TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: May 2026

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Reviews Linda Ty-Casper's Recent Books: WILL YOU HAPPEN & LIVES REMEMBERED

PALH (Philippine American Literary House) is proud to share recent book reviews of books by Linda Ty-Casper published by PALH and Bughaw Ateneo Press. These books are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble. In the Philippines, check Baybayin Book shop.
The Ateneo has copies of the Bughaw edition of Will You Happen.
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WILL YOU HAPPEN, PAST THE SILENCE, THROUGH THE DARK?: REMEMBERING LEONARD RALPH CASPER
Perspective in the Arts and Humanities Asia, Vol 15, No 2
Review by L. M. Grow, Broward College
PALH, 2022. 346 pages; Bughaw (Ateneo Press), 2023. 326 pages.
Complete Review here: https://archium.ateneo.edu/paha/vol15/iss2/11 - page 5
Excerpt:
As interesting and admirable as Casper’s life was, the value of Will You Happen goes well beyond biography and thus avoids the limitation of many biographies, memoirs, and autobiographies: extolling the virtues and achievements of their respective subject persons but offering readers little else. Instead, here there is a full complement of information sections about publications, interactions with literary and other luminaries, letters to and from Ty-Casper and other renowned authors, and a virtual Homeric catalogue of visitors to the Casper house at 54 Simpson Drive in Framingham, Massachusetts, and responses to Casper’s death in 2018. Although Casper’s creative writing constitutes only a tributary to literature, the brief account of his contributions to the Southwest Review (20–24) is a welcome segment of his memoir ...
This book is a very valuable contribution to both Philippine literature and American literature.

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LIVES REMEMBERED, A MEMOIR
Perspective in the Arts and Humanities Asia, Vol 15, No 2
Review by Eileen Tabios
PALH, 2025
Complete review here: https://archium.ateneo.edu/paha/vol15/iss2/12
Excerpt:
Those who are remembered are mostly memorable because Ty-Casper felt love or affection for them. In that sense, the resonant writing in the book is apt—one can sense the burnished gold sheen of treasured memories. For example, she recalls two family portraits painted over a 177 hundred years ago: “Long ago, itinerant artists peddled partly finished portraits in the provinces, and clients chose the frame on which to have their likeness painted” (5–6)! For readers not related to Ty-Casper who are less interested in her relatives and more in the times they lived, she provides numerous vibrant and interesting details like these traveling portraitists
Lives Remembered is worth reading if only for the Harvard Law School incident that “redirected her life” into becoming a historical fictionist. At the university’s Widener Library, Ty-Casper discovered books that contained “unfair and erroneous” material as regards the Philippines and decided to write an essay refuting them. But upon discovering that some of those books had never been checked out of the library to be read—a detail that reminds how the most insulting thing a writer can experience is not criticism but indifference—she decided to “write a historical novel which might have more staying power/life outside the shelf” (71). “Just one book,” Ty-Casper recalled, “then I’d go on with my life” (71). More than one book, of course, occurred.

Linda Ty-Casper is the author of over 22 books, which generally deal with Philippine historical and political themes. She is the recipient of the SEA Write Award, UNESCO/P.E.N., Rockefeller Bellagio, Radcliffe Fellowships and other awards. Her literary work is considered a significant contribution to Filipino, Philippine American, as well as Asian American literature. Her works of fiction are so powerful that two of her novels, Wings of Stone and Awaiting Trespass, were banned in the Philippines during the Marcos Dictatorship; the books were published in London.
Her recent books include:
Will You Happen, Past the Silence, Through the Dark: Remembering Leonard Ralph Casper (PALH 2023: Bughaw 2024);
Lives Remembered, A Memoir (PALH 2025);
A Small Party in a Garden: Revised and Critical Edition (PALH 2026).
Fortress in the Plaza (PALH, forthcoming).

READ ALSO:

Ateneo Students Reponses 2026- Linda Ty-Casper's Book Launch

Cecilia Brainard & Linda Ty-Casper Events at Ateneo Literary and Cultural Studies Program

Released: Linda Ty-Casper's A Small Party in a Garden: Revised and Critical Edition

Was Linda Ty-Casper Really a Saling-Pusa - Article about Ty-Casper in Postively Filipino

Gardens and Mountains of Philippine Literature by Charlie Samuya Veric

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.

Serbian Book Review of Cecilia Brainard's Novel The Newspaper Widow

"Journalist" in Serbian
I woke up to the exciting news that the SERBIAN translation of my novel, The Newspaper Widow, was reviewed favorably in a Serbian newspaper.

I am delighted that the novel is doing well in this beautiful country in Central Europe (pop 6.6 million people).

 
English translation of the Serbian review via Google Lens

Here is information about the novel, and I've posted pictures of the review, covers of other translations of the novel, and pictures of some of my foreign publishers.
I also heard the good news that my novel The Newspaper Widow will have forthcoming translations into Indonesian and Portuguese. A Portuguese translation will also happen for the book I edited for Vibal, How I Became a Writer: Essays by Filipino and Filipino American writers.
I am feeling a bit numb from all this good news -- my cup runneth over: I recently received an award and there are several publications forthcoming that include my work; I am grateful to all who have supported my writings and me.

To the Serbian publisher, Nenad Saponja/Agora, thank you.

Thanks also to Agora for submitting a chapter of The Newspaper Widow for publication in the Journal of MATICA SRPSKA (the oldest Serbian literary, cultural and scientific Institution, which featured "Felix Santa Maria". The link to the Serbian journal follows:
https://www.maticasrpska.org.rs/letopis_517_3/

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There is more infomation about The Newspaper Widow in this site:
https://ceciliabrainard.com/book/the-newspaper-widow/

Translations of Cecilia Brainard's fiction


At FBM25, Some publishers of Cecilia Brainard's Fiction, l-r: Filip Batkoski, Senja Pozar, Nenad Saponja, Cecila Brainard, Mohamed Radi, Leonardo Garzaro, Dejan
 Trajkoski

Read also:

Top Translated Filipino Authors - Includes Cecilia Brainard 
Cross-cultural Exchange Via Cecilia Brainard's Translations 
Press Release about foreign Translations of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's Fiction 
Publishers of Cecilia Brainard's Foreign Translations 
Filip Batkoski (Bata Press) 
Leonardo Garzaro (Editor Rua do Sabao) 
Senja Pozar - Literary Agent
Dimitris Tsoukatos (Lemvos Editions) 
Mohamed Radi (Egyptian Office for Publishing and Distribution
Dejan Trajkoski (Prozart Media)
 Nenad Saponja (Agora)
Jale Memmedova (Qanun Publishing House)
Dr. Takuya Matsuda (Genki Shobou)

Tags: Philippine translations, Philippine literature
#Booksphilippine
#GoH2025 
#FrankfurtBookFair2025
#ImaginationPeoplestheAir 
#fbm25 

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Saturday, May 2, 2026

Carlos Bulosan Book Awards - May 16, 2026, Los Angeles Public Library downtown

I am honored and grateful to be a recipient of a Carlos Bulosan Book Club Award. The awards event is on Saturday, May 16, 2026, 11 am at the Taper Auditorium, Los Angeles Public Library downtown. information follows.
Carlos Bulosan Book Club Awards
Presented by the Friends of Echo Park Library, the Carlos Bulosan Book Club Awards honors distinguished Filipino American literary advocates for their contributions to storytelling, cultural preservation, and community engagement. Included will be award presentations, brief honoree remarks, and a moderated conversation on literature, memory, and community.
DATE: May 16, 2026, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Taper Auditorium, LAPL Central Library, 630 W. Fifth Street, downtown Los Angeles 90071.
AWARDEES:
Joselyn Geaga-Rosenthal – Lifetime Achievement Award
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard – Literary Advocate Award
Joseph Bernardo – Literary Advocate & Historian of the Filipino American Experience Award
Audience: All ages, event is free
This Filipino American celebration is part of the Los Angeles Public Library Celebration of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Free Day-Long Festival from 11-4 at the Central Library, downtown Los Angeles. Highlights include lion dancers, Japanese dance performers, Korean fabric art, lei making, and the Carlos Bulosan Book Club Awards. Speakers include Los Angeles City Council member Ysabel Jurado of Council District 14, Philippine Consul General Adelio Angelito S. Cruz, and Philippine Vice Consul Levi Anthony B. Malaylay.