TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Effects of the Pandemic on New Books: A Mild Lament by Author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Monday, October 25, 2021

Effects of the Pandemic on New Books: A Mild Lament by Author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

My Selected Short Stories was released by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House and by PALH in July-August, and the book has had a lowkey existence since, thanks to the pandemic. The book collects 39 of my best short stories, many of which are used by educators in their classrooms. Classics such as "Woman With Horns", "Flip Gothic", "Romeo:, and more are part of this collection. All the stories in this book have been previously published, some have been anthologized several times.

Unfortunately, there have been no book launches to promote my Selected Short Stories, as most bookstores are closed and many people are being cautious about mingling with others.

Even the book distribution in the Philippines (via Lazada and Shopee) has suffered because when there are pandemic-lockdowns, people can't go to their offices (to process book orders).

I did participate in several Zoom events (US Philippine Embassy, CTU in Cebu, and others), but there hasn't been an event that focused on Selected Short Stories.

I am therefore delighted to announce that I have some forthcoming events that highlight this new collection of mine.

THE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY is hosting A CONVERSATION WITH AUTHOR CECILIA BRAINARD: SELECTED SHORT STORIES, moderated by writer, actor, Buddhist pastor Noel Alumit. This program will be Live on the YouTube and Facebook pages of the Los Angeles Public Library, on California time, Oct. 26, 2021, 6 pm.(this is Philippine time: Oct. 27, 9 am). This is part of the #FilipinoAmericanHistoryMonth Celebrations.

Streaming live @lapubliclibrary YouTube (https://youtu.be/Hw46hvf9MF8)
& Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/lapubliclibrary/)

https://lapl.org/whats-on/events/conversation-author-cecilia-brainard-selected-short-stories

THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS CENTER FOR CREATIVE WRITING AND LITERARY STUDIES has invited me to give a talk as part of the International Authors Series, to air in November. I will keep you posted. Professors Jack Wigley and Ralph Semino-Galan have sent me some very interesting questions, about my stories and about the creative process.

I should mention that I'm a panelist in the Literature Educators Associate of the Philippines (LEAP) International Conference on Literature Education, scheduled on Oct. 28-30, 2021. My talk will be on - Philippine time -- Oct. 28, 11:30 a.m., and the Open Forum is on Oct. 29, 9 am. I will be talking about "Reading and Writing Literature as a Coping Strategy."

After these, I'll focus on the production work of the anthology Growing Up Filipino Book 3 that I'm editing and collecting. Some fine writers and stories in there!

There's Christmas too and my new-found love, ART, to play with.

And speaking of Christmas, books make great gifts! In the Philippines, my books: When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, Magdalena, The Newspaper Widow, and Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard can be found in Lazada and Shopee.
In the US, these titles and most of my other titles can be easily found in Amazon. I believe Barnes and Noble also carries these titles. And check out Eastwind Books in Berkeley.

This is all for now. Stay tuned, AND STAY SAFE! ~ Cecilia (ceciliabrainard.com)

Tags: #FAHMS2021 #FAHM

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.