Interview of Cecilia Brainard by Leila Magtules #DLSU #Philippines #literature

When I have the time I do my best to help students and teachers. Recently some senior high school students from De La Salle University Integrated School interviewed me for a research project.  

Today I'm sharing the interview by Leila Magtules, whose adviser is Mr. Engelbert C. Talunton.

The photo shows l-r: Samantha Parker, Leila Magtules, and Jihan Ferrer

 ~ Cecilia Brainard

RESEARCH BACKGROUND

Title of Research: The life of an Artist through a literary creative output

Researcher: Leila Mae L. Magtules

Institution: De La Salle University Integrated School

DATA GATHERING INFORMATION

Informant: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Background of the informant: Bio: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the author and editor of 20 books. Please visit her website at http://www.ceciliabrainard for her bio.

Book Review of Cecilia Brainard's novel, The Newspaper Widow, by FOREWORD #mystery #Philippines

I'm happy to share an advanced review of my novel by FOREWORD Review (Jan. 15, 2018)
The Newspaper Widow, a novel by
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

published by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, and distributed in the US by Philippine American Literary House, it is available from Amazon.com

Softcover $18.95 (238pp)
978-971-506811-6

While at first glance The Newspaper Widow seems like a standard historical mystery, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Cecilia Manguerra Brainard’s novel is full and complex, overflowing with textured, fully realized characters who drive the story on every page.

Ines Maceda, the “newspaper widow,” aims to clear her son’s name. He has been accused of murdering a priest. In addition, Ines grieves for her deceased husband and combats the lingering trauma of earlier miscarriages. Her development is one of the shining elements of the novel—she feels tangible, rooted in the story and the setting.

The Newspaper Widow offers a nuanced glance into Filipino society circa 1908. It is a world rich with history, myth, and ritual; descriptions pulse with life, providing crucial insights into aspects of Filipino culture and world colonial history, such as encounters with the “Island of the Living Dead,” sectioned off to contain those inflicted with leprosy, and once the world’s largest leper colony.

While on the surface the book is a crime story, the plot is actually layered and unique. One of the novel’s greatest strengths is how it raises interesting, complicated questions about morality and justice while Ines searches for the priest’s true killer: Is death ever an apt punishment for a crime? Is revenge moral, or even necessary?

Refreshingly, nothing is black and white.

For all of The Newspaper Widow’s greatness, sometimes there are too many layers to the plot, and the ending falls a bit flat in comparison to the rest of the narrative. But flaws are minor; overall, this is a solid, satisfying work of literature.

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard displays masterful storytelling skill in The Newspaper Widow, a unique, memorable mystery.

MYA ALEXICE (January/February 2018)

FOREWORD

Book Trailer of The Newspaper Widow on YouTube
https://youtu.be/cNe8rS3dAXU

Tags: #book #novel #Cebu #literature #writer #Filipino

Read also

Kirkus Review of Cecilia Brainard's When the Rainbow Goddess Wept

World Literature Today Review of Cecilia Brainard's Magdalena

Melus Journal Review of Magdalena by Cecilia Brainard's Magdalena

 Click here for Review of Cecilia Brainard's Growing Up Filipino by Booklist

Click here for School Library Journal of Cecilia Brainard's Growing Up Filipino

Interview of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard by Samantha Parker #DLSU #Philippines

When I have the time I do my best to help students and teachers. Recently some senior high school students from De La Salle University Integrated School interviewed me for a research project.  

Today I'm sharing the interview by Samantha Servino Parker, whose adviser is Mr. Engelbert C. Talunton.

The photo shows l-r: Samantha Parker, Leila Magtules, and Jihan Ferrer

 ~ Cecilia Brainard

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD 

OPENING BY SAMANTHA SERVINO PARKER

-          I will be writing a novel on Autism Spectrum Disorder and I would like to request for your honest answers to all questions. 

I. Basic Information

1.      Novelist’s Experience

(From http://www.ceciliabrainard.com/)

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the author of 10 books, editor of 4 books, co-edited 6 books, collaborated on one novel.

Interview of Cecilia Brainard by Jihan Ferrer #DLSU #Philippines #literature

When I have the time I do my best to help students and teachers. Recently some senior high school students from De La Salle University Integrated School interviewed me for a research project.  

Today I'm sharing the interview by Jihan Marie Claire G. Ferrer, whose adviser is Mr. Engelbert C. Talunton. 

The photo shows l-r: Samantha Parker, Leila Magtules, and Jihan Ferrer.

~ Cecilia Brainard

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD

OPENING

A.    Good day! What is your name?

Thanks for the interview. My name is Cecilia Manguerra Brainard.

B.     What is your profession?

Writer, Editor and Publisher

C.     How long have you been under the said profession?

My first book, Woman with Horns and Other Stories, was published in 1987 so I’ve been doing literary work for over 30 years.

a.  What are some of your best known works?

When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, and Woman With Horns and Other Stories (Please visit http://www.ceciliabrainard.com for my other titles.)

I. Clarification of Information

A.    Kindly elaborate on the different voices that can be used for narration?

The elements “voice” and “point of view” have different definitions. Point of view is defined in the question below. Voice is more difficult to define. Each writer has his or her own writing voice, which involves subject matter, handling of that subject matter, the themes he/she like to explore, as well as the style of writing. Each writer will have his/her own writing voice. But each written work will have it’s own voice as well, determined primarily by the demands of the work.

Greely Expedition: David L. Brainard's Books

The visit to the Explorers Club headquarters in New York made me more interested in my husband's relative, David L. Brainard, one of six survivors of the Greely Expedition of 1881-1884.

Brainard had co-founded the Explorers Club and is quite famous in the exploration-scientific world.

I decided to buy David Brainard's two books, the 1929 The Outpost of the Lost (Bobbs-Merrill Company), which includes the last part of  Brainard's journals of the ill-fated expedition.  Six Came Back also published by Bobbs-Merrill in 1940 includes all journal entries from the beginning until the end of the Greely Expedition.

#NewYork Restaurant: Pictures Katz Delicatessen Brief Review

We went to Katz Delicatessen in New York because it's supposedly world-famous.

It was incredibly crowded and the food wasn't that great. They have this crazy system of handing out numbers to people, then collecting them after you've paid.  A member of our party didn't have a number, which caused quite a stir. For a rare moment my husband lost his temper and yelled, "What the h--- does it matter!"

New York: Video The Rockettes at the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City

Here's a short video clip of The Rockettes at the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City, New York

Stay tuned for a blog entry on The Rockettes!

Tags: New York, Rockettes, Radio City, Entertainment, Travel

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• New York: Explorers Club and David L. Brainard #ex...
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New York on a Budget? Visit Christie's Auction House for Great Art

Our dual-tour included a visit to the Top of the Rock and Rockefeller Center Art and Architecture Tour.  Frankly we had difficulty getting to the right group as there were no signs, and personnel seemed not to know what was going on. We were not alone; every other tourist had to ask people as they meandered about trying to get to the right place. Even though we insisted we had a dual-tour, we were sent up the top of the building (Top of the Rock). The lines were long and personnel spent a lot of energy taking our pictures, then selling our pictures --- we had to work hard to finally get someone to understand we had a walking tour scheduled.

When we finally did the walking tour, it was fine.  Our tour guide pointed out the 14 buildings that make up the Rockefeller Center Complex (including NBC and nearby Fox). He talked about the art on the buildings, works by Paul Manship, Isamu Noguchi, Michi Ihara, Jose Maria Sert, Frank Brangwyn, and others. We heard about the quarrel between Diego Rivera and a Rockefeller over the image of Lenin in Rivera's work, and how Rivera's work was ultimately destroyed.

We also saw men setting up the platform for the gigantic Christmas Tree. People were skating on the nearby skating rink -- I could imagine just how festive the place will get in a few days. 

Catalunya Independence Crisis Explained: Part 2, by Manny Gonzalez #Catalonia #Spain

My Guest Blogger is Manny Gonzalez who shares with us a four-part series on Catalunya Independence Crisis Explained. Here is Part 2: 

CATALUNYA INDEPENDENCE CRISIS EXPLAINED

an Op-Ed in Three Parts

The Unfolding Current Crisis in Catalunya

By Manny Gonzalez, founder of Plantation Bay Resort & Spa and now part-time foreign correspondent.

Catalunya’s “Silent Majority” finally takes to the streets to tell the world that most of them want to remain Spanish.

After Franco died, in 1978 the Spanish government was reorganized as a parliamentary monarchy. In Catalunya, the new Constitution was ratified by 95% of voters. So the Catalans today can hardly claim that the Constitution, in which they agreed to be part of Spain, was rammed down their throat.

Catalunya Independence Crisis Explained: Part I, by Manny Gonzalez #Catalonia #Spain

My Guest Blogger is Manny Gonzalez who shares with us a four-part series on Catalunya Independence Crisis Explained. These articles first appeared in The Philippine Star. They are reprinted in this blog with the author's permission. Here is Part I: 

CATALUNYA INDEPENDENCE CRISIS EXPLAINED

an Op-Ed in Three Parts

Spanish and Catalan History in a Nutshell

By Manny Gonzalez, founder of Plantation Bay Resort & Spa and now part-time foreign correspondent.

Catalunya occupies a small triangle in the northeast of Spain.

I didn't want to be around to watch history in the making, but here I am in Barcelona, witness to a tragicomedy that will, one way or the other, affect the future of Europe.

Catalunya Independence Crisis Explained: Part 3, by Manny Gonzalez #Catalonia #Spain

My Guest Blogger is Manny Gonzalez who shares with us a four-part series on Catalunya Independence Crisis Explained. Here is Part 3: 

CATALUNYA INDEPENDENCE CRISIS EXPLAINED

an Op-Ed in Three Parts

Key Questions About the Spain/Catalunya Crisis Answered

By Manny Gonzalez, founder of Plantation Bay Resort & Spa and now part-time foreign correspondent.

The European Union has brought an unprecedented period of peace and economic prosperity to the Continent.

Question: Why should you care about what's going on in Spain?

Answer: Because it offers lessons for the Philippines.

Catalunya Independence Crisis: Part 4, Cleaning Up the Mess by Manny Gonzalez #Catalan #Spain

My Guest Blogger is Manny Gonzalez who shares with us a four-part series on Catalunya Independence Crisis Explained. Here is Part 4: 

CATALUNYA INDEPENDENCE CRISIS PART 4: CLEANING UP THE MESS

By Manny Gonzalez, founder of Plantation Bay Resort & Spa and now part-time foreign correspondent

Last week I reported on the Catalan independence crisis, and made these  suggestions:

If the Catalan leaders persist, the national government will take control of Catalunya. If it comes to that point, the national government has to do it right, with firmness against the ringleaders but no retribution against the general public. Public services must be visibly more courteous, more efficient, more functional, than under the Catalans.

If the Catalan leaders back down, the situation might still fester. The national government should call for snap general elections, and hopefully convincingly defeat the separatists in Catalunya. Then more moderate voices need to be heard in Catalan schools, universities, print and broadcast media, and social media.

New York: Explorers Club and David L. Brainard #explorers

WALKING ALONG East 70th Street in New York, my husband and I spotted a handsome old house with a sign, "Explorer's Club." I paused, remembering something I had researched and written about.

My husband's relative, David Legge Brainard, had been part of the Greely Expedition, which had set out to establish a metereological-observation post in the Arctic. In July of 1881, David Brainard and 24 other men led by Lieutenant Adolphus Greely, sailed on the ship Proteus to the Lady Franklin Bay. There they got stuck for three desperate years. While waiting for help, the men started dying of starvation and sickness. They would have been forgotten and abandoned in the harsh Arctic, but for the relentless lobbying of Mrs. Greeley. They were rescued in June of 1884.

Nina Lim Yuson Caricature/ Portrait Cecilia Brainard

My Maryknoll college chum, Nina Lim Yuson did this caricature of me. I think this Toronto picture inspired her.

Thank you, Nina! 

The following article is about Nina:

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/268262/nina-lim-yuson-now-late-bloomer-artist-teaches-kids-heritage/