Interview: Oliver de la Paz in the Mankato Free Press

de la Paz has write stuff

By Regan Carstensen, Free Press Staff Writer
The Free Press
March 18, 2009 02:14 pm

An excerpt:

FP: What types of things give you the most inspiration for poetry? How frequently do life experiences influence your writing?

ODLP: I’m a believer in the maxim that books beget other books, so I read as many poetry collections as I have time for. In the past, much of my writing was very loosely biographical. Lately, though, I’ve been drawing much more from my past because I’ve been thinking about my recent fatherhood and the difficulties I had growing up in a small agricultural town where getting a new McDonald’s was big news. Now, the poems in the manuscript I’ve been constructing are almost directly drawn from my own life experiences. I suppose there was a part of me that was reluctant to give that much of myself away to the reader, but fatherhood, in some ways, changed the way I see my work. I’m writing for someone now and the best thing I can show my son is who I was.

Read the entire interview here.

Article: Alfred A. Yuson, "English, Our Beloved"

"English, Our Beloved," from Business Mirror

Written by PLANET ENGLISH / Alfredo A. Yuson
Monday, 16 March 2009 03:44

EILEEN TABIOS, an Ilocana immigrant who now tends a vineyard in Napa Valley when she’s not being an indefatigable poet, editor and publisher, authored a poetry collection a few years ago titled I Take Thee, English, For My Beloved.

The cover had her in a bridal gown embellished in that old-trad Pinoy fashion, with peso bills slipped into its folds by well-wishing wedding guests. We can easily imagine her having the first dance with a language not our own, but one that has long been made (and romanced) into our own.

As with all the so-called Fil-Am poets and writers, the favored weapon of combat in that highly competitive arena is English. These first- and second-generation writers who still trace their roots, themes, concerns and imagistic motifs back to the motherland are now legion, and increasingly successful, staking claims to authorship or pages in prestigious literary journals, contest prizes and fellowships at various workshops in the US and Europe.

Together with other expatriate Filipino writers (in London, Paris, Holland, South Africa, Australia and Singapore among the global turfs our countrymen inhabit), they provide a great good challenge for all homegrown and/or still home-based Pinoy poets and writers in English. They, too, are legion.

In the mid-1970s, when the language debate seemed to start favoring the native tongue by way of nationalist inclination, the well-humored alarum was raised by Tagalistas in Manila: The death knell was sounding for all those who still wrote in English.

Read the entire article here.

Poem: Joseph O. Legaspi, "At the Bridal Shop"

Joseph O. Legaspi's "At the Bridal Shop," has been chosen by former US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser for today's American Life in Poetry: Column 210. Read Joseph's poem here.

Poem: Vince Gotera, "Aswang"

Read the poem comprised of sonnets, "Aswang" at the blog of SF-bred, Iowa-based, Fil Am poet Vince Gotera, who has also included a great and generous write-up on his poem.

An excerpt:

The opening stanza is a kind of primer about aswang, the Filipino all-purpose monster: vampire, ghoul, shapeshifter. These different types of aswang have European cognates, but not the manananggal (mah-nah-nahng-GAHL) . . . there is no monster in European or American culture that does what she can do: split her body at the waist, entrails hanging like broken cables, unfurl leathery, pterodactyl-like wings, and sail through the night in search of prey.

Now of course all monsters have to have some weakness; otherwise, we humans would be long-extinct. A vampire can be killed with a wooden stake, the werewolf with a silver bullet, the zombie by a death-dealing blow to the head. With the manananggal — typically a woman — the vulnerability is that she must leave the bottom half of her body alone while she hunts. Spread a little salt or a little garlic on her nether regions and she cannot reconnect, reintegrate her body; when sunrise comes, she dies at sunlight's touch.

Read more here.

Interesting Website: Asian American Reviews

Hi folks! So here's somewhere to send your reviews of Asian American authored work: Asian American Reviews. Their mission statement:

Asian American Reviews aims to disseminate the reading of Asian American writers and the culture of Asian Americans through literature. We grew up with America's homogenized canon, not knowing that there is a world of Asian American writers writing about our experiences. We didn't know that they looked like us, ate the same foods as us, talked funny native tongue like us - and struggled with cultural ambivalence like us. Until now.

This is a space for them to share their stories, which are the stories of our lives. We read them and we tell you what we think. Simple and dynamic all at once, we explore Asian American literature for better or worse.

They have just reviewed Sarah Gambito's Delivered, here. An excerpt:

Sarah Gambito’s latest collection is cryptic, annoying and bitchy. She seems to be the quintessential girl all women wish they could be… honest, funny with details and metaphoric with relationships. Wait a minute…(!) are we already this? Then why does Gambito succeed in making this about her and not me? Her remarks about things so real alternate with her cryptic confessions about love, familial relationships and identity. This is the kind of permeation that Gambito is all about.

Interesting review. Any thoughts?

Reading: Ginseng and Other Tales from Manila by Marianne Villanueva

I’ve just finished reading Marianne Villanueva’s debut collection of short stories, Ginseng and Other Tales from Manila (Calyx Books, 1993). There. I’ve said it. I’ve just read this book 16 years too late, and I’ve read Villanueva’s second book, Mayor of the Roses (Miami University Press, 2005), prior to reading this one.

I am tempted to say that I enjoyed this book a bit more that her second, but that’s not exactly a fair thing to say, as the two books are rather different projects. I find I am more interested in Philippines-based stories than Filipino American, most likely because deep probing into Philippine-based lives as products of history is unfamiliar enough to me; whereas a healthy section of Mayor of the Roses is set in the USA, Ginseng, is set in the Philippines, in both Manila and the provinces or countryside, and these stories are set during the brutality of Martial Law. So the characters in these stories are surviving or succumbing to that period’s violence, suppression, disappearances, and economic ruin. Characters here are on the brink of making very difficult choices.

Think of the daughter Nina in “Opportunity”; she is the daughter of poor chicken farmers, and she is equipped with a college education. Her only sister has left them for her abusive husband. The first half of “Opportunity,” centers around Nina’s growing disconnect with her family and this terrible, terrible tension between her and her mother. Nina has had to decide whether to leave them to live and work elsewhere. This way, she reasons, she will be able to provide for her aging parents. Moreover, she has found a man, and he loves her. That’s where she’s going; to be with him. The turning point of the story is that elsewhere with her man: San Bruno, California, where this older American man lives. He is 60, many years older than she, a divorced father of three. He has found her via a mail order bride service.

read more…

Eth-Noh-Tec Salon! You’re ON! 03/28/09

Eth-Noh-Tec
March 28, 2009 at 7pm
Salon! You’re ON!
$5-$15 sliding scale

Salon Invitation

Featuring:

Eth-Noh-Tec: Asian American Kinetic Story Theater - moving myths with modern messages

Jim Murdoch: Singer/Songwriter: from juggling to jazz, from Flamenco to Appalachian styles...the muse pursues!

Jane DeCuir: First Nations Singer/ Songwriter: "I sing to bring down Heaven, making prayers, the magic of music"

Matthew Abaya: Filipino American film maker uses personal narratives with horror and sci-fi twists often borrowing from motifs found in Asian folklore.

Cello Joe & the Midnight Ramblers: Funky folk hippy hop earth conscious music.

Directors:
Nancy Wang
Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo
Where

Eth-Noh-Tec Studio
977 South Van Ness
San Francisco, CA 94110
between 2st & 20th Streets
close to 24th Street BART

FRESNO CITY COLLEGE welcomes RUBY VERIDIANO-CHING

From Lee Herrick:

FRESNO CITY COLLEGE welcomes
RUBY VERIDIANO-CHING
THURS, APRIL 16, 2009
11:00 – 11:50 a.m.
Main Theater

Ruby Veridiano-Ching is a poet, arts educator, VJ/television host, performing artist, and former touring (and sole female) member of the acclaimed spoken word collective iLL-Literacy. She has performed on MTV and in venues throughout the United States and Europe, worked with Jive Records in NYC, and she has been featured in numerous festivals, including Hip-Hop Theater Festival Bay Area and the National Asian American Theatre Festival of NYC. She graduated with a B.A. in Sociology of World Development and Communications from UC Davis and also completed studies at the Universita per Stranieri in Siena, Italy. Born in Manila and raised in Sacramento, she currently resides in Oakland, California.

Free & open to the public. Classes welcome. Ruby will sign copies of her book, Miss Universe, after the poetry performance. This event is sponsored by the Asian American Studies Department and the Humanities Division Foundation. For questions or advance seating arrangements, 559-442-4600, ext. 8105.

SF Weekly: The Passion of El Hulk Hogancito

Making History, By Hiya Swanhuyser:

Anne Lamott reports that Flannery O’Connor is the genius who said, “Anyone who survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life.” Maybe you’ve been wondering who said that; now you know. Maybe you’ve also been wondering whether some people have better material, inherently more worth telling than yours, and the answer is no, of course not, but also yes. Jason Magabo Perez’ story floors: In 1976, his mother and another recently immigrated Filipina nurse were convicted of poisoning 10 people in a veterans’ hospital in Ann Arbor. The prosecution had the help of one million FBI dollars and a witness for the prosecution who called the women “slant-eyed bitches.” The women later appealed, and were freed, but we couldn’t find where the FBI or anyone else had apologized to them. A staged reading of Perez’ new pop-cultural lecture, autobiographical play, and metahistory, The Passion of El Hulk Hogancito, is his first step toward publicly telling his tale. As horrifying, deeply American, kinda maybe David Lynch-meets-hip-hop narratives go, this one is a doozy. The evening also includes a monologue called Click, by Allan S. Manalo.

What is the future of Filipino American Literature?

Marianne Villanueva is asking a huge question today:

What is the future of Filipino American Literature?

I want to respond, and I want to do so substantially. I know that “the future” of Filipino American literature is something I and so many of us have been working at for many, many years now.

We can look at API organizations and publications such as Kundiman, Maganda, Kearny Street Workshop as their mission statements emphasize the creation of new work, the development of the emerging artist. By extension, let’s also include such organizations as VONA, and Poetry for the People, which foster writers of color. What’s important here is that there are organizations invested in mentoring emerging writers, focusing on artistic development. At least this is my interpretation of these organizations. I’m going to add PAWA into the mix, because the organization has typically included aspiring and emerging writers in the anthologies. Our future plans will include much more concrete programming directed at teaching and mentoring emerging writers. So there’s a vision of “future” here, in the role of the community based workshop in mentoring the emerging Filipino American writer, and in carving out venues for readings, performance, writing workshops, spaces such as Manilatown, AAWA (NY), KSW, partnerships with libraries and educational institutions.

OK, so I’ve just articulated that community based orgs are forward looking or future looking, though I haven’t articulated what that future is to be. The future of Filipino American Literature includes building up an extensive bibliography. That is, many, many more titles authored by Filipino Americans. I envision a multidisciplinary literature embodying a diversity of aesthetics, a diversity of subject matter, and diverse handling of subject matter. I want there to be many geographic centers and originary points. There will be no one singular mold in which to fit it.

[Read more here.]

Online Writing Workshop Starts Soon

From Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor:

Greetings!

About two weeks ago, I gave a writing workshop at Washington State University which incorporated concepts associated with babaylan themes and concepts. I've had interest in extending this workshop to an online environment and thought I would open up the workshop to the greater community.

The workshop begins April 1st and will run initially for six weeks. It's open to all levels of writers and all genres of writing. I see myself as a facilitator rather than an instructor and I'll be working with the participants to create a safe, energetic, and supportive environment where writers can be in community with each other.

Here's the description:

Tao Po! Sharing Ourselves, Changing the World

Our lives are stories made of stories: ancestor stories, environment stories, relationship stories, role stories. Many of these stories are given to us without our awareness, while others are built from our experiences.

Using the babaylan concepts of kapwa, loob, and Tao Po! this workshop will focus on creatively expressing our stories throught the written word to help us find and create meaning in our experiences. We will reflect on small and big events, tease out the stories that have been given to us, and share our writing with each other. Our stories exist in the details of our lives and sharing requires a belief that our stories matter to not just ourselves but to others.

By writing down and sharing our experiences, we pass on the gift of our lives to others. Even if we are not physically with the reader, our writing can provide a new perspective and new information they would not otherwise know. Bringing our experiences to the page, even if they are cloaked with metaphors or changed slightly to protect the innocent and the guilty, a kernel of truth can be revealed. Isolation divides, but community can heal if approached with honesty and integrity. That's the beauty and wonder of writing.

Each of us has a story to tell; that's what makes each of us storytellers.
If you are a storyteller, you can write.
If you can write, you can change the world.

Email me at oakstone3 at yahoo dot com for more details or to find out how to sign up.

Mabuhay!

Bec

Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor received her BA in Humanities from Washington State University in 1998 and her MA degree in English with honors from Western Washington University in 2003 for her thesis "Notes from the Margins," a mixed work of memoir and fiction. Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in the Byline Magazine, Katipunan Literary Magazine and the online magazine Haruah. In Spring 2008, her piece "Becoming a Woman of Color" was the First Place Winner in the Writing it Real Personal Essay Contest hosted by Sheila Bender. Her short story "Yellow is for Luck" is forthcoming in Growing Up Filipino II, edited by Cecilia Brainard, an anthology for young adults. Currently, she is a Senior Editor at SPIE, a non-profit scientific publisher. She performs regularly as a storyteller, and her blog Binding Wor(l)ds Together can be found at wordbinder.blogspot.com.

NVM Gonzalez Writers' Workshop: July 3-5, 2009 at UCSB

http://www.nvmgonzalez.org/writersworkshop/index.html

N.V.M. Gonzalez Writers' Workshop: July 3-5, 2009

UC Santa Barbara Campus

Applications still open.

Sponsored by:

UC Santa Barbara, UCSB EOP Asian Resource Center, NVM Inc., Asian Journal

About the Workshop

July 3-5, 2009 UCSB campus (location TBA). The NVM Gonzalez Writers' workshop in the United States aims to provide the venue for persons to practice and master the tools of literary presence. It addresses in particular the growing presence of Filipino-American writers in the American landscape. It hopes to provide ample and secure scaffolding to those who aspire to claim their "clearings" and invent and imagine new worlds to inhabit and make their presence felt.

The Workshop addresses and hopes to attract young, aspiring and even well-published writers willing to mentor others from the Filipino-American community, as well as the Asian -American community, although Filipinos living elsewhere are encouraged to join.

It hopes to foster greater and deeper appreciation of the works of present and past Philippine and Filipino-American literature, recognizing these works as expressive productions of a society and culture that is still in the process of defining its presence in the United States and in the world.

As a tool for capturing the expressions of life in the now diasporic world of the Filipino, good writing becomes essential to articulate, to explore, and to share these new worlds and vocabularies that many Filipinos now inhabit, from Hong Kong, the Middle East, Western Europe and the United States. " There is not a place in the world, including Antarctica where a Filipino cannot be found." It will be through literature that these global ties can be bound.

How to apply: http://www.nvmgonzalez.org/writersworkshop/apply.html

Marianne Villanueva Teaching UCLA Extension Online Class

Marianne Villanueva will be teaching an online UCLA Extension Writing Class, The Essential Beginnings: An Introductory Creative Writing Workshop in Fiction: This is a 5-week introductory Creative Writing class, so its purpose is to generate raw material. This is a class for people who've been pondering taking creative writing classes, but who for whatever reason have been hesitating to get their feet wet. There are weekly writing assignments, and opportunities for the class to comment on each other's work.

Class begins April 1. Program rep is Corey Campbell. Her contact info:

(310) 825-0107 / ccampbel@uclaextension.edu

Visit the UCLA Extension Writers' Program website for more information here. Also teaching with UCLA Extension are Noel Alumit and Cecilia Manguerra Brainard.

Bindlestiff Studio: Upcoming!

Bindlestiff Studio Staged Reading Series
Jeannie Barroga’s BUFFALO’ED
Sat. March 28 at 2pm
Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Ave. @ Arguello, Presidio SF

Bindlestiff Studio in collaboration with the Asian American Theater Company, and the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre will be presenting staged readings of Jeannie Barroga’s BUFFALO’ED, a full-length play about the African-American soldiers sent to fight during the Philippine-American War of 1899. The reading is co-sponsored by the Presidio Trust Public Programs.
Admission is FREE

Also on the same day ....DON'T MISS...

Bindlestiff Studio's Dennis Rodis in a solo performance of CLICK written by A.Samson Manalo as part of the show "The Passion of El Hulk Hogancito" by Jason Magabo Perez presented by Kularts on Saturday, March 28th thru April 5th at 8pm @the Bayanihan Cultural Center, 1010 Mission St. near 6th St. San Francisco. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/56330

GOOD FRIDAY: CARPOOL TO HELL directed by Judith Ferrer
Apr. 9 - 11 at 8pm
@The Thick House Theatre, 1695 18th St. Potrero Hill SF

After a long wait, Bindlestiff's very popular sketch comedy show MIDNIGHT MASS finally comes out of hiding an has morphed in it's latest incarnation - GOOD FRIDAY: CARPOOL TO HELL. Originally started as the famous Bindlestiff Rodeo sketch shows of the early 90s, this often irreverent and at times sacrilegious hit-and-run sketch show has caused a stir with audiences of many faith. Resurrect your comedy bones and watch as Bindlestiff players get crucified..it'll be tastier than a marshmallow duck.

Ticket Information: $10 - $15 Sliding Scale
Buy tickets at Brown Paper Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/59328
Info and reservations call 415.255.0440 or email: jesus@...

STANDUP STIFFES 3:The ALTERED Edition
Sat, April 18th 8pm
@ SECRET LOCATION – at 8pm follow the rabbit from 7th & Howard St.

Follow the mysterious rabbit as it leads you to a secret location to witness the strangest standup comedy show ever. It’s another edition of STANDUP STIFFIES, this time it will be a mind-ALTERING experience. Featuring: MARC ABRIGO, MANNY CABREARA, JAMES LANTAYAO, DENNIS RODIS, ROB TRINIDAD, and very SPECIAL GUEST! Remember, if it's standing up, it's gotta be a stiffie!

Tickets: $10 - 12 sliding scale donation

the SOLO SHOW (working title)
Apr. 23 – May 2 at 8pm (Sat. 2pm mat)
@The Thick House Theatre, 1695 18th St. Potrero Hill SF

The latest works & solo performances by SAM CHANSE & NICOLE MAXALI with special guest. More details to follow so mark your calendars!

Bindlestiff Studio Staged Reading Series
Peter Bacho's DANCER
directed by Kevin Correa
Sun. May 3rd at 2pm
@The Thick House Theatre, 1695 18th St. Potrero Hill SF

Filipino American writer Peter Bacho, author of the celebrated novel CEBU unveils his latest screenplay DANCER based on a short story in his collection DARK BLUE SUIT. This staged reading will be directed by Bindlestiff Studio's Kevin Correa.

Reminder: FAA's First Ever Pinay Jazz Concert

FAA will host the First Ever Pinay Jazz Concert on Thursday, Apr. 16th at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Performances by Josie Canion, Prelude, Ann Marie Santos Andres, Raquel Berlind, Angel Ventura and accompanied by the Art Khu Trio.

In the spirit of recognizing accomplished women, we will honor Tessie Guillermo for her outstanding leadership and contributions not only to the Filipino community, but also for communities of color nationally. She has been an advocate for reducing the digital divide in her role as CEO of ZeroDivide, an expert in the field of health policy development as former CEO of APIA Health Forum, and as a co-founder of The President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is tireless in her efforts to promote the empowerment of the Asian Pacific Islander community. Like our performers, Ms. Guillermo is an inspiration and role model for aspiring leaders among Filipinas in particular. ABS-CBN and Balitang Amerika reporter Henni Espinosa will emcee the benefit event.

Go to the Filipinos for Affirmative Action website for more information.

Please Help: The 6th Annual Kundiman Asian American Poetry Retreat

From Sarah Gambito of Kundiman:

As you (may) know, Kundiman is playing an important role in the literary world of the U.S. By initiating a summer retreat for Asian American poets five years ago, it has opened doors of opportunity that were previously closed to young poets of the Asian diaspora. Through intensive workshops with renowned poets and the enthusiastic support from staff and peers, the amount and excellence of their output is phenomenal.

Kundiman Fellows have published poems in The Virginia Quarterly Review, The Colorado Review, Pleiades, Black Warrior Review and Crab Orchard Review. They are attending MFA and doctoral programs at The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, New York University, Stanford University, The University of Houston, and The University of California, Berkeley. Three Kundiman fellows have gone on to publish full-length collections of poetry.

What you may not know is how important this program has been in the development of lives of the poets themselves. I’d like to share quotes from just two of the Fellows and I invite you to read the testimonies of others on our website www.kundiman.org. Also, please see Janine Oshiro’s essay on her experience at the Kundiman retreat here: http://www.oregonhum.org/i-spy.php

Months after this year’s Kundiman retreat, I am still left wondering whether the most intensely beautiful experience, short of falling in love, was an accidental happenstance of a meeting of more than 20 poet-minds at various stages of our writing development; or the intricate design of the driven and artful, purposeful and generous, tactical and loving staff, guest faculty and board of Kundiman. The camaraderie, peer review, professional insight and instruction, mutual support, lack of sleep and utter kindness and friendship fired up the most remote synapses of my brain and my deepest heartstrings. But why qualify the impact of Kundiman? I did fall in love—with my fellow poets, their exquisite analyses of my work and each of their unique poetic voices. I’m both humbled and proud to be a small part of this growing family of writers who even today, are shaping the poetry of tomorrow.

--Debbie Yee

As soon as I arrived, I was greeted so warmly as if I was among old friends! I felt at home among complete strangers. Here was a group of dynamic people who shared both my struggles—being a writer of color in America—and my passions: a deep devotion to the art of poetry. I've always heard, read, and spoken about the importance of community in any artistic endeavor. The poet's road can be a lonely one; the drifting heart needs its anchors. But I never realized how empowering a community of artists could be until I spent four days at UVA with the Kundiman staff, teachers, and fellows. I found there what I failed to in any other poetry workshop I've taken: a deep respect and honor among poets; a desire to talk about race, identity, and history, in conjunction with one's composition process; and a willingness to be brave.

--Brynn Saito

We are turning to you to ask for your help in insuring that the 6th Kundiman Summer Retreat can take place, to replace funds that we received in the past but that are not available this year because of budget cuts. The $4,000 we need will go toward direct costs of the retreat—faculty and staff travel and faculty honoraria. Again this year, Kundiman staff members will donate their time to coordinate and administer all the stages required to carry out the five day session. What we ask, we ask for the program itself and for the brave and gifted poets it serves.

Poet by poet, Kundiman is helping to change the face of American literature and what it means to document an important part of the American story. We need the certain light of poetry all the more in these uncertain times. With your help, we will continue to light the way for the next generation of Asian American writers.

Please click here to donate:
http://www.kundiman.org/%5BCLB%5D_Brightside/1.Source/donate.html

Please, also, do forward this widely.

The Passion of El Hulk Hogancito

From Jason Magabo Perez:

Kularts presents...

THE PASSION OF EL HULK HOGANCITO

Jason Magabo Perez, in a poignantly humorous performance reading of his novel-in-progress, pays homage to childhood heroes and illuminates the 1970s criminal conviction of 2 Filipina nurses (one being his mother) as deeply traumatic and always political.

March 28 at 8:00PM, March 29 at 6:00PM
April 4 at 8:00PM, April 5 at 6:00PM

BAYANIHAN COMMUNITY CENTER
1010 Mission Street (at 6th)
San Francisco, CA 94103

Tickets: $13 in advance; $15-$20 sliding scale at the door
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/56330
www.kularts.org

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jason Magabo Perez, writer and performer, received his MFA in Writing & Consciousness from the New College of California. His short fiction has been selected as a Finalist for Narrative Magazine’s 30 Below Story Contest and Fiction Contest, and is forthcoming in Witness: Issue XXIII. A VONA Voices Summer Writing Workshop alumnus and a featured artist for the New Americans Museum and the AjA Project, he also has been invited to perform at the La Jolla Playhouse. Currently, he is writing a novel and teaches for the Ethnic Studies Program at the University of San Diego.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

In June of 1976, two recently-immigrated Filipina nurses, Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez (the author’s mother), were accused of murdering ten patients at the Ann Arbor Veteran's Administration Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After an extensive trial guided by racist accusations, and manipulated by the FBI, the two nurses, referred to as slant-eyed bitches during the process, were convicted on three counts of poisoning. Eventually, at the appeal of the defense and based on the FBI’s gross misconduct, the decision was overturned and the nurses were freed. U.S. v. Narciso-Perez serves as a critical point in the history of America, demonstrating that post-1965 immigrants, professionals full of hope and wonder for the land of milk & honey, continue to dream in the face of American racism.

Hyphen magazine blog: Profile on Sugar Pie DeSanto

From Claire Light, at the Hyphen magazine blog:

Women's History Month Profile: Sugar Pie DeSanto

Born Umpeylia Marsema Balinton in Brooklyn in 1935, to an African American mother and a Filipino American father, DeSanto grew up with her cousin Etta James in San Francisco's Fillmore district. Her mother, a classical pianist, taught DeSanto and her 10 siblings to sing.

She was discovered at the age of 19 at a talent show in the Fillmore by Johnny Otis. It was he and another man, DJ Don Barksdale, who gave her her stage name -- typical at the time. (Makes Tina Turner's trading her half of her common property with Ike for exclusive use of her name make a lot more sense: the man gives you the name ... but you earn it.)

Read the entire blog post here.

Fil-Am drama critic wins Nathan Award

From abs-cbnNEWS.com:

Filipino American Randy Gener made history after being the first Asian American writer to be awarded the coveted George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.

This is the highest award for dramatic criticism in the US and one of the most distinguished awards in American theatre.

Gener, senior editor for “American Theater Magazine,” told ABS-CBN News, “For me as a writer, I’ve been writing out of obscurity, nobody writes criticism with the expectation that you get something out of it. So to have some recognition is the best thing about it.”

He was declared as “the American who has written the best piece of drama criticism during the theatrical year (July 1 to June 30), whether it is an article, an essay, treatise or book,” Playbill.com reported.

Meanwhile, according to BroadwayWorld.com, the Nathan Awards Committee cited Gener for using “that venue [America Theatre Magazine] and others to draw our attention to largely ignored voices and visions on the international theatrical scene, to the work of Filipino-American playwright Jessica Hagedorn, to a small but lively Tennessee Williams Festival in Provincetown, and to the future of theatrical criticism itself in essays that wed critical intelligence with a beat reporter's love of the telling and unruly fact.”

Read the entire article here.

Related article at Asianjournal.com.

Jenifer K. Wofford: Villanueva Vignettes @ SFMOMA Artist Gallery

From Jenifer K. Wofford:

I’m showing the production drawings, as well as some new prints, from my recent Market Street public art posters. The show is called “The Villanueva Vignettes”, after Flor Villanueva, the name of the fictional Filipina nurse in the posters, as well as the name of the very real, fabulous Filipina who posed for my reference images, Nicole (Maxali) Villanueva.

The Villanueva Vignettes opens at the SFMOMA Artist Gallery, in the upstairs Loft space, this Thursday the 19th! Hope to see you fine people there! (Please note: the gallery is at Fort Mason, NOT downtown by the museum.)

http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/artists_gallery_exhibitions
http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/artists_gallery

The Villanueva Vignettes
March 19 - April 24, 2009
Opening reception: March 19, 5:30-7:30 pm

SFMOMA Artist Gallery Loft
SFMOMA Artists Gallery at Fort Mason
Building A, Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA 94123 USA
415.441.4777

Book Event at Easwind Books of Berkeley: Benito Vergara, Pinoy Capital

April 4th, Saturday at 3:30pm: Pinoy Capital: The Filipino Nation in Daly City Author event with Benito M. Vergara, Jr. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Avenue, Berkeley.

Home to 33,000 Filipino American residents, Daly City, California, has been dubbed “the Pinoy Capital of the United States.” In this fascinating ethnographic study of the lives of Daly City residents, Benito Vergara Jr. shows how Daly City has become a magnet for the growing Filipino American community. In Pinoy Capital: The Filipino Nation in Daly City, Vergara challenges the rooted notions of colonialism. Using the lens of transnationalism, he looks at the “double lives” of both recent and established Filipino Americans.

Vergara probes into the complicated, ambivalent feelings these immigrants have ­toward the Philippines and the United States ­and the conflicting obligations they have presented by belonging to a thriving community and yet possessing nostalgia for the homeland and people they left behind.

About the author: Benito M. Vergara, Jr. is also the author of Displaying Filipinos: Photography and Colonialism in Early 20th-Century Philippines. Vergara was also an assistant professor in Asian American Studies department at San Francisco State University. He lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Publishers Weekly: Review of Sarah Gambito's Delivered

Delivered Sarah Gambito. Persea (Norton, dist.), $14 (80p) ISBN
978-0-89255-346-4

I play on my america xylophone/ and the kids drop peach hat by aching peach hat,” says Gambito midway through one of the giddy, fragment-filled, enthusiastic, sometimes flirtatious odes and self-portraits of this second collection, attendant simultaneously to Gambito's Filipino-American heritage and the outlook of 21st-century youth. “I am the new bathing suit that I am,” she declares in “Immigration,” one of a few poems by that name: this one takes an epigraph from the Egyptian Book of the Dead and an interlinear exclamation from the Filipino language Tagalog. Gambito (Matadora) evokes a carnival of multiethnic references, intuitive leaps and fiery existential queries: “I like God alright but I don't understand anything he's talking about.” She might be likened to such other cosmopolitan poets as Matthea Harvey or Mark Bibbins: Gambito also excels in one-line stanzas, in long knockout titles (“A Borderless Ethos Would Please Everyone”) and in dreamy one-paragraph prose poems. Yet if such forms make her seem solitary or disconnected, her topics make her memories, and her loyalties, multiply clear: “You were born here. I was born there.”

-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Purchase your copy of Delivered at Amazon here.

National Asian American Theater Festival: Hanalei Ramos, Guns & Tampons: A History of Violence Against Women I Know (NY)

Guns & Tampons: A History of Violence Against Women I Know
Hanalei Ramos

This show will be presented on a shared bill with Living Memory/Living Absence by Anida Yoeu.

Dates: June 16 at 8:00 and June 17 at 3:00 and 8:00
Venue: Abingdon Theatre
Click here to purchase tickets

Hear an interview with Hanalei on a recent NYTheatreCast. (Hanalei is the second interview)

Guns and Tampons: A History of Violence Against Women I Know is the new work written and performed by Hanalei Ramos. In her first multi-media solo show, Hanalei has staged a series of performance pieces based on the experiences of several women who consider themselves victims and survivors of abusive relationships with family, lovers, and friends. By staging portraits of some of the most intimate moments of any woman’s life, Guns and Tampons challenges our assigned definitions of womanhood and violence and how it is warped by cultural expectations, societal conditioning, and the more subtle forms of violation experienced by women.

The work features a myriad of characters assembled across generations and circumstance. Guns and Tampons touches on the found stories of a high school senior’s found diary entries, the lost interviews of an undocumented college student, a couple caught in the cyclical dance of violence, the language of assault, and the many people who are yearning to understand how they function while maneuvering through love. Guns and Tampons questions what it means to be a survivor and victim of violence, and exposes their muddled boundaries. However, the work serves as a hopeful narrative threaded by themes of shared isolation, patterns of love, and the chances we take toward the secret hope of self-understanding. Ultimately, the patchwork testimony of several individuals transforms itself as the story of all women, and becomes a compelling glimpse into a world of survival and strength. Guns and Tampons was produced by Gayle Isa and directed by Gary San Angel. The show was created through the generous support of the Asian Arts Initiative.

More information here.

Baybayin Interview

From Christian Cabuay's Baybayin.com:

Even those in the Philippines don’t really know much about it, said Christian Cabuay, a Walnut Creek resident who runs the Web site www.baybayin.com. He attended high school in the United States and college in the Philippines.

But thanks to the Internet, both Cabuay and Balza, who runs the Web site www.suku-art.com, said they are seeing an explosion of interest in Baybayin.

The interest is particularly sharp among Filipino-Americans like Balza and Cabuay, they said.

“We’re out here trying to find identity,” Cabuay said as immigrants and children of immigrants try to reconcile their old heritage with an American one.

The popularity is especially felt among the tattooing community, said Cabuay, who sports a few Baybayin tattoos and offers tattoo designs at www.PinoyTattoos.com.

Book Review: Philippine Sex and American Death: Joël Tan's Type O Negative

Reviewed by Claire Light at the KQED Arts blog:

It's a trope of the last Empowerment Century that personal trauma makes for great art. That false understanding has led to the development of effective art therapies, some really bad art, and even more really bad poetry. (Most of all, it has led to the establishment of a new performance discipline -- one-woman shows -- but that's another story.)

Yes, when trauma poetry's bad, it's horrid. But when it's good, it's very very good: a transformation of personal compulsion towards pain into a shared compulsion towards the sublime. That's been poet and cultural worker Joël Barraquiel Tan's project throughout his career. His second book, the incandescent Type O Negative, throws away as much of the chat and meter and matter of poetry as the poet can get away with, digging toward the vein of fire that, whatever its source, animates both poetry and memory. Tan finds it more often than not.

Read the entire review here.

Filipino Language Conference in SF

Council for Teaching Filipino Language and Culture (CTFLC) Presents A One Day Conference

On Becoming a Filipino Language Teacher in the USA: How Can It Be Done?

Saturday, April 25, 2009
9:00 A.M. – 2:30 P.M. Rooms 216-217- 218, Alliant International University, One Beach Street, San Francisco, CA 94133 (in front of Fisherman’s wharf)

With more than two million Filipinos in the United States, there is a growing and urgent need for Filipino language classes. Consequently, there is the need for teachers credentialed in teaching Filipino language. This conference, a follow up of last year’s conference, aims to serve as a guide for:

• CSET test takers,
• substitute and classified teachers,
• participants of last year’s conference, and
• interested individuals

on how to become Filipino Language teachers in California.

Registration fee is $20.00. This includes materials and lunch. Please make the check payable to CTFLC and mail your check with your name, postal address, telephone number and e-mail address to:

Carole I. Caparros
12523 Cypress Woods Ct.
San Diego, CA 92131
E-mail: ccaparros@alliant.edu
Phone No. 858-864-4057

Please confirm your attendance no later than April 1, 2009.

This event is sponsored by the Language Acquisition Research Center (LARC), San Diego State University and Graduate School of Education, (GSOE) Alliant International University.

Film: Excuse My Gangsta Ways at the I-Hotel

Hey folks,

Manilatown Heritage Foundation invites you to check out a co-presentation to

Excuse My Gangsta Ways

Locus @ Kearny Street Workshop and Manilatown Heritage Foundation presents Excuse My Gangsta Ways, a look into gangs and violence in the API community.

A community screening of 'Excuse My Gangsta Ways' and 'Perceptions: A Question of Justice' will be followed with a discussion on gang violence in the API community from filmmaker Corinne Manabat, Chol Soo Lee, Asian Law Caucus attorney Angela Chan and United Playaz leaders J.D Tupuola and German Yambao.

Friday, March 20th
7pm @ The I-Hotel
868 Kearny Street (@ Jackson St.)
Admission: $5

Films:

'Excuse My Gangsta Ways' is a visual poetic documentary portrait on Davina Wan, a Chinese American woman, who was a former gang member from the 1990s Lower East Side. With interviews from her grandmother and godfather, we will take a look at the person she was and the person she has become, where fate and inspiration endure.

'Perceptions: A Question of Justice,' produced by Sandra Gin Yep and Tom Nakashima, is an Emmy award winning piece that documented the experience of the Chol Soo Lee case from the crime, the charges, to ultimately the overturn of his case and his release. This short piece highlight interviews with Chol Soo Lee himself in 1982, as well as the investigative reporter who first noticed his case, Mr. KW Lee.

Speakers:
Corinne Manabat, a native New Yorker from the forgotten borough of Staten Island, is a freelance documentary filmmaker by day and lyricist by night. Her vision is to use documentary media to tell the stories of people who are on the periphery of mainstream media, specifically Filipino and Asian-Pacific-Islander-Americans (APIAs). Visually poetic, her first documentary short, “Excuse My Gangsta Ways" (2008), about an Asian American women who was a former gang member in the 1990s, Lower East Side, NYC. It has received distribution from Third World Newsreel, and has been screened in 2009 at MoMA's Documentary Fortnight in February, and at San Francisco Int'l Asian American Film Festival in March. She is currently in the research & development phase for an experimental video project about her grandfather, a former labor union organizer in the Philippines and WWII veteran and is in post production for a documentary short, "Lupita" (working title) about a NYC street performer who dances with mannequins.

Chol Soo Lee was wrongly convicted in 1973 for the murder of a Chinatown gang advisor. He spent nearly ten years in prison, and was sentenced to the death penalty for the killing of a white supremacist while defending himself in a prison yard altercation. He was freed due to the hard work of KW Lee and the Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee, in what is considered one of the the earliest pan-Asian American movements. He is a talented writer and speaker, using his experience to inspire future generations to incite change.

Angela F. Chan is a staff attorney in the Juvenile Justice and Education Project at Asian Law Caucus. She represents immigrant families with youth caught in the juvenile justice system and youth who are harassed or discriminated in the education system based on race, ethnicity and other protected categories. Angela also provides know your rights education on youth rights with the police, the juvenile justice system, and bullying and harassment in schools to youth, immigrant parents, and community advocates. Her work at Asian Law Caucus began in 2006 with a Soros Justice Fellowship from the Open Society Institute and an Irving Kaufman Fellowship from Harvard Law School. She was awarded a Monarch Award by the Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition in 2008 for her work assisting immigrant families in the juvenile system.

J.D. Tupuola has worked with UP as a youth leader since his release from California Youth Authority in 2006.

German Yambao is a case manager with United Playaz. He got involved with UP while he was in the San Quentin penitentiary. His goal for the youth is be productive and know the importance of education in order to understand how the system treats people of color, and how they can beat it.

United Playaz has committed more than 13 years to improving San Francisco communities through the delivery of leadership training and alternative activities for youth surviving in distressed environments and who are either at-risk of engagement in criminal activities or have been involved in the juvenile justice system. United Playaz believes that by providing youth with valuable tools, leadership skills, and opportunities for safe interaction and community civic engagement, they will become leaders and advocates for change within themselves, their families, and their communities. Visit www.unitedplayaz.org to find out more about United Playaz and how you can support.

Eth-Noh-Tec: Summer Story Institute 2009

Get Ready

June 12-14, 2009
The Creative Process

Utilizing their unique blend of kinetic storytelling techniques, Eth-Noh-Tec co-directors Nancy Wang, a licensed clinical social worker and dancer / choreographer, and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, multi-instrumental musician and multi-media artist, will evoke the next step in your creative process and growth. This 3-day workshop will empower your ability to trust your creativity and your ability to weave body, hands, eyes, and voice into a more expressive and visual persona.

More details coming soon!

