The following is the introduction by the poet and novelist James E.Cherry of the writer Cecilia Brainard at the Second Literary Symposium in Jackson, TN.
CECILIA BRAINARD INTRODUCTION
by James E. Cherry
Cecilia Manguerra
Brainard was born and grew up Cebu City, Philippines. She is the award-winning author of nine books,
including the internationally-acclaimed novel, When the Rainbow Goddess
Wept. She has edited four books and co-edited six others. Her work has been translated into
Finnish and Turkish and many of her stories and have been widely
anthologized. She co-founded Philippine
American Women Writers and Artists, a collective of Filipino artists. Mrs Brainard has received a California Arts
Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing
with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the
California State Senate. She teaches creative writing at the Writers Program at
UCLA-Extension and is married to Lauren R. Brainard; they have three sons.
Without a doubt, this is an
impressive list of accomplishments. But
these awards and accolades are not who she is.
Cecilia Brainard is a cultural and literary warrior. She is a fierce and fearless cultural and
literary warrior. She loves the
Philippines and she loves the Filipino people that it produced. She has deeply rooted herself in Filipino
culture, has embraced its customs, mores, legends, myths, heroes and
villains. She celebrates its beauty and
is not afraid to confront the ugly aspects of its nature as well.
