Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Author Cecilia Brainard on Reading for Philippine National Book Week 2021

 




Author Cecilia Brainard talks on Why You Should Read for the Capiz State University Library for the 87th National Book Week 2021

https://youtu.be/JPKIM7YIpHw


Tags: #nationalbookweek # 

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Poems by Valorie Slaughter Bejarano - Filipina American Poet

 

POEMS BY VALORIE SLAUGHTER BEJARANO


I have gathered the poems by Valorie Slaughter Bejarano, my friend and member of PAWWA (Philippine American Women Writers & Artists).  We lost Val in 2000. ~ Cecilia Brainard

Writer's Bio: A poet/writer, Valorie Slaughter Bejarano was born in Cebu, Philippines on October 15, 1950. She grew up in the Los Angeles Filipino communicty. A self-proclaimed "Temple Street Brat," she attended Belmont High School and UCLA. Her writings were published in Journey of 100 Years: Reflections on the Centennial of Philippine Independence; Making Waves: An Anthology By and About Asian American Women: Urthkin; Electruim; Misc. Magazine; Ang Katipunan; and others. She wrote two chapbooks: Ladies First and Before the Sun Comes up. Valorie co-wrote two poetry shows: Voices from the Other Side of the Wall and Lovers Make the Worst Ex-Husbands.

Monday, November 22, 2021

Old Photos of Woman With Horns Book Launch 1988

 Old Photos taken at the 1988 book launch of my first book, WOMAN WITH HORNS AND OTHER STORIES, held at the Casa Gorordo in Cebu. The Cebuana author LINA ESPINA-MOORE helped organize the event and was there at planning meetings and the event itself.

 
l-r: Lina Espina Moore, Concepcion Cuenco Manguera, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

 '
l-r: Concepcion Manguerra, Mariano Manguerra Jr. Cecilia, Lina


l-r: Cora Seno, Cecilia







#philippinebooks #philippineliterature #cebuanowriters #womanwithhorns


Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Cecilia Brainard Book at the Manila International Book Fair #MIBF

 


Here's the short video promo I did for the Manila International Book Fair on behalf of the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House. This is airing today along with others by USTPH authors, live on the MIBF site. I'm sharing this video for your convenience.

My book and my other USTPH Titles (SELECTED SHORT STORIES BY CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD, WHEN THE RAINBOW GODDESS WEPT, MAGDALENA, and THE NEWSPAPER WIDOW) are available in the Philippines from Lazada and Shopee. In the US, these are easily available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble.
Enjoy the video!

The picture above was taken a nunber of years ago, by Doreen Stone 


 


tags: #MIBF #MIBF2021 #Philippinebooks #filipinoauthors #filipinobooks 


Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Book Review of THE BETRAYED by Reine Arcache Melvin

 


Passion in the Time of Revolution

Book Review by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Book Title: The Betrayed

Author: Reine Arcache Melvin

Published by Bughaw/Ateneo de Manila University Press 2018

For complete article in Postiviely Filipino - click here 


The Betrayed is a complex and rich novel that focuses on the lives of two sisters and the man they love. The story is set primarily in the Philippines; it fictionalizes historical events of the 1980s: the EDSA Revolution; the ousting of dictator Ferdinand Marcos; the election of the widow of his political enemy, Cory Aquino; the coup d’états; and the pervading violence and political unrest of that era. Melvin’s main characters are members of the ruling political families in the Philippines, and their lifestyle reflects their extreme wealth and the corresponding poverty of the general population. These characters also reveal the feuding, violence, negotiations, and tentative alliances they engage in to maintain their wealth and power.


Lali and Pilar are the sisters whose father, Gregorio, had been jailed in Manila then hustled out of the city with his family to live in exile in San Francisco. The novel begins after Gregorio was gunned down by “the General’s men.” Now the prospect of ending their eight-year exile is possible, and Lali marries Arturo, a wealthy and powerful young man -- a member of the political opposition -- so she (and her mother and sister) can return to Manila where they can presumably resume their privileged life.Lali gets her Mercedes Benz and her lavish parties. Pilar, the more cerebral of the two, works on documenting the life of Gregorio, who is considered a hero of the government opposition – the communists, the extreme-right faction of the military, the religious left. Pilar lives in their neglected family house along the river, an area which used to have Spanish colonial mansions but has been taken over by factories and warehouses. (continue reading in Positively Filipino)

Tags: Philippine literature, Book Review  

Monday, November 15, 2021

Filipino Author Cecilia Brainard Talks About Four of Her Books

 




In this short video, Filipino American Author Cecilia Brainard talks about four of her books: SELECTED SHORT STORIES, WHEN THE RAINBOW GODDESS WEPT, MAGDALENA, and THE NEWSPAPER WIDOW. Published by the University of Santo Tomas University, University of Michigan Press, and PALH, these are all available from Lazada and Shopee in the Philippines, and they are also available in the US from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and others.

https://youtu.be/nQi1ucybWRw


Tags: #filipinoauthors #filam authors #pinoylit  #filipinonovels #filipinofiction #Philippineliterature  


Saturday, November 13, 2021

Signed HB First Edition of Brainard's WHEN THE RAINBOW GODDESS WEPT Available

 



PALH has a few Signed First Edition of the hardbound WHEN THE RAINBOW GODDESS WEPT (Dutton 1994) - as new $79, including US shipping. Contact palh@aol.com or palhbooks@gmail.com
Amazon has this listed for over one hundred.


BOOKLIST Review by Kathleen Hughes
Yvonne Macairag is a nine-year-old living in the Philippines during World War II. She plays contentedly with her cousin, Esperanza, and spends quiet evenings on the veranda with her grandfather. Her family life is idyllic. All of this is lost when the Japanese invade the Philippines. Yvonne flees to the jungle, where her father joins the resistance movement, the guerilleros. Life is hard in the jungle, and Yvonne is often exposed to the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese soldiers. As the child encounters scenes of wartime horror, she remembers and recites the epic stories of her ancestors. She uses the ancient fables to bolster her courage and to help herself cope with the horrors of the war. Overwhelmed by the superior Japanese firepower, the guerilleros hope the American soldiers will arrive and assist in expelling the Japanese. The American soldiers eventually do, but not before the guerilleros realize that ultimately Filipinos are responsible for the destiny of the Philippines. Like the epic legends, this story tells the tale of the essential courage and wisdom of the Filipinos. A beautifully written novel in which the words flow smoothly across the pages, weaving a story that is half lyrical myth and half brutal reality. Enchanting throughout, this novel will mesmerize the reader right up until its victorious ending.

 



 

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Certificate of Recognition from LEAP, Inc. 2021

 


 


Thanks to the Literature Educators Association of the Philippines. Inc. for this Certificate. The leaders did everything gracefully and efficiently, and really it was my privilege to share what I know to Literature teachers. I wish them the best in their important work of teaching young people, not just how to write or read fine literature, but to think critically.


 Read also: 

 https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2021/11/cecilia-brainard-talk-to-literature.html

https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2021/10/literature-as-coping-strategy-by.html

 

Monday, November 8, 2021

Cecilia Brainard Talk to Literature Teachers, International Conference LEAP ICLE2021

 



Video of Cecilia Brainard Talk to Literature teachers, International Conference LEAP ICILE2021, Part 1

Cecilia Brainard's Talk "Literature as a Coping Strategy", Delivered at the International Conference on Literature Education, Oct. 28, 2021. The conference aimed to address the pressing concerns of Literature Teacher on teaching literature during this time of Covid. It likewise sought to provide a platform for discussing the significant shifts in literature teaching and redefinitions of the 21st Century literature teachers. The conference connected vital discussion areas important to the theme to draw a clear and critical understanding of the concerns and challenges that literature teachers face toward the new normal. #education #teachers #literature


PART 1  Video link 

https://youtu.be/eWHc4ZTlrmc


 PART 2: Video Link

https://youtu.be/hH2Gl4b5R_I


PART 3 - Video Link

https://youtu.be/3RlL7scSJfg


Transcript of Cecilia Brainard's Talk "Literature as a Coping Strategy, delivered at the Int'l Conference on Literature Education 2021, LEAP, Inc. -  

https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2021/10/literature-as-coping-strategy-by.html


Certificate from LEAP, Inc. https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2021/11/certificate-of-recognition-from-leap.html

 

  


 tags: #Philippineliterature #Literatureteachers #literatureconference #Philippineeducaton 

Saturday, November 6, 2021

"Death Is Nothing At All" by Henry Scott Holland



 DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL

By Henry Scott Holland 1847-1918 Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral

 

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I, and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone, wear no forced air of solemnity of sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Pray, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was; there is unbroken continuity,
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner.
All is well.
~~
Prayer at the Funeral Service of our friend Les Grossman, may he and all those who have died rest in peace.


Photo by Cecilia Brainard

tags: grief, mourning, funeral, memorial 

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Three Zoom Recordings in One Afternoon

 


I did three, I repeat three, Zoom recordings today for future releases, one for a book fair, another for an International Authors Series, and the last is a Christmas reading. I will let you know when the recordings are released.
I'll be focusing on homey things in preparation for the Holidays. Baking fruitcake and cookies are in ,y mind, and some gift shopping too. Before we know it, it'll be Thanksgiving, then Christmas.
I am very grateful that because of the vaccines we are able to resume a more normal life. I pray that the rest of the world can do the same.
Here's a selfie I took before the Zoom recordings.
Have a great weekend coming up.

 

tags: #filipinoauthors #filipinobooks #Philippineliterature

 

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Positively Filipino Book Review of Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

 

George Deoso Reviews Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard in Positively Filipino. 

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/i-was-upset-review-of-cecilia-manguerra-brainards-selected-short-stories


"There is much to rejoice about this feast of a book: the range in terms of form; the weaving of past and present between the pages; and that reassuring sense of being in the hands of a writer—an artist—whose mark transcends the boundaries of time, place, and historical conflicts. 

 

Brainard’s Selected Short Stories make me upset. And I am only happy to be upset by her fiction. Literature is nothing if it doesn’t shake the core of our being, if it only gives us a kind of bliss."


tags: #bookreview #philippinebooks #philippineliterature #filipinobooks #filipinoauthors #pinoyreads