From Hyphen:
In Whirlwind Wonderland, Rina Ayuyang depicts herself as a dutiful daughter and doodling daydreamer. Beautifully illustrated in styles as varied as the topics of her stories, her debut graphic novel is a charming assortment of meditations on family, culture, and city living.
A Pittsburgh native turned Oakland resident, Ayuyang offers insights into her daily life, interactions, moods, and idle thoughts. The book includes select strips from her minicomic series Namby Pamby (2002-2006), as well as contributions from other published anthologies. Unfortunately, for a reader unfamiliar with Ayuyang’s previous work and unable to pick out the “old favorites” from the “new stories,” it can be difficult to follow certain narrative threads as the comics jump back and forth in time, quickly changing pace or point of view.
Despite these disruptions that result in an uneven flow, the stories delightfully revolve around everyday subjects with a subtle humor that points out life’s small absurdities. The story “Crack O’ Dawn,” for example, describes her early morning commute to work, and Ayuyang ponders in perfect rows of capital letters: “It’s funny how we take such a wonderful and relaxing route only to end up at places that we don’t want to be.” The illustrated frame depicts a dramatic full-page foggy sky as viewed through a bus window.
Such charming musings as accompany her illustrations, of moments as banal as staring blankly at a computer screen until jolted back to life by the “ding” of a new email, are wonderful in their ability to stir excitement from the almost unbearably normal.
Read more.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Leny Mendoza Strobel: Recommended Reading
These past few weeks, we have been posting recommended reading lists from Filipino American authors, and our community booksellers. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, Aileen Ibardaloza, Rick Barot, Eastwind Books of Berkeley, Benjamin Pimentel, Noel Alumit, Linda Nietes of Philippine Expressions Bookshop, Luisa Igloria, E. San Juan, Jr., Theodore S. Gonzalves, and Jean Vengua. This next list is from Leny Mendoza Strobel:
Gerald Vizenor, Hiroshima Bugi; Survivance; The Heirs of Columbus
David Abram, Becoming Animal
Shawn Wilson, Research is Ceremony
Stephen Levine, Healing Into Life and Death
Morris Berman, Wandering God
Tamim Ansary, Destiny Disrupted
Gerald Vizenor, Hiroshima Bugi; Survivance; The Heirs of Columbus
David Abram, Becoming Animal
Shawn Wilson, Research is Ceremony
Stephen Levine, Healing Into Life and Death
Morris Berman, Wandering God
Tamim Ansary, Destiny Disrupted
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Call for Literary Submissions/ Memoirs: Naturalized Women Naturalized Citizens Anthology
From Asia Writes:
Deadline: 15 January 2011
We invite moving and well-written stories, poems, and memoirs and oral histories on how you came to be a naturalized U. S. citizen:
The purpose of this anthology is to help native born U.S. citizens understand the complex, varied, and valuable experiences of naturalized U.S. citizens.
What happens to our understanding of ourselves and our place in society when we make the decision, as an individual and as a woman, to commit ourselves to a different social structure from the one in which we were raised? We are especially interested in the experiences of women who have chosen to become U.S. citizens and the impact this conscious commitment has had on them and their families. Does it change what has felt to us to be natural, unquestioned, in our own upbringing and development - or that of our daughters?
Some of us come to the States intentionally, desirous of and prepared for citizenship, some of us find ourselves here because we love someone else (parents, sibling, or spouse) who has that clear intention, or we come because we are escaping something worse and have been placed here, willy nilly, as refugees or economic migrants. Whatever the route to this decision, at the point we become a citizen we are making a choice and a commitment that are now uniquely our own. We not only engage with but are committed to the promotion of certain values that may fit us as poorly as borrowed clothes or as close as a second skin.
Deadline: 15 January 2011
We invite moving and well-written stories, poems, and memoirs and oral histories on how you came to be a naturalized U. S. citizen:
The purpose of this anthology is to help native born U.S. citizens understand the complex, varied, and valuable experiences of naturalized U.S. citizens.
What happens to our understanding of ourselves and our place in society when we make the decision, as an individual and as a woman, to commit ourselves to a different social structure from the one in which we were raised? We are especially interested in the experiences of women who have chosen to become U.S. citizens and the impact this conscious commitment has had on them and their families. Does it change what has felt to us to be natural, unquestioned, in our own upbringing and development - or that of our daughters?
Some of us come to the States intentionally, desirous of and prepared for citizenship, some of us find ourselves here because we love someone else (parents, sibling, or spouse) who has that clear intention, or we come because we are escaping something worse and have been placed here, willy nilly, as refugees or economic migrants. Whatever the route to this decision, at the point we become a citizen we are making a choice and a commitment that are now uniquely our own. We not only engage with but are committed to the promotion of certain values that may fit us as poorly as borrowed clothes or as close as a second skin.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Meritage Press 2011 Year-Long Special on Filipino Titles
From Eileen Tabios:Meritage Press 2011 Year-Long Special on Filipino Titles
Meritage Press is pleased to share a year-long 20% discount on Filipino titles at its Lulu Site. Effective immediately and through the end of 2011, these titles can be ordered at their discounted prices:
ARCHIPELAGO DUST by Karen Llagas
Order at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/archipelago-dust/12102743
TRAJE DE BODA by Aileen Ibardaloza
Order at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/traje-de-boda/6359820
KALI'S BLADE by Michelle Bautista
Order at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/kalis-blade/592391
THE CHAINED HAY(NA)KU ANTHOLOGY, Curated by Ivy Alvarez, John Bloomberg-Rissman, Ernesto Priego & Eileen Tabios
Order at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/chained-hay%28na%29ku/12110416
STAGE PRESENCE: CONVERSATIONS WITH FILIPINO AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTISTS, edited by Theodore Gonzalves
Order at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/stage-presence/1796582
Given the Special's early start, it's not too late either to order it as a belated Holiday Present!For questions, please feel free to email us at MeritagePress@aol.com
Ever Helpfully,
The Meritage Press Team
http://meritagepress.com
http://meritagepressblogspot.com
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Jean Vengua: Recommended Reading
These past few weeks, we have been posting recommended reading and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors, and our community booksellers. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, Aileen Ibardaloza, Rick Barot, Eastwind Books of Berkeley, Benjamin Pimentel, Noel Alumit, Linda Nietes of Philippine Expressions Bookshop, Luisa Igloria, E. San Juan, Jr., and Theodore S. Gonzalves. This next list is from Jean Vengua:
Karen Tei Yamashita, I-Hotel (Coffee House Press, 2010).
Lynda Barry, What It Is (Drawn & Quarterly, 2008).
Selected Poems: Frank O'Hara, ed. Mark Ford (Borzoi Poetry, 2008).
Erich Origen & Gan Golan, The Adventures of Unemployed Man (Little, Brown & Co., 2010).
Helen Toribio, Abe Ignacio, Enrique de la Cruz, Jorge Emmanuel: The Forbidden Book (T'Boli, 2004).
William Powers, Hamlet's Blackberry (Harper Collins, 2010).
Gabriel Gudding, Rhode Island Notebook (Dalkey Archive, 2007).
Karen Tei Yamashita, I-Hotel (Coffee House Press, 2010).
Lynda Barry, What It Is (Drawn & Quarterly, 2008).
Selected Poems: Frank O'Hara, ed. Mark Ford (Borzoi Poetry, 2008).
Erich Origen & Gan Golan, The Adventures of Unemployed Man (Little, Brown & Co., 2010).
Helen Toribio, Abe Ignacio, Enrique de la Cruz, Jorge Emmanuel: The Forbidden Book (T'Boli, 2004).
William Powers, Hamlet's Blackberry (Harper Collins, 2010).
Gabriel Gudding, Rhode Island Notebook (Dalkey Archive, 2007).
Call for Writers: Womanspace Anthology of Women's Poetry and Non-fiction
From Femministas:
Deadline: 1 March 2011
CALL FOR WRITERS:
What has formed your image(s) of yourself as the woman you are…or are meant to be? What has transformed your life as a woman growing into your own power and wholeness…as a woman giving birth to your own soul? Womanspace Center of Rockford, IL—a not-for-profit organization focused on the core values of connecting, empowering, creating, and transforming—is currently seeking submissions for an anthology of women’s poetry and non-fiction to be published in the spring of 2011.
Submissions should relate to one or both of the central questions listed above, with a focus on growth and/or change inspired through experiences of the body, mind, heart, or spirit. Relevant experiences might include, but are not limited to: Body-centered experiences unique to women (i.e., menarche, menopause, pregnancy, childbirth); sexuality, illness, aging; the influence(s) of culture, ethnicity, religion; relationships (friendship, marriage/partnership, parenting, mentoring); work/career; insight from a book, some other art form, or your own creativity/creative expression; travel; experiences in or of the natural world; rites of passage (coming of age, milestones, death, other forms of loss).
Deadline: 1 March 2011
CALL FOR WRITERS:
What has formed your image(s) of yourself as the woman you are…or are meant to be? What has transformed your life as a woman growing into your own power and wholeness…as a woman giving birth to your own soul? Womanspace Center of Rockford, IL—a not-for-profit organization focused on the core values of connecting, empowering, creating, and transforming—is currently seeking submissions for an anthology of women’s poetry and non-fiction to be published in the spring of 2011.
Submissions should relate to one or both of the central questions listed above, with a focus on growth and/or change inspired through experiences of the body, mind, heart, or spirit. Relevant experiences might include, but are not limited to: Body-centered experiences unique to women (i.e., menarche, menopause, pregnancy, childbirth); sexuality, illness, aging; the influence(s) of culture, ethnicity, religion; relationships (friendship, marriage/partnership, parenting, mentoring); work/career; insight from a book, some other art form, or your own creativity/creative expression; travel; experiences in or of the natural world; rites of passage (coming of age, milestones, death, other forms of loss).
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Theodore S. Gonzalves: Recommended Reading
These past few weeks, we have been posting recommended reading and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors, and our community booksellers. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, Aileen Ibardaloza, Rick Barot, Eastwind Books of Berkeley, Benjamin Pimentel, Noel Alumit, Linda Nietes of Philippine Expressions Bookshop, Luisa Igloria. and E. San Juan, Jr. This next list is from Theodore S. Gonzalves:
Dario Fo, My First Seven Years (Plus a Few More) (Macmillan, 2006).
Terry Eagleton, Reason, Faith and Revolution (Yale University Press, 2009).
Giles Tremlett, Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past (Walker, 2007).
D. R. M. Irving, Colonial Counterpoint: Music in Early Modern Manila (Oxford University Press, 2010).
James C. Scott, The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia (Yale University Press, 2010).
Jenifer K. Wofford, Porta Potties of the Western World, Volume 1 (Editions Wofflehouse, 2010).
Dario Fo, My First Seven Years (Plus a Few More) (Macmillan, 2006).
Terry Eagleton, Reason, Faith and Revolution (Yale University Press, 2009).
Giles Tremlett, Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past (Walker, 2007).
D. R. M. Irving, Colonial Counterpoint: Music in Early Modern Manila (Oxford University Press, 2010).
James C. Scott, The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia (Yale University Press, 2010).
Jenifer K. Wofford, Porta Potties of the Western World, Volume 1 (Editions Wofflehouse, 2010).
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
E. San Juan, Jr.: Recommended Reading
These past few weeks, we have been posting recommended reading and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors, and our community booksellers. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, Aileen Ibardaloza, Rick Barot, Eastwind Books of Berkeley, Benjamin Pimentel, Noel Alumit, Linda Nietes of Philippine Expressions Bookshop, and Luisa Igloria. This next recommended reading list is from E. San Juan, Jr.:
Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine (New York: Picador/Metropolitan Books, 2008).
Teresa L. Ebert, The Task of Cultural Critique (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2009).
Kevin B. Anderson, Marx at the Margins (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010).
Efren Aueg, Mga Kaluluwa sa Kumunoy (Quezon City: University of the Philipines Press, 2004).
E. San Juan, Jr., Critical Interventions: From James Joyce and Henrik Ibsen to Charles Sanders Peirce and Maxine Hong Kingston (Saarbrucken, Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing Co., 2010).
Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine (New York: Picador/Metropolitan Books, 2008).
Teresa L. Ebert, The Task of Cultural Critique (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2009).
Kevin B. Anderson, Marx at the Margins (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010).
Efren Aueg, Mga Kaluluwa sa Kumunoy (Quezon City: University of the Philipines Press, 2004).
E. San Juan, Jr., Critical Interventions: From James Joyce and Henrik Ibsen to Charles Sanders Peirce and Maxine Hong Kingston (Saarbrucken, Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing Co., 2010).
Luisa Igloria: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We have also started posting reading recommendations from our community booksellers. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, Aileen Ibardaloza, Rick Barot, Eastwind Books of Berkeley, Benjamin Pimentel, Noel Alumit, and Linda Nietes of Philippine Expressions Bookshop. This next list is from Luisa Igloria:
Dear Darkness, Kevin Young (Knopf, 2010).
Requiem for the Orchard, Oliver De La Paz (University of Akron Press, 2010).
The Vagrants, Yiyun Li (Random House, 2010).
Breach, Nicole Cooley (Louisiana State University Press, 2010).
Blood Desert: Witnesses, 1820-1880, by Rennie Golden (University of New Mexico Press, 2010).
The Lost Language, Marianne Villanueva (Anvil, 2010).
Talk Thai: The Adventures of Buddhist Boy, Ira Sukrungruang (University of Missouri Press, 2010).
Short Girls, Bich Minh Nguyen (Penguin, 2010).
Nox, Anne Carson (New Directions, 2010).
Dear Darkness, Kevin Young (Knopf, 2010).
The Vagrants, Yiyun Li (Random House, 2010).
Breach, Nicole Cooley (Louisiana State University Press, 2010).
Blood Desert: Witnesses, 1820-1880, by Rennie Golden (University of New Mexico Press, 2010).
Talk Thai: The Adventures of Buddhist Boy, Ira Sukrungruang (University of Missouri Press, 2010).
Short Girls, Bich Minh Nguyen (Penguin, 2010).
Nox, Anne Carson (New Directions, 2010).
Monday, December 20, 2010
Philippine Expressions Bookshop: Holiday Gift Books List
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We have also started posting reading recommendations from our community booksellers. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, Aileen Ibardaloza, Rick Barot, Eastwind Books of Berkeley, Benjamin Pimentel, and Noel Alumit. This next list is from Linda Nietes of Philippine Expressions Bookshop:
Babaylan: Filipinos and the Call of the Indigenous, edited by Leny Mendoza Strobel (Ateneo de Davao University Research and Publications Office, Philippines, 2010). " ... In the Babaylan tradition, this collective Pinay re-membering returns us to story not as artifact but as an organic healer of rifts in culture, history and daily life, a restorer of Eros and community..." