TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Fiction by Filipinos in America, Short Story Collection

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Fiction by Filipinos in America, Short Story Collection - Kindle sale

PALH (Philippine American Literary House) announces the release of the US edition of the collection of short stories, FICTION BY FILIPINOS IN AMERICA, edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. The book is available from Amazon for $17.95: <https://www.amazon.com/dp/1953716059>. It is also available in Kindle form: <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KYY1FVP>.

The book collects short fiction by Philippine and Philippine American writers including Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Carlos Bulosan, Luis Cabalquinto, Virgina R. Cerenio, Juan C. Dionisio, Alberto S. Florentino, Ligaya Victorio Fruto, Jean Vengua Gier, N.V.M. Gonzalez, Erlinda Villamor Kravetz, Paulino Lim, Jr. Manuel R. Olimpo, Julia L. Palarca, Oscar Peñaranda, Bienvenido N. Santos, Nadine Sarreal, Michelle Cruz Skinner, Samuel Tagatac, Linda Ty-Casper, Nenutzka Villamar, Marianne Villanueva, and Manuel A. Viray.

First published in the Philippines in 1993, this 2020 US edition hopes to accommodate librarians, professors, teachers, and students interested in Philippine American literature, books which are still scarce in the US. This collection, which has been cited by educators and librarians as a valuable resource includes classic stories such as "A Scent of Apples" by Bienvenido N. Santos and "The Romance of Magno Rubio" by Carlos Bulosan.

Writing for World Literature Today, Professor Al Camus Palomar, praises the book saying: "(Editor) Manguerra Brainard’s selection is a delight. Some of the stories are masterly, especially those written by such reliables as Carlos Bulosan, Linda Ty-Casper, N.V.M. Gonzalez, and Alberto S. Florentino. None is less than highly competent, and all are worth reading. Manguerra Brainard has done an excellent job of mixing critical judgement and personal taste.”

Isagani R. Cruz wrote in Philippines Star: "Definitely one of the most outstanding anthologies published [in 1993], this collection of stories by 23 Filipino writers who work or used to work in the United States is a must-read for all students of Philippine Literature.” The stories convey the history of Filipinos in America via fiction and the book is acknowledged an important addition to Philippine, Philippine-American, as well as Asian-American literature.

Contact palh@aol.com for more information.

Book Reviews

Sheng-Mei for Pilipinas, Michigan State University — No. 24, Spring 1995

Isagani R. Cruz for Philippine Star, Feb. 17, 1994

Al Camus Palomar for World Literature Today, Autumn 1994

Tags: Philippines Philippine FilAm Pinoy book books anthology collection stories fiction literature literary

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's official website is ceciliabrainarddotcom. She is the award-winning author and editor of 22 books, including When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, Selected Stories, Vigan and Other Stories, and more. She edited Growing Up Filipino 1, 2, & 3, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and other books.. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Cecilia has received many awards, including a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has lectured and performed at UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others. She has served in the Board of literary arts groups such as PEN, PAWWA (Pacific Asian American Writers West), among others.