Lunch with Filipino American Writer Brian Ascalon Roley

Had lunch with Brian Ascalon Roley, author of American Son in the Omelette Parlor in Santa Monica. We were so caught up talking, I forgot to have someone take our picture. Here's a photo taken a while ago with Paulino Lim. 

 

tags: Philippines, Philippine, Philippine American, Filipino American, literature, novels, writing, authors, Brian Ascalon Roley, Paulino Lim, Jr., Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Cecilia Brainard 

IN HONOR OF FILIPINO AMERICAN WRITER, N.V.M. GONZALEZ

Today, I'm honoring the writer N.V.M. Gonzalez, whom I had the privilege of knowing. I first met him with Bienvenido N. Santos at a literary event sponsored by Linda Nietes' Philippine Expressions. Like Mr. Santos, Mr. Gonzalez encouraged my literary efforts; he generously wrote blurbs for my book projects or contributed stories for anthologies which I edited.

N.V.M. Gonzalez was born on September 8, 1915 in Rombon, Philippines, although he grew up in Mindoro, later the setting of much of his fiction, such as the stories in Seven Hills Away, Children of the Ash-Covered Loam, and Look, Stranger on This Island Now. His father was a teacher and school supervisor.

N.V.M. played the violin and reportedly earned his first peso by playing the violin at a Chinese funeral in Romblon. He attended Mindoro High School, and later the National University although he was unable to complete his undergraduate degree. In Manila he wrote for the Philippine Graphic, the Evening News Magazine, and the Manila Chronicle. He was a member of the Board of Advisors of Likhaan: the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center, and he was also the founding editor the Diliman Review. He was the first president of the Philippine Writers Association.

In the US, he attended creative writing classes at Stanford University. He later taught at the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, the Philippine Women's University, University of California Santa Barbara, UCLA, UC Berkeley, the University of Washington, and the California State University at Hayward.

He won many honors, including the Republic Award of Merit, the Republic Cultural Heritage Award, the Jose Rizal Pro-Patria Award. In 1987, the University of the Philippines awarded him honorary degrees of Doctor of Humane Letters. In 1997, he was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines.

