family in Cebu, has received awards, grants and fellowships including a 40th National Book Award for Best Book Short Fiction English. She runs Philippine American Literary House (PALH) and has taught the Writers Program at UCLA-Extension, University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California and California State Summer School for the Arts. She gives talks, lectures and literary readings at various universities and arts/literary centers. And so, it shouldn’t be a surprise that she’d create a textbook for writers.

In the preface of her book, Brainard narrated her own journey in writing and how she got to where she is today. She shared the fundamentals of creative writing, which she simplified to guide her students.

“I witnessed my students blossom in six or nine weeks. The best students were the ones who admitted they knew very little ... My students would learn a concept or two each week. They would try their hand at dialogue or creating a character, for instance, and next week they would learn some new concepts ... By the end of the quarter, many of them were writing stories or personal essays,” she said.

Gift from My Crow Friends

 

GIFT FROM MY CROW FRIENDS

by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard 

A crow left me a gift. It's a bit of rusty metal, part of a garden rake. 

I know it's a gift because this doesn't belong near the terracotta plate where the crows feed.

This is the second gift I'm keeping. I've received other gifts from them; a crushed Styrofoam cup with a dead cockroach in it, some chicken bones, and feathers. I didn't save those. They were too gross even though I recognized that they were precious to the crows.

But I saved a blue ball and I'll put this metal in with the ball.

These gifts touch me. A crow recognized that I've been feeding them and giving them clean water, and the crow went out of his or her way to carry this object to where I'd find it. The blue ball and Styrofoam cup were left near the kitchen door. This metal was near their food dish.

Years ago, we didn't have crows in our neighborhood. We had song birds, smaller-sized birds. I'm not sure when crows came around but they seemed to suddenly be on the sidewalks, on top of trees. A bird flu epidemic killed a number of them because they disappeared for a while.

But they came back, and have thrived. 

 

I bonded with the crows after a crow gifted me with the blue ball. I became more diligent in giving them food and fresh water. 

I think there are many other neighbors giving them food and water because their population has grown.

Recently, we've had a hawk and his/her mate preying on the birds and small animals in the area, and while the crows are still around, they are more low key. They don't gather in large groups. They don't "party" as they used in my front lawn. They live in a community environment and are so organized in taking care of their young, in communicating with one another, in having "watch-crows" to sound the alarm when there is food or danger. 

I  really do like them. 

#corvids #crowgifts #crows 

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the author and editor of over 20 books. Her official website is https://ceciliabrainard.com .

PALHBOOKS.com for the 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair Philippine Pavilion

 

I'm getting the books going to the 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair ready - PALHBOOKS.com (Philippine American Literary House) and Ceciliabrainard.com books #frankfurterbuchmesse #CeciliaBrainard #Lindatycasper #FilipinoYAbooks

Tags: Philippine books, Filipino books, Filipino American literature, FilAm books, Philippine American books, YA Filipino books, Young Adult books, 

Carlos Inigo Roxas's Review of Brainard's Fundamentals of Creative Writing, Revised and Expanded Edition

Many thanks to Manila writer Carlos Inigo Roxas who wrote this lengthy article for the Inquirer Lifestyle about the release of my FUNDAMENTALS OF CREATIVE WRITING, REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION.

"In the book, I saw a delicate balance between show and tell. The examples show Brainard's mastery of the craft and shines a light for aspiring writers.

As a young novice writer myself, I find this work of Brainard, along with her novels and short stories, to be appealing. With "Fundamentals of Creative Writing (Revised and Expanded Edition)," one can learn and enjoy the process of learning." ~Carlos Inigo T. Roxas, Inquirer Lifestyle, Manila, 9/1/24

The book is available from https://www.amazon.com/dp/1953716415

 

 

Tags: how to write creative writing,  fundamentals of writing, basics of creative writing, essentials of creative writing, beginning creative writing, fundamentals of fiction writing, fundamentals of creative non-fiction, creative writing basics. creative writing essentials