Questions? contact@ethnohtec.org

Eth-Noh-Tec
977 So. Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 282-8705

Directors:
Nancy Wang
Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo

www.ethnohtec.org

Scenes from Field of Mirrors at the UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library

In Celebration of the Ethnic Studies Department’s 40th Anniversary:
The Ethnic Studies Library presents a Book Talk & Signing
FIELD OF MIRRORS
Featuring the following authors
• Tony Robles
• Barbara Jane Reyes
• Benjamin Pimentel
• Janet Stickmon
• Oscar Peñaranda
• Evangeline Canonizado Buell
• Anthem Salgado
• Edwin A. Lozada

YouTube Videos from Field of Mirrors at the Ethnic Studies Library


Flickr Photoset from Field of Mirrors at the Ethnic Studies Library

MEN READING WOMEN'S WRITINGS: A Literary Luncheon to celebrate Women's History Month

PHILIPPINE EXPRESSIONS BOOKSHOP

cordially invites you to

MEN READING WOMEN'S WRITINGS: A Literary Luncheon to celebrate Women's History Month

Dr. Leny Mendoza Strobel, Guest Speaker


Saturday, March 28, 2009
ll:00am - 4:00pm

Breakwater Room, Ports of Call Restaurant
Berth 78, San Pedro, CA 90731
Tel (310) 833-3553
http://www.portsocalldining.com/

Luncheon ticket - $35.00
Call (310) 514-9139. <linda_nietes@sbcglobal.net>
Seats are limited and early reservation is encouraged.
Full details of the program will be sent upon
receipt of paid reservation.

Event is also open to men. Books of Filipina authors will be available during the event.

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BACKGROUND:

PINAY GATHERING celebrates Women's History Month, focusing on International Women's Day (IWD). This is the fourth year that our Bookshop had organized this event, and this year, we celebrate women's partnership with men in combatting violence towards women. This is in line with the 2009 theme of the United Nations:

WOMEN AND MEN UNITED TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS.

MEN READING WOMEN'S WRITINGS is a literary first. We have invited five men from other cultures, who are married to Filipinas, to read literary works of Filipina authors to better appreciate and understand contemporary problems that some women have to face.

Dr. Leny Mendoza Strobel, Guest Speaker and Resource Person is Associate Professor of American Multicultural Studies at Sonoma State University. She is the author of "Coming Full Circle: The Process of Decolonization among Post-1965 Filipino Americans" (2000) and "A Book of Her Own: Words and Images to Honor the Babaylan"(2005). Her new book on the Filipina Babaylan tradition will be released late this year. She also serves as a cultural and community advocate.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY (IWD):

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the UN began celebrating 8 March as International Women's Day and in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. Why dedicate a day exclusively to the celebration of the world's women? In adopting its resolution on the observance of Women's Day, the General Assembly cited two reasons: (1) to recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women (2) to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security.

And March 8th every year has been designated as International Women's Day in the United States.
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To celebrate the 25th anniversary of our Bookshop, we are pleased to present this event to the Fil Am Community of Los Angeles as one of our Silver Jubilee offerings. Thank you for your continued support of our Bookshop's programs. Maraming Salamat at Mabuhay !

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PLEASE FEEL TO FORWARD THIS INVITATION TO ALL WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED.


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Philippine Expressions Bookshop
The Mail Order Bookshop dedicated to
Filipino Americans in search of their roots.

2114 Trudie Drive
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275-2006, USA
Tel (310) 514-9139 FAX (310) 514-3485

Filipino American Library: BOOK LAUNCH OF LOS ANGELES'S HISTORIC FILIPINOTOWN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2009

CONTACT:
Jonathan Lorenzo
Filipino American Library (FAL)
Tel: 213-382-0488
Email: filamlibrary@sbcglobal.net

BOOK LAUNCH OF LOS ANGELES'S HISTORIC FILIPINOTOWN

LOS ANGELES (March 2009) – Carina Monica Montoya commemorates one of the most distinctive Asian/Pacific cultural legacies in the city through her new book Los Angeles's Historic Filipinotown. The Filipino American Library (FAL), in partnership with the Historic Filipinotown Neighborhood Council, will present its Book Launch on Saturday, April 4 at 2:00pm at Lake Street Park (227 N. Lake St., Los Angeles 90026). Please RSVP for this free event by contacting filamlibrary@sbcglobal.net or 213-382-0488. FAL is also accepting advance orders for the book ($20/each plus shipping & handling).

The City Council of Los Angeles officially designated Historic Filipinotown on August 2, 2002. It is the first Filipino community in the United States to merit a named area with distinct geographic boundaries. Historic Filipinotown was once home to one of the largest Filipino enclaves in California, a place where many Filipinos purchased their first homes, raised families, and established businesses. The cultural continuity of the area's Filipino families and businesses inspired the collective efforts of Filipino organizations, Los Angeles community leaders, and individuals to establish Historic Filipinotown and maintain its vibrant culture.

In FAL Book Launches, authors introduce their Filipino works of literature with residents of Greater Los Angeles. Ms. Montoya will sign copies of Los Angeles's Historic Filipinotown, which will be on sale that day. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Admission is free and donations are accepted online at www.filipinoamericanlibrary.org. Recent FAL Book Launches include Pareng Barack: Filipinos in Obama's America by Benjamin Pimentel and Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos.

Carina Monica Montoya, a native of Los Angeles and the author of Filipinos in Hollywood, collected the vintage images for this volume from Los Angeles historical organizations and families who settled in and around the area in the early years. Eric Garcetti, the President of the Los Angeles City Council, provides the foreword of Los Angeles's Historic Filipinotown. It is part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series that celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country.

Founded on October 13, 1985 by "Auntie Helen" Agcaoili Summers Brown, FAL is the earliest and largest Filipino library in the country with a collection of more than 6,000 titles. Its mission is to actively promote the history, culture, and professional achievements of Filipinos and Filipino Americans through the book collection, leadership development, and cultural programming, thereby contributing to the achievement of a culturally dynamic, multiethnic America.

Given that FAL primarily survives on individual donations and one major annual fundraiser, it relies on its many supporters to continue its programs and services throughout the year. If anyone would like to give a donation online, please feel free to visit www.filipinoamericanlibrary.org. Checks may also be mailed to 135 N. Park View St., Los Angeles, CA 90026 and made payable to "Filipino American Library". All donations are 100% tax-deductible.

FAL is a division of the Filipino American Heritage Institute (Nonprofit Tax ID Number 95-4282571). It is open Mondays-Fridays 1:00-5:00pm and by appointment. For more information, please contact filamlibrary@sbcglobal.net or 213-382-0488.

review of "Juan Luna's Revolver" by ALLEN GABORRO

In Luisa Igloria’s book of poetry “Juan Luna’s Revolver,” the author adopts the theme of the historical Filipino expatriate and his or her experience with the world outside of their Philippine homeland. The Filipino expatriates’ collective experience was one that will be forever linked to the dual phenomena of Spanish and American colonialism. This parting with the world that these expatriates were so intimate with gave rise to an exilic sensibility, a sensibility that would form much of the material of Igloria’s poetry.

The award-winning Igloria, who is herself one of those diasporic figures that her verses speak of and speak to, attempts to reconcile Filipino expatriates with a genuine sense of their cultural and national identity. She does so both in a colonial and postcolonial context. Even as she combines a poetic impression of Filipinos’ geographical and psychological displacement with the effects of foreign colonialism, Igloria composes verses that are as much about all human beings as they are about Filipinos. While forming this poetic nexus of sensitivity and commiseration with her fellow human beings, Igloria conducts a re-examination of several narratives ranging from sentimentality to aesthetics to historical recollection, and to a contemplation of the human condition as it deals with the difficult realities of the modern world.

An important impetus in “Juan Luna’s Revolver” is Philippine history as it is rendered through Igloria’s poetic consciousness. In the book’s title poem, she conjures up the ghost of Juan Luna, the famous Filipino painter of the Philippine revolutionary period. Luna was not just renowned for his artistic prowess. He was also notorious for using a revolver no less, to kill his mother-in-law and his wife, the latter for alleged adultery.

The memory of the double murder resounds in the pages of “Juan Luna’s Revolver.” Igloria confers a power on the representation of Juan Luna’s “crime of passion” that traverses time, place, and milieu. She draws a similitude between Luna’s turn-of-the-century spousal homicide and one that transpired in Illinois in 1993. The similitude lies in the fact that in the 1993 incident, a Hispanic individual also going by the name Juan Luna gunned down several people in a restaurant. You can call it an incredible historical coincidence or an example of poetic intertextuality.

On the surface of this poem, we can make out the historical conjunction of kinships between two former colonial subjects. Beneath the same surface layer however, we see something else altogether. That is Igloria’s treatment of history as a congeries of people, events, and episodes. As part of that treatment, she gives special prominence in her book to not only Juan Luna, but to José Rizal as well. Igloria also shines the spotlight on the 1904 St. Louis World Fair where Filipinos were rendered by American presenters as alien, uncivilized and benighted.

If there is an Achilles’ heel, and a minor one at that, in “Juan Luna’s Revolver” it is in the poem “Doctrina Christiana.” This profound and poignant poem is titled after the first book to ever be published in the Philippines. The problem is that the poem is not suggestive of an association with one of the more historically noteworthy aspects of that book. That aspect is the pre-colonial “baybayin” script. The revival of the baybayin script was a rejoinder to those who disregarded the significance of the pre-modern history of the Philippines. The “Doctrina Christiana” is material proof that Filipinos possessed an indigenous system of writing well-before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century.

In addition to its historical dimension, the theme of the Filipino global and historical diaspora acts as the other major presence in “Juan Luna’s Revolver.” Igloria’s poetry in this respect transports both reader and subject to a few destinations where Filipinos throughout history have alighted in. It is in this spirit that she raises the profile of Filipinos’ historical struggle with migration and dislocation. What is forged out of that struggle is a dynamic and multifaceted Filipino identity.

The poems in “Juan Luna’s Revolver” are captivating, incisive, and at times, deceivingly pointed. But this is for the best. When you read Igloria’s verses, you feel that your existence is imbued with some rich and resonant meaning once again. This is especially true for her fellow Filipinos who are eternally it seems, searching for a higher relevance in what is a forbidding life landscape.

ALLEN GABORRO

Asian American Writers' Workshop: Twelfth Annual Asian American Literary Awards

Applications are due Friday, May 15, 2009

Since 1998, The Annual Asian American Literary Awards have honored Asian American writers for excellence in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, memoir, stage plays and screenplays. Literary awards recipients are determined by a national panel of judges who are selected on the basis of expertise in a literary genre and/or experience in academic environments relevant to Asian American literature; residence in the U.S. and ethnic background as to create a diverse committee.

To qualify for our next award, a work must have been written by an individual of Asian descent living in the United States and published originally in English during the calendar year preceding the award year (for example, works published in 2007 are eligible for the 2008 Literary Awards). No self-published works will be considered. Award submissions are accepted in Spring, with award recipients announced in Fall, and publicly presented during our Winter awards ceremony.

The Asian American Literary Awards Ceremony also features the Members' Choice Award. Initiated in 2000, the Members' Choice Award allows Workshop members to choose their favorite title of the previous publishing year. In order to participate in voting for this award, you must be a current member of the Asian American Writers' Workshop.

Applications for the upcoming Twelfth Annual Asian American Literary Awards are due Friday, May 15, 2009. Please download the newest [PDF's] application and guidelines.

List of 2008 Winners
Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Harcourt, 2007
Vijay Prashad, The Darker Nations, New Press, 2007
Sun Yung Shin, Skirt Full of Black, Coffee House Press, 2007
Ed Lin, This Is a Bust, Kaya Press, 2007

Reminder: 03/12/2009 Field of Mirrors at the UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library

http://eslibrary.berkeley.edu/announce/FieldOfMirrors.pdf

In Celebration of the Ethnic Studies Department’s 40th Anniversary:

The Ethnic Studies Library presents a Book Talk & Signing

FIELD OF MIRRORS

Featuring the following authors:

• Tony Robles
• Al Robles
  
• Barbara Jane Reyes
• Benjamin Pimentel
• Janet Stickmon
• Oscar Peñaranda
• Evangeline Canonizado Buell
• Anthem Salgado
• Edwin A. Lozada

“…Reflects and reveals the boundless creative artistry and intellectual ability that Filipino American writers possess as they seek to carve out their own niche in the American Literary pantheon.” —Allen Gaborro, Philippine News.

Thursday, March 12, 2009
6:00 PM
Ethnic Studies Library-30 Stephens Hall
UC Berkeley campus
For more information contact:
Lily Castillo-Speed
510-642-3947
csl@library.berkeley.edu or visit http://eslibrary.berkeley.edu

Pinay artists! DIWANG PINAY wants YOU!

From Pinay sa Seattle - GABRIELA USA:

Hello, friends!

FiRE will be hosting our second annual DIWANG PINAY: Light of the Nation, Ilaw Ng Bayan on Saturday, April 25 at Judson Memorial Church in NYC! We are looking for PINAY (Filipina) artists and performers to grace our stage and gallery that night! Again, we will be showcasing and celebrating the art of Pinays through performance and visual art. We are reaching out to you hoping you can kindly/enthusiastically forward this message to your Pinay artist friends! (switched the order!) We’d be honored to showcase them at our event, so please HELP US GET THE WORD OUT BY FORWARDING THIS EMAIL TO ALL THE FILIPINAS YOU KNOW WHOSE ART YOU LOVE!

In any shape or form, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment would love to get in touch with Filipina women artists locally, nationally, or internationally currently producing creative work which rightfully reflects our community. I’ve enclosed the more detailed call for our Silent Auction and performer slots below if you’d like to know more. If you need to contact us with questions and concerns, please email diwangpinay@gmail.com or check out our temporary information space at:

http://firenyc.wordpress.com/diwang-pinay/

Thank you in advance for all your help and consideration, we really appreciate the effort!

Best,
Valerie Francisco
Chairperson
www.firenyc.org

DIWANG PINAY: Light of the Nation, Ilaw Ng Bayan

Kularts Presents

4 Words - BUY. YOUR. TICKETS. NOW. Florante Aguilar's Lalawigan: A Contemporary Tagalog Song Cycle is a brilliantly composed poetic narrative sung in ancient Tagalog (with English supertitles), inspired by the unsung heroes of the volatile Philippine Revolution. This landmark performance is the ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND, offering an unparalleled opportunity to witness the sensuous eloquence and virtuosity of Philippine song traditions. Featuring phenomenal vocalists, dancers, and musicians! Grab those seats now!

GROUP and ADVANCE discounts available when tickets purchased over the phone or in person up to the day before the show!

TICKETS: (415) 345-7575, www.fortmason.org/boxoffice

WORLD PREMIERE OF LALAWIGAN:
A CONTEMPORARY TAGALOG SONG CYCLE
BY COMPOSER FLORANTE AGUILAR
Sat, March 14, 8pm
Sun, March 15, 3pm
Cowell Theater at Fort Mason
99 Marina Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94123

Tickets: $20-60
(415) 345-7575, www.fortmason.org/boxoffice
Landmark Building A Middle Pier,
Herbst Pavilion
San Francisco, CA 94123
11am - 5pm, Tues - Sat

Composer Florante Aguilar tells a compelling story of resolute courage, passionate love, and sacrifice. Lalawigan is a poetic narrative, inspired by the fierce 1898 Philippine revolutionary hero, Macario Sakay, an ever-present mythic town ghost, and the common folk - the backbone of the revolution. Lalawigan is sung in ancient Tagalog (with English supertitiles) accompanied by new compositions evoking the sensuous eloquence and virtuosity of the Philippine string tradition of kudyapi, harana, and kundiman.

Featuring

FAMAS & FAP Award-winning Philippine Actor,
Raymond Bagatsing (baritone) as Macario
Kyle de Ocera (tenor) as Isagani
Kristine Sinajon (mezzo-soprano) as Candida

Musicians
Florante Aguilar Chamber Ensemble
Featuring Monica Scott (cello)
Ron Quesada (octavina)
Rachael Bouch-Dimondstein (percussion)

Director
Alleluia Panis

UP NEXT
Mark your calendars for the rest of Kularts' Spring Season! Jam-packed with literary genius, intensely provocative theater, tender and funky music, evocative poetry, and mind-blowing aerial dance! Superlative. Superlative. Superlative.

Visit our calendar for more details.

THE PASSION OF
EL HULK HOGANCITO
by JASON MAGABO PEREZ

Saturday, Mar 28, Apr 4, 8pm
Sunday, Mar 29, Apr 5, 6pm

Bayanihan Community Center
1010 Mission St @ 6th St
San Francisco, CA 94103

Admission:
$13 advance, $15-20 @ the door

Tickets:
brownpapertickets.com/event/56330

POMO 2009
Admission:
$15 Advance, $14 Students,
$20 General
Tickets:
brownpapertickets.com/event/56341

Friday, April 17, 8pm
Zeum Theater
Featuring:
Dwayne Calizo
Kennedy Kabasares
Giovanni Ortega

Sat, Apr 18, 8pm
Sun, Apr 19, 6pm
Bayanihan Community Center
Featuring:
Dwayne Calizo
Giovanni Ortega
Jen & Dan Soriano

Sat, Apr 25, 8pm
Sun, Apr 26, 6pm
Bayanihan Community Center
Featuring:
Dwayne Calizo
Giovanni Ortega
Diskarte Namin

Visit our calendar for more details.

Sarah Lim: New book focuses on Filipinos

Article in the Merced Sun-Star:

Columnist note: The following article is contributed by Luna Jamero, editor of "Talk Story" and treasurer of the Central Valley Filipino American National Historical Society.

Through a grant awarded by the Merced County Historical Society, the Central Valley FANHS (Filipino American National Historical Society), has published its first book, "Talk Story: An Anthology of Stories by Filipino Americans of the Central Valley" and is sponsoring a book-signing event today at the Courthouse Museum. Books will be available for sale today at the Merced County Courthouse Museum from 1 to 3 p.m. Authors will be reading excerpts from their stories during the Saturday book signing. Proceeds from the book sales benefit the CV FANHS Ceferino Jamero, Jr. Memorial Scholarship fund awarded annually to graduating high school seniors.

[Read the entire article here.]

2009 Philippine Arts, Letters, & Media Council (PALM) Short Story Contest

2009 PALM Council: Philippine American Short Story Contest Rules

1st Prize: $300.00
2nd Prize: $200.00
3rd Prize: $100.00

Eligibility

The contest is open to all persons residing in the United States who were born in the Philippines, resided in the Philippines, or whose family roots are in the Philippines. Officers and members of PALM and their immediate families are not eligible to participate.

Submission Guidelines

• Story themes relating to lives of Filipino-Americans are preferred. Authors are invited to explain how their story relates to the Filipino-American theme, if not readily apparent.
• Author’s name and address appear on cover letter only. The cover letter must have complete contact info, a brief bio, and title of story. Please include a valid email address for notification of contest results. No name or address should appear on the story text pages.
• Story entries must be original and unpublished. Entrants shall indemnify and hold harmless the Philippine Arts, Letters, & Media Council, its Board and members, in the event of any claim or actual copyright infringement.
• Entries must be in English, typed, double-spaced, and must not exceed 5,000 words (15 pages).
• Send submissions to: Philippine Arts, Letters, & Media Council Short Story Contest, 14122 Bauer Drive, Rockville MD 20853. Please do not send registered packages, as we are not able to collect them from the Post Office.
• All entries must be postmarked by May 31, 2009.

NOTE: Submissions failing to follow the above guidelines will be automatically disqualified and entrants will not be notified.

Conditions

Entries will not be returned and will be considered material submitted for review without obligation from the 2009 PALM Council Philippine American Short Story Contest Committee. Please do not contact the Committee regarding submissions. A panel of judges will select the winners. Evaluation of entries will be based on theme, relevance to Philippine-American life, originality, and unity of characterization.

The Philippine Arts, Letters, & Media Council reserves first publication rights as well as the right to edit material for publication.

Announcement of winners is expected in Fall 2009 in selected publications. Participants, who wish to be notified of results, please indicate a current email address.

Upcoming Book Talk, Thursday, 3/12/2009, SFSU.

From Benito M. Vergara:

The Asian American Studies Department Presents:

Pinoy Capital: The Filipino Nation in Daly City

By

Dr. Benito M. Vergara Jr.

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2009
Start Time: 5:00pm
Location: Thornton Hall 327
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132

Description: Dr. Benito M. Vergara Jr. shares with us his ethnographic study of the Filipino American population in Daly City, CA. He probes into this community’s nostalgia for the ancestral country while delving into how colonialism, identity, transnational culture, and family impact this population. Dr. Vergara addresses how the Filipino American community shapes Daly City and is in turn also transformed in the process. Following, there is a Q&A with light refreshments.

This event is sponsored by the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University and cosponsored by Asian Student Union (ASU), Manalo Movement, and Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE). For more information you can contact Jeannie Woo at Jeannw8@sfsu.edu.

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Sounds of the New Hope

Found on the blog of Kiwi. Click on image to enlarge:



http://soundsofthenewhope.blogspot.com/

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A FILIPINO AMERICAN (poem by Allen Gaborro)

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A FILIPINO AMERICAN

Natural law says that you can only be one or the other, you cannot have it both ways.

But the world has changed so much from the time when everything was either/or. Nothing is that simple anymore.

Some of us like to think we are hybrids, hybrids of two cultures, gallant hearts venerating America and the Philippines. This is easier to explain and accept.

Truth is, many of us look askance at our Filipinoness, while gazing directly at Pax Americana. We cannot help it. It is our colonial predilection.

But history is not cast in iron; it is more of a rite of passage fueling the rolling palpitations of a people, a heritage, a culture endeavoring to deliver and protect its unique identity.

In the face of history’s assertion to infallibility, right and honorable Filipinos, regardless of where they are situated on this globe, know where hence they came.

We may have learned our craft in America, but we inherited our soul from a collection of countless isles connected by deep, untranslatable waters and by variations of the time-honored themes of loyalty and kinship.

The idea is not to cut our American experience down to size, but to impart strength and authority to what makes us Filipino.

I adore America, I adore the Philippines. I worship my heritages on both sides of the Pacific. That is what it means to be Filipino American.

ALLEN GABORRO

Shades of Difference: Why Skin Color Matters

From Joanne Rondilla:

University Press Books & Stanford University Press invite you to join Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Maxine Craig, Angela Harris, Joanne Rondilla & Charis Thompson for a discussion of their new book

Shades of Difference: Why Skin Color Matters
WEDNESDAY, 4 MARCH 2009, 5:30 - 7:00 PM

Shades of Difference addresses the widespread but little studied phenomenon of colorism-the preference for lighter skin and the ranking of individual worth according to skin tone. Examining the social and cultural significance of skin color in a broad range of societies and historical periods, this insightful collection looks at how skin color affects people's opportunities in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and North America. With its comparative, international focus, this enlightening book will provide innovative insights and expand the dialogue around race and gender in the social sciences, ethnic studies, African American studies, and gender and women's studies.

Evelyn Nakano Glenn is Professor of Ethnic Studies and Gender & Women's Studies, and Founding Director of the Center for Race and Gender at U.C. Berkeley.

Maxine Craig is Associate Professor of Women's Studies at U.C. Davis.

Angela Harris is Professor of Law at U.C. Berkeley.

Joanne Rondilla is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Ethnic Studies at U.C. Berkeley.

Charis Thompson is Associate Professor of Gender & Women's Studies at U.C. Berkeley.

UNIVERSITY PRESS BOOKS
2430 BANCROFT WAY (between Telegraph & Dana), BERKELEY