He died on November 28, 1997 in Quezon at 84. As a National Artist, he was honored with a state funearl at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
~~~ 
External Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._V._M._Gonzalez

Photo below shows N.V.M. Gonzalez and Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Read also:  Philippine Literature: Filipino and Filipino American Writers 

IN HONOR OF FILIPINO WRITER, LINDA TY-CASPER

Today, I'm honoring LINDA TY-CASPER, a Filipino writer of over fifteen books.

I've had the privilege of knowing Linda and have enjoyed her generosity in writing Introductions and blurbs for my book projects. She is the quintessential "lady" - quiet, well-mannered, and with a keen mind.  

She was born as Belinda Ty in Malabon, Philippines in 1931. Her father worked in the Philippine National Railways; her mother was a school teacher. It was her grandmother who told her stories about the Philippine struggle for independence, a topic she picked up in her novels. She has law degrees from the University of the Philippines and Harvard. However, erroneous and biased statements in books at Widener Library converted her into an advocate, through faithfully researched historical fiction, of Filipino's right to self-definition/determination.

Her numerous books are generally historical fiction. The Peninsulares centers on eighteenth-century Manila; The Three-Cornered Sun written on a Radcliffe Institute grant, deals with the 1896 Revolution; and Ten Thousand Seeds, the start of the Philippine American War. Contemporary events, including martial law years, appear in Dread Empire, Hazards of Distance, Fortress in the Plaza, Awaiting Trespass, Wings of Stone, A Small Party in a Garden, and DreamEden.

Her stories, collected in Transparent Sun, The Secret Runner, and Common Continent, originally appeared in magazines such as Antioch Review, The Asia Magazine, Windsor Review, Hawaii Review, and Triquarterly. One was included in The Best American Short Stories of 1987 Honor Roll.

She has held grants from the Djerassi Foundation, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Wheatland Foundation. She and her husband, (literary critic and professor emeritus of Boston College) Leonard Casper, reside in Massachusetts. They have two daughters.

Educational Background:

            University of the Philippines (1949-1955)

Harvard Law (1956-57), Silliman (1963)

Radcliffe Institute (1974-75)

Publication History:

            Books Published:

The Transparent Sun (short stories), Peso Books, 1963

The Peninsulars (historical novel), Bookmark, 1964

The Secret Runner (short stories), Florentino/National Book, 1974
The Three-Cornered Sun (historical novel), New Day, 1979
 Dread Empire (novella), Heinemann, Hong Kong, 1980
 Hazards of Distance (novella), New Day, 1981

 Fortress in the Plaza (novella), New Day, 1985

 Awaiting Trespass (novella), Readers International, London, 1985
Top 5 Women's Fiction Choice, 1986 UK Feminist Book Fortnight.
 Wings of Stone (novella), Readers International, London, 1986
 Ten Thousand Seeds (historical novel), Ateneo, 1987  

A Small Party in a Garden (novella), New Day, 1988; Kindle & Nook, 2012

Common Continent (short stories), Ateneo, 1991
  Kulasyon: Uninterrupted Vigils (collected first chapters), Giraffe Books, Quezon City, 1995

 DreamEden (historical novel), Ateneo, 1996/University of  Washington Press, 1997 

Awards/Honors Received:

Djerassi 1984 
Filipino-American Women Network Award for Literature 1985
Top 5 Women's Fiction, Feminist Network, London  1986
Massachusetts Artists Foundation  1988
Wheatland 1990
UNESCO/P.E.N. Short Story  1993.
SEAWrite Award, Bangkok  1993.
Bellagio 1994

Employment History:

UNESCO Philippine Commission 1956


External Links re Linda Ty-Casper:

http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Groups/Ty_Casper.htm 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Ty_Casper

http://bostonreview.net/BR18.1/casper.html

http://www.umich-cseas.org/eventsandnews/abstracts/ty-casper/CasperAbstract.htm

 http://www.palhbooks.com/Linda.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/linda-ty-casper

Tags: literature, Philippines, Philippine, Philippine American, Filipina, author, writer, novelist, books

In Honor of Filipino & Filipino American Writers - P.C. MORANTTE

P.C. MORANTTE (b 1909, d 2001) was born in Tanauan, Leyte, Philippines. he attended local schools, the University of Santo Tomas, and the University of Kansas at Lawrence. He migrated to the United States in 1930, arriving in San Francisco, then moving to Los Angeles. He worked as a foreign correspondent of the Manila-based Graphic, and for the Philippine government in-exile in Washington D.C. After World War II, he was Information Officer of the Civil Aeronautics Administration.

A writer, he knew the other Filipino writers in the US, including Carlos Bulosan; Morantte wrote the book, Remembering Carlos Bulosan. Morantte also wrote God is in the Heart.

He lived for many years in Lompoc, California.

CRITICAL REVIEWS
On Morantte's book God is in the heart, these are what two writers say: According to Bienvenido N. Santos, Distinguished Resident at Wichita State University, Morantte's "writing is not only eloquent but lyrical. It is not at all sound, however, but meaning of the deepest kind, the truest. Before long, the reader realizes this is truth of the Bible or the truth of the human heart."

N.V.M. Gonzales, English professor at California State University, Hayward, characterized Morantte "as close as one can get these days to a secular contemplative. In this book, he deals with Beauty, Grace and Truth—ideas we have become accustomed to turn away from. P. C. Morantte invites us to pause and let the anxious world burn itself, if it must, as we discover Purpose and renew our faith."

JEAN VENGUA GIER says the following about Morantte (from Meritagepress.com)

"Morantte was truly a pioneer of Filipino writing in the United States. I don’t think he has received proper recognition as a writer, although he wrote plays, poems and fiction, and his memoir of Carlos Bulosan, Carlos Bulosan: His Heart Affair With America, is often consulted by students of Filipino American studies. His obscurity may be due to the fact that much of his output was in the form of non-fiction, reportage, and editorial. During the Depression Era and later, he edited and wrote for many Filipino newspapers and magazines in the U.S.: book reviews, literary commentary, travelogues, and editorials. Later in life he was published by a Philippine publisher: New Day. 

"During the pre-WWII years, Morantte took some rather gutsy positions on writing and writers in various newspapers and magazines; Jose Garcia Villa and Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion both suffered his critical barbs: "Villa may be dead as a short story writer, but he is too spiritually alive in his poetic imagination to admit of intellectual disintegration...[he] tried to be at once imitative, experimental, intellectual and provocatively modern in his stories. This was tragic."; "one cannot help but deplore the fact that [de Gracia Concepcion] fails to follow his initial triumph with productions of a more commanding interest" (Philippine-American Digest, 1941). Even his friend, Carlos Bulosan was not entirely free from criticism, for Morantte wrote that Bulosan’s writing was often tinged with "an overtone of hysteria in his pleadings for justice...always a strain of overdramatizing in his manner of calling attention to social evils and economic ills" (Remembering Carlos Bulosan, 62). Although Morantte appreciated Richard Wright’s Native Son as "a work of art," he felt that the Bigger Thomas character was portrayed too negatively: "too much a sample of moral disintegration and less a symbol of race vigor..." (Philippine-American Digest 1940) 

"Morantte strove to clarify the issues that Filipinos lived with in America, whether they were literary, political or cultural issues. In an essay on "Filipino Life" in the Philippine-American Digest, he noted with seeming despair that "[Filipino] dreams and...aspirations have been influenced so much by the American and Spanish ways that the indigenous substance of their true beings has been crushed or lost." He gave voice to a situation that many Filipinos of that time seemed to experience: "...one immediately perceives that I do not belong: I am a Filipino, but a creature that has been an offshot [sic] of the strange elements outside the pale of my native world...it is a sort of spiritual or psychological bondage." (1941) 

"In Morantte’s perspective, the microcosmic experience of the Filipino fieldworker or writer in small-town America translated to something larger and more disturbing; he detected patterns that would echo in the experiences of Filipino immigrants into the next century: 

"The City of Los Angeles was teeming with Pinoys, or Filipinos whose lives had become modified for the worse by the harsh realities in the American milieu; they had become split personalities...They loved American bread and butter and they also loved rice and fish...To practically all Pinoys the abundant Philippine life, the Philippine state of free, happy, peaceful and idyllic life which was the dream of their forebears, had now been supplanted in their memory by the charm of American life. But many of them, insofar as their emotional and mental outlook was concerned, were simply floating in the substratum of American society where the muddy currents were sluggishly buoying them up"(Remembering 76). 

"Although this passage was published in 1984, I think that Morantte’s writings reveal that he sensed the psychic "split" that Filipinos were undergoing, even as early as the 1930s. 

"Morantte chose to live out his last years in the small town of Lompoc, California, in an area imbued with the history of Filipino Farmworkers and laborers. From this somewhat remote spot, he kept in touch with his many writer friends, among them the Bulosan brothers, N.V.M. Gonzalez, Bienvenido Santos and Carlos Angeles. In later life, he became interested in questions of philosophy and religion. N.V.M. Gonzalez dubbed him "a secular contemplative." 

"I think that Morantte contributed to a "West-Coast sensibility" in Filipino American writing. Somewhat suspicious of experimental and "art for art’s sake" writing (he wrote of the "puzzling incoherence" of Gertrude Stein), he seemed to value humanistic writing that conveyed meaning with pragmatic clarity. He contributed to Filipino American literature in his quest for meaning and wholeness. We can benefit from his insightful evaluations of Filipino life in America, from his courage to recognize and discuss both the weaknesses and strengths of Filipino writing, and from his recognition of the necessity for Filipinos and Filipino Americans to unite through knowlege disseminated via the written word. 

"Many of the pioneer Filipino writers living in the United States seem to be leaving us now, among them, Stanley Garibay, N.V.M. Gonzalez, Trinidad Rojo, Alex de Leon Fabros Sr., and of course, Jose Garcia Villa. I understand that Morantte died in his 90s, in a hospital in Lompoc, California. Perhaps you are already aware of his death. If not, Morantte is certainly one writer whose passing deserves mention."

Jean N. V. Gier

Photo: l-r: Linda Nietes, P.C. Morantte, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Bienvenido N. Santos

Read also:  Philippine Literature: Filipino and Filipino American Writers 

tags: Philippine American history, Philippine American literature, Filipino American writer

IN HONOR OF FILIPINO & FILIPINO AMERICAN WRITERS - BIENVENIDO N. SANTOS

IN HONOR OF FILIPINO & FILIPINO AMERICAN WRITERS WHO HAVE FORGED THE WAY FOR OTHER WRITERS:



BIENVENIDO N. SANTOS - Here we have Bienvenido N. Santos, or Ben, as his friends called him, born 1911 and died 1996. Ben was the first Filipino American writer to encourage my creative writing, and he introduced me to the publishing manager (Gloria Rodriguez) of my first publisher, New Day.

Bienvenido N. Santos was a novelist who grew up in Manila's slums and then moved to the United States and wrote about the pain of Filipino exiles there.

Santos, who wrote in English, was a Rockefeller Foundation fellow and Fulbright professor at the University of Iowa and later received a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, the American Book Award and the Philippine Republic Cultural Heritage Award.

From 1961 to 1966 he was dean and vice president of the University of Nueva Caceres in the Philippines.

In the 1970's, his novel "The Praying Man," about political corruption, was banned by the Government of Ferdinand E. Marcos. Mr. Santos went into voluntary exile in the United States.

He was writer in residence from 1973 to 1982 at Wichita State University and became an American citizen in 1976. He made his first visit home from exile after the lifting of martial law in 1981.



Bottom photo, l-r: Bienvenido N. Santos and Cecilia Brainard. This photo was taken at the book launching of Cecilia's second short story collection, Acapulco at Sunset and Other Stories, shortly before he passed away.

OUT OF CEBU will be launched in California, 3/31/12

PINAY GATHERING
A Celebration of Women’s History Month
Honoring Filipino American Women Authors

A chance to break bread together, talk and bond with other Pinay Sisters in the community.

Saturday, March 31, 2012 12:00 Noon
Pizza Per Tutti, Pizzeria & Tratoria
4143 Lankershim Boulevard corner Acqua Vista
Toluca Lake, CA 91602 Tel 818-760-8200

Join us and celebrate the publication of two new books by our featured authors who will speak and sign their books:

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, author of Out of Cebu: A Collection of Essays and Personal Prose. The book collects 28 essays about the author’s Cebuano ties and her pride of heritage, including colorful accounts about her mother’s family, the Cuencos, a prominent political family in Cebu. The book also includes writings about the author’s life and travels outside of Cebu. She is the author of When the Rainbow Goddess Wept: A Novel; Magdalena: A Novel; Acapulco at Sunset and Other Stories; Philippine Woman in America; Woman with Horns and Other Stories; Cecilia’s Diary, 1962-1968; and Fundamentals of Creative Writing. She has edited four anthologies: Growing Up Filipino, 1 & 2; Fiction by Filipinos in America; and Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America. With Edmundo Litton, she co-edited Journey of 100 Years: Reflections on the Centennial of the Philippine Independence. With Marily Orosa, she co-edited three anthologies: Behind the Walls: Life of Convent Girls; A La Carte: Food and Fiction; and Finding God: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters. With four other authors, she co-wrote Angelica’s Daughters, a Dugtungan Novel.

Ofelia V. Dirige and Aurora S. Cudal, co-authors of Global Filipino Cuisine: Healthy Recipes. First published in 2009 with the late Dr Riz A. Oades, this is a revised and expanded edition of 100 modified choices with nutrient analysis. A much-needed book for healthy eating in the community. Proceeds to cover programs and services of the FilAm Wellness Center/Kalusugan Community Services. 1419 E 8th St., National City, CA 91950. www.WebKalusugan.org / Info@WebKalusugan.org

Other authors who will attend and will sign their books include Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Forty Years of Writing in America; Carina Monica Montoya (aka Carina Forsythe), Los Angeles’s Historic Filipinotown and Filipinos in Hollywood; Roselyn Estepa Ibanez, co-author, Filipinos in Carson and the South Bay; Carlene Sobrino Bonnivier, Seeking Thirst: A Novel and Autobiography of a Stranger and Myrna J. de la Paz (aka Myrna Mulhern), Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella.

This is an ongoing program of Philippine Expressions Bookshop to reach out to the FilAm community and to increase the visibility of Filipinos in mainstream America.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif $25.00 Lunch, inclusive of drinks, dessert and gratuities. Menu to be emailed upon reservation. Limited seating. The event is also open to male guests. The venue is owned by Pinay entrepreneur Hilda Mauro.

RSVP: linda@philippineexpressionsbookshop.com or call (310) 514-9139.

Growing Up Filipino II - Readings by Contributors

Here are YouTube video clips of Readings by some contributors to the book, Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults:


YouTube - Veronica Montes Reads from Growing Up Filipino II

YouTube - Rashaan Alexis Meneses Reads from Growing Up Filipino II

YouTube - Amalia Bueno's Story in Growing Up Filipino II (read by Barbara Jane Reyes)

YouTube- Marianne Villanueva Reads from Growing Up Filipino II

YouTube - Tony Robles Reads from Growing Up Filipino II

The book is Available from: www.palhbooks.com, Philippine Expressions, Arkipelago, Amazon.com, The Book House, Follet Library Resources, Midwest Library.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BOOK REVIEW 5/1/2010:
BRAINARD, Cecilia Manguerra, ed. Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults. 254p. PALH. 2010. Tr $29.95. ISBN 978-0-9719458-2-1; pap. $21.95. ISBN 978-0-9719458-3-8. LC 2002104406.

Gr 9 Up—This collection of 27 short stories, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Growing Up Filipino (PALH, 2003), reflects the impact of post-9/11 wartime sensibilities among Filipino writers living in the Philippines, the United States, and Canada. Although similar topics of family, memoir, and coming-of-age thread through both collections, the pieces are not grouped by theme, but nevertheless weave a constantly shifting tapestry of Filipino identity. The challenges and conflicts of unique ancestry and struggles for identity provide a rich background for modern urban realism. The brittle memoirs reflected in "Here in the States," "Nurse Rita," and "Hammer Lounge"; original legend in "A Season of 10,000 Noses"; and breathtaking tragedy in "How My Mother Flew," among others, are compelling reading. Some selections have terse, spare language; others are almost commonplace in their apparent simplicity; all capture moments and nuances of the modern Filipino experience that will envelop readers. Brainard has again selected powerful, evocative stories of family: of promises and disappointment, failure and resentment, tenacious and all-consuming love, anxiety and transcendent hope. There is plenty here to stimulate discussion and encourage an appreciation of Filipino writing and culture. This anthology is a worthy successor to the first volume and has appeal to an audience beyond high school literature courses.—Roxanne Myers Spencer, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green

Source: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6727442.html?industryid=47067

YOUTUBE - Cecilia Brainard Reads at UCLA Extension's Publication Party, 6/9/10

Click HERE to watch a YouTube link of Cecilia Brainard doing a literary reading at UCLA Extension's Publication Party, June 9, 2010. The award-winning author and instructor at UCLA Extension reads from her story Vigan, which is part of the anthology, Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults (PALH 2010).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fruNH6dv-Q

Picture taken at Authors' Night, Philippine Expressions

This photo was taken at the Authors' Night of Philippine Expressions, Friday, April 23, 2010, held at the Salakot Sizzle & Grill, 2122 Beverly Blvd, LA. L-R: Rita Cacas, Juanita Tamayo Lott, Cecilia Brainard, Herminia Menez Coben, Carina Monica Montoya, Carlene Sobrino Bonnivier, Linda Nietes. These authors and more will be signing at the LA Times Festival of Books (Sat and Sun), Philippine Expressions Booth 427, Zone D.

The titles of the books launched at the Authors' Night:
Rita Cacas and Juanita Lott - Filipinos in Washington D.C.
Cecilia Brainard - Finding God: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters; Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults
Carina Monica Montoya - Let's Cook Adobo
Herminia Menez Coben - Verbal Arts in Philippine Indigenous Communities: Poetics, Society and History
Carlene Sobrino Bonnivier - Seeking Thirst: A Novel
Philippine Expressions carries these titles and more, call 310-514-9139

LISTED IN AMAZON.COM GROWING UP FILIPINO II: More Stories for Young Adults

Amazon.com now lists the hardcover of Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults, click on this site:

<http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Up-Filipino-II-Stories/dp/0971945829/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259619206&sr=1-2>

~~~~
DISTRIBUTED BY: Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, among others
PUBLISHED BY:
PALH
P. O. Box 5099
S.M., CA 90409
Tel/fax: 310-452-1195; email:palh@aol.com; palhbooks@gmail.com;http://www.palhbooks.com

BOOK DESCRIPTION: Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults is the second volume of the Growing Up Filipino series by PALH. In this collection of 27 short stories, Filipino and Filipino American writers explore the universal challenges and experiences of Filipino teens after the historic events of 9/11. The modern demands do not hinder Filipino youth from dealing with the universal concerns of growing up: family, friends, love, home, budding sexuality, leaving home. The delightful stories are written by well known as well as emerging writers. While the target audience of this fine anthology is young adults, the stories can be enjoyed by adult readers as well. There is a scarcity of Filipino American literature and this book is a welcome addition.
CONTRIBUTORS: Dean Francis Alfar, Katrina Ramos Atienza, Maria Victoria Beltran, M.G. Bertulfo, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Amalia B. Bueno, Max Gutierrez, Leslieann Hobayan, Jaime An Lim, Paulino Lim Jr., Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor, Dolores de Manuel, Rashaan Alexis Meneses, Veronica Montes, Charlson Ong, Marily Ysip Orosa, Kannika Claudine D. Peña, Oscar Peñaranda, Edgar Poma, Tony Robles, Brian Ascalon Roley, Jonathan Jimena Siason, Aileen Suzara, Geronimo G. Tagatac, Marianne Villanueva

BIO OF EDITOR: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the award-winning author and editor of over a dozen books, including the internationally-acclaimed novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, Magdalena and Acapulco at Sunset and Other Stories. She edited Growing Up Filipino: Stories for Young Adults, Fiction by Filipinos in America, and Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and co-edited four other books. Cecilia also wrote Fundamentals of Creative Writing (2009) for classroom use. She teaches at UCLA-Extension’s Writers Program.

Jack Pot Question #2 Philippine Literature Category

This is the second Jack Pot Question to literature buffs. Who is the man beside the younger Cecilia?



Hint: He wasn't a sinner.

Update Fund Raiser for Growing Up Filipino II - more

I feel gratified that more people have contacted me, wanting to support the publication of Growing Up Filipino II:

John and Elizabeth Allen, Carol Ojeda-Kimbrough, and Carolyn Williams contacted me last week. Here's the message from Carolyn Williams, Director of the Writers House in Rutgers University:

"I'm eager to help the publication of Growing Up Filipino II, but I've only just put my check in the mail. I hope it's not too late to include me!
Carolyn Williams
Director, Writers House
Rutgers University"

Special thanks to the following Sponsors whose support makes possible the publication of Growing Up Filipino: More Stories for Young Adults:

John and Elizabeth Allen
Christopher Brainard Law Offices – www.christopherbrainard.com
Emmanuel Gonzalez
Barbara Lim
In memory of Arcadio, Maria, Sylvestre, and Celerina
Carol Ojeda-Kimbrough
Marily Y. Orosa
Remy’s on Temple Art & Garden – www.remysontemple.com
Tony Robles – www.tony-robles.com
Studio 5
Carolyn Williams, Director, Writers House, Rutgers University - http://wh.rutgers.edu/

Upddates

Happy New Year, dear Readers! I'm off to the track today, but before I do so would like to give you some updates:

1. Re the Fund Raiser for Growing Up Filipino, John and Elizabeth Allen also made a donation. I feel gratified that just by emails these people have quickly responded to my call. Thanks to these people who believe in my work.

Sponsors' List for Growing Up Filipino II

John & Elizabeth Allen
Christopher Brainard Law Offices – www.christopherbrainard.com
Emmanuel Gonzalez
Barbara Lim
In memory of Arcadio, Maria, Sylvestre, and Celerina
Carol Ojeda-Kimbrough
Marily Y. Orosa - http://marilyo.multiply.com
Remy’s on Temple Art & Garden – www.remysontemple.com
Tony Robles – www.tony-robles.com
Studio 5

2. I must admit that that critical essay by Dr. Yu got me riled up and I updated my response/comments to her work, which can be found right before her critique (Dec. 31 blog entry). To balance out the dialogue about the novel, me, and my work, I posted a critical essay by noted critic Leonard Casper (Jan. 1 blog entry).

I wish to clarify that I am more interested in this dialogue than I'm annoyed, although I have to say that it left me breathless to read that someone would accuse me of "racist and fetishitic" writing, as well as exoticing and orientalising. These must be new buzz words, trendy accusations within the Asian American and/or Women's literature world. I'll read more on this. I'm curious to know if novelist Linda Ty Casper has received the same accusations.

All for now as I run off into this cold January morning to the race track. The question now is: Will I win? Or will I lose?

Stay tuned dear readers, stay tuned!

Update Fund Raiser for Growing Up Filipino II

As some of you know, I'm raising funds to help defray the cost of publishing the book, Growing Up Filipino II; donors will be acknowledged in the book. The first
Growing Up Filipino volume was quite successful and ended up in numerous
American libraries, and was also used by educators; there is also a Philippine
edition of the first volume. We plan a Philippine edition of the second volume
as well.

Thus far, the following have pledged $100 each:

John & Elizabeth Allen
Christopher Brainard Law Offices – www.christopherbrainard.com
Emmanuel Gonzalez
Barbara Lim
In memory of Arcadio, Maria, Sylvestre, and Celerina
Marily Y. Orosa - http://marilyo.multiply.com
Remy’s on Temple Art Gallery – www.remysontemple.com
Tony Robles – www.tony-robles.com
Studio 5

Thanks for considering and happy New Year,
Cecilia Brainard
~~~~~
In 2003, PALH or Philippine American Literary House published Growing Up
Filipino: Stories for Young Adults, a book that received favorable mainstream
reviews in the United States and is used by many educators.About Growing Up
Filipino, Booklist states:

"In this fine short-story collection, 29 Filipino American writers explore the
universal challenges of adolescence from the unique perspectives of teens in the
Philippines or the U.S…The stories are delightful!"

It was the success of the earlier volume, Growing Up Filipino, that prompted me
to collect for publication Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young
Adults. Of this collection, Professor Rocio G. Davis of the University of
Navarre says, "Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's second volume of Growing Up Filipino
expands and deepens the paradigms presented in the frist book…This new
collection retakes the first volume's constutive strategy and many of the themes
but, importantly, extends some of the concerns…"

The 27 contributors to this forthcoming second volume are: Amalia B. Bueno,
Leslieann Hobayan, Rashaan Alexis Meneses, Paulino Lim,Jr., Dean Francis Alfar,
Marianne Villanueva, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Jonathan Jimena Siason,
Charlson Ong, Brian Ascalan Roley, Veronica Montes, Edgar Poma, Tony Robles,
Oscar Peñaranda, Max Guttierez, Geronimo G. Tagatac, Kannika Claudine D. Peña, Aileen Suzara, Jaime L. An Lim, Elsa Orejudos Valmidiano,
Erwin Cabucos, Dolores De Manuel, Maria Victoria Beltran, M.G. Bertulfo, Rebecca
Mabanglo-Mayor, Katrina Ramos Atienza, and Marily Y. Orosa.

Unfortunately, the economic situation right now is particularly bad in publishing. I have therefore decided to seek financial assistance from sponsors whose names will be acknowledged in Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults, which is expected to be released in 2009.

Donations of $100 or more will help defray the publishing cost of this
anthology. Donors will be listed in a Sponsors List in the book.

For clarification, I mention that PALH is not a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization,
and unfortunately these donations are not tax-deductible. However, I assure
you, that every penny will be used in the publishing of this book.
As many of you know there is a scarcity of Filipino and Filipino American
books. I hope you can help publish this worthwhile book. You may send your
$100 or more, made out to PALH, to:

PALH
PO Box 5099
Santa Monica, CA 90409.
Since we are currently in production, I need the names for the Sponsors List by
January 6, and you may email me at palh@aol.com to give me the name/names. These
may be personal names or business names, even websites, which will be printed for
posterity in the book.

Thanking you,
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
Publisher and Editor of PALH (Philippine Am erican Literary House)
http://www.palhbooks.com
PALH
PO Box 5099
SM, CA 90409
Tel/fax: 310-452-1195
Email: Palh@aol.com