Date: 9 July 2011
US-based FilAm writer Cecilia Manguerra Brainard will be giving a rare and intimate ‘writeshop’ with literature teachers and students on the Fundamentals of Creative Writing on July 9, 10am at Powerbooks Greenbelt 4. A highlight of the session will be her presentation on the “dugtungan” novel --a new writing form used for ANGELICA’S DAUGHTERS, a newly released novel by Brainard and other accomplished Filipina writers Nadine Sar...real, Susan Evangelista and Erma Cuizon. Brainard is in town for the release of her latest fiction collection entitled ‘Vigan and other Stories”. Below are excerpts of a review of the book by writer Allen Gaborro:
In “Vigan and Other Stories”, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard sets in motion a sundry compendium of cultural and historical narratives that are vibrant, dynamic, fanciful, nostalgic, and melancholic. Leaping decades and continents, the narratives in what is her third collection of short stories are noted for their compelling characters and choice themes. “Vigan” brings home for Filipinos a past and present idea of their collective self-identity.
Arguably a Filipina version of Virginia Woolf or, perhaps just as accurately, Isabelle Allende, Brainard’s fictional publications are marked by a balance between the public and the private, the individual and the collective, and the local and the universal. Set around the intermingling and intertwining of all these designations, “Vigan”, like her other works, was conceived by the author above all as, according to Oscar Campomanes, “an investment in the cultural development of the ancestral homeland.”
Cobbling together an enthralling ensemble of characters, Brainard sews together a heartfelt and intimate tapestry of an anthology that comes upon the reader with an exceptional perception of the human condition, especially as it pertains to women and to Filipinos. Combined with Brainard’s supple and introspective prose, “Vigan” merits comparison with other wonderful and engaging Asian American short story anthologies.
Perfectly balancing her personal reminiscences and her poetic license, Brainard’s stories become a matter of the heart, the human emotions, and of the challenges that fate has in store for people. In her story “The Artist”, Brainard takes us back to the Philippines under Spanish colonial rule. Historical names and terms from this period like the Galleon Trade, Legazpi, Magellan, the Parian—or Chinese neighborhood of Manila—make cameo appearances in the story. But however brief these appearances are, they still give the plot of “The Artist” historical weight.
“Vigan” the story is a sort of reconstruction of the author’s previous stays in the city which is located in the northern province of Ilocos Sur. Situated on South China Sea. The city serves as the backdrop for her story about a young girl dealing with the death of her father and with the tragic experiences of her “bad luck” mother.
Seats to the writeshop are limited so reservations must be made promptly. For inquiries and reservations, please contact Anvil Publishing by email: anvilpublishing@yahoo.com.
Time: Saturday, July 9 · 10:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4
Contact Information:
For inquiries: anvilpublishing@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.anvilpublishing.com/
US-based FilAm writer Cecilia Manguerra Brainard will be giving a rare and intimate ‘writeshop’ with literature teachers and students on the Fundamentals of Creative Writing on July 9, 10am at Powerbooks Greenbelt 4. A highlight of the session will be her presentation on the “dugtungan” novel --a new writing form used for ANGELICA’S DAUGHTERS, a newly released novel by Brainard and other accomplished Filipina writers Nadine Sar...real, Susan Evangelista and Erma Cuizon. Brainard is in town for the release of her latest fiction collection entitled ‘Vigan and other Stories”. Below are excerpts of a review of the book by writer Allen Gaborro:
In “Vigan and Other Stories”, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard sets in motion a sundry compendium of cultural and historical narratives that are vibrant, dynamic, fanciful, nostalgic, and melancholic. Leaping decades and continents, the narratives in what is her third collection of short stories are noted for their compelling characters and choice themes. “Vigan” brings home for Filipinos a past and present idea of their collective self-identity.
Arguably a Filipina version of Virginia Woolf or, perhaps just as accurately, Isabelle Allende, Brainard’s fictional publications are marked by a balance between the public and the private, the individual and the collective, and the local and the universal. Set around the intermingling and intertwining of all these designations, “Vigan”, like her other works, was conceived by the author above all as, according to Oscar Campomanes, “an investment in the cultural development of the ancestral homeland.”
Cobbling together an enthralling ensemble of characters, Brainard sews together a heartfelt and intimate tapestry of an anthology that comes upon the reader with an exceptional perception of the human condition, especially as it pertains to women and to Filipinos. Combined with Brainard’s supple and introspective prose, “Vigan” merits comparison with other wonderful and engaging Asian American short story anthologies.
Perfectly balancing her personal reminiscences and her poetic license, Brainard’s stories become a matter of the heart, the human emotions, and of the challenges that fate has in store for people. In her story “The Artist”, Brainard takes us back to the Philippines under Spanish colonial rule. Historical names and terms from this period like the Galleon Trade, Legazpi, Magellan, the Parian—or Chinese neighborhood of Manila—make cameo appearances in the story. But however brief these appearances are, they still give the plot of “The Artist” historical weight.
“Vigan” the story is a sort of reconstruction of the author’s previous stays in the city which is located in the northern province of Ilocos Sur. Situated on South China Sea. The city serves as the backdrop for her story about a young girl dealing with the death of her father and with the tragic experiences of her “bad luck” mother.
Seats to the writeshop are limited so reservations must be made promptly. For inquiries and reservations, please contact Anvil Publishing by email: anvilpublishing@yahoo.com.
Time: Saturday, July 9 · 10:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4
Contact Information:
For inquiries: anvilpublishing@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.anvilpublishing.com/
