TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: October 2017

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Friday, October 20, 2017

Update Filipino American International Book Festival by Noelle Q. De Jesus

The following is by Guest Blogger, Noelle De Jesus, who writes about the recent Filipino American International Book Festival held in San Francisco (Oct. 7-8, 2017):

Update Filipino American International Book Festival

By Noelle Q. De Jesus

I imagine that a writer may feel any number of feelings when given the opportunity to take their work to a book festival, but I can’t imagine there wouldn’t be at least a small measure of elation, of satisfaction and indeed, of gratitude. That was certainly my own thought and sentiment brInging Blood Collected Stories to the 4th Filipino American International Book Festival in San Francisco this year. If I’m honest, I was at the extreme positive side of the spectrum. And of course, it was just great fun to be in San Francisco in October, to meet some of the 27 Filipino and Filipino American authors participants and have the pleasure of connecting with the new librarian of the Filipino American Center, Abraham Ignacio, and reconnecting with Edwin Lozada of PAWA and some of its other members, including founding members like Penelope Flores. By organizing and running this steadily growing event, they and all the members of the Filipino American organizing committee are doing the community and Filipino/Filipino American writers at large a wonderful service.

Pictures: Toronto Reunion 2017 of Maryknoll Class of 1968

Maryknoll Class of 1968 Toronto Reunion 2017

Bottom Row l-r: Tere Concepcion, Lucy McGinley, Marichi Panganiban, Cecilia Brainard, Maria Ciocon, Cora Kinoshi;

Middle Row l-r: Esther Parker, Lorna Cruz, Josette Adams, Maricel Hahn, Marissa Tay, Med Kuney;

Top Row l-r: Luchie Ticson, Alice Edano, (seated) Tina Heiter, Susie Ramos, Precy Florentino, Bing Jacala, Edith Alcantara, Lina Dimayuga, GV Silverio

Bottom Row l-r: Maricel Lopez Hahn, Bing Velasco Jacala, Susie Ramos Montermoso, Med Villanueva Kuney, Luchie Pavia Ticson, GV Silverio, Tina Borja Heiter, Tere Valenton Concepcion, Precy Florentino, Marissa Munda Tay; Back Row l-r: Lina Flor Dimayuga,Alice Edano, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Marichi Santiago Panganiban, Lucy Adao McGinley, Lorna Cayco Cruz, Cora Kilayco Kinoshi, Esther Quintos Parker, Baby Navarro Ciocon, Josette Del Rosario Adams, Edith Alcantara

~~~~

QUITE A NUMBER of my classmates from Maryknoll College, Quezon City, ended up living in the United States, Europe, Australia, and other places. The ladies in North America, have in recent years, been holding what we call mini-reunions. Las Vegas. Vancouver, and most recently Toronto, were sites of these gatherings.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

The Importance of Literature, by Linda Ty-Casper #FilBookFest2017

Noted Filipina Author, Linda Ty-Casper, could not attend the celebration of her new book, A River, One-Woman Deep: Stories (PALH 2017) at the Fourth Filipino American International Book Festival in San Francisco. Her daughter, Kristina Casper-Denham attended the HOT OFF THE PRESS Literary Reading on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, in Linda's place. Linda wrote the following, and with her permission I am sharing her wise words:

The Importance of Literature

by Linda Ty-Casper

Reading our stories together, is a special communion of sharing, a recognition of the importance of literature to our lives, that of our lives to our country’s life; and our country’s life to that of the world.

All the different literatures form the “human geology” of the world: its human layers. Containing our stories, literature offers a human face and heart to historical dates and statistics, so our past

becomes visible to the present, becomes our own experience—enriching, strengthening us; giving us resilience.

It is in our literature that our history is kept safe from revisions. For literature is our true memory, our country’s memory, the world’s memory of us.

If we do not write our stories, who will? If we do not read them how will we know ourselves? Because it is in our literature that we pay full attention to ourselves, that we imagine and dream ourselves. As long as our literature exists, we will not disappear from our own thoughts, from the thoughts of the world.

If history is our biography; literature is our autobiography, containing the memory of our spirit, the reflections of our existence, the promise of what we can become: literature is our attempt to understand ourselves, to recover lost destinations, to preserve the thoughts and feelings and hopes too deep to utter. Giving us roots and meaning and direction, our literature is what we are: what we were, and what we can be.

***

Linda Ty-Casper

A River, One-Woman Deep: Stories (Philippine American Literary House/PALH 2017 & UST Publishing House forthcoming)

Linda Ty-Casper is the author of 16 books that deal with Philippine events from the 18^th century, the 1896 Philippine revolution, the Philippine-American War (1898-1902), World War II, on to the Martial Law years of the Marcos Dictatorship, and the post-Marcos days until the early 2000s, where her recent novella, A River, One-Woman Deep: Stories, leads us. So powerful are her writings that two of her historical novels (Fortress in the Plaza and Wings of Stone) were banned in the Philippines during the Marcos Dictatorship.

Ms. Casper’s awards include the SEA WRITE Award, UNESCO/P.E.N., Rockefeller (Bellagio), Radcliffe Fellowship, among others.

l-r: Kristina Casper-Denham and Cecilia Brainard showing off Linda Ty-Casper's new book, A River, One-Woman Deep: Stories

Tags: #FilAm #FilAmBookFest #literature #poetry authors, writers, Philippine American, fiction, books, Asian American, Filipina

Monday, October 9, 2017

#Pictures Fourth Filipino American International Book Festival #FilBookFest2017

Here are some pictures taken at the Fourth Filipino American International Book Festival. I will continue to add pictures, so please check back. The picture above shows the authors who read in HOT OFF THE PRESS Literary Reading # 1-r: Prosy Delacruz Kristina Casper-Denham, Renee Macalino Rutledge, M.Evelina, Eliza Victoria, Cecilia Brainard, Myles Garcia, Mia Alvar, Veronica Montes, Brian Roley, Marie Deaconu-Baylon

HOT OFF THE PRESS Readers #2 L-r: Gemino H. Abad, Aileen Ibardaloza-Cassinetto, Merlinda Bobis, Barbara Jane Reyes, Robert Francis Flor, Cecilia Brainard, Eileen Tabios, Janice Sapigao

L-r: Mia Alvar, Edwin Lozada, Evelina Galang, Cecilia Brainard

Friday, October 6, 2017

Guest Blogger: "WIFE" by Wanggo Gallaga #Fiction #Philippines

WIFE

By Wanggo Gallaga

This story was first published in Team (Issue 2, 2015) teammag.ph

Tacky. Julia’s house is so tacky. It’s like they just randomly turned the pages of three different interior design magazines and pointed blindly at what they wanted. Julia never really had good taste. She gets that from her dad’s side of the family. Our mothers had impeccable taste. And class. How did Julia turn out the way she did?

Thank God Adrian and I had left Florence for Lisbon during her European tour. Adrian would hate her.

Would have. Adrian would have hated her. Shit.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

#Video Cecilia Brainard Talks on the Challenges of Writing in Panel Discussion 2017

This video clip of Cecilia Brainard was taken at the Panel Discussion titled, "Cute as a Filipino on a Saturday afternoon, May 20, 2017 at the LitFest in Pasadena, California. The panel was headed by Noel Alumit and held at the Walt Girnder Photo Studio and Gallery, 27 South Molina Ave. Pasadena, CA. Boni Alvarez, Angela Penaredondo and Chris Santiago were the other panelists. The title of the panel came from Raymond Chandler's "Big Sleep."

This video is on YouTube.

Tags: #Philippines #FilAm creative writing, author, writers, How To write

Read also

Cecilia Brainard's Reaction to Alex Tizpn;s "A Slave in My Family"

#KababayanToday with G. Tongi and Writers Cecilia Brainard and Noel Alumit

TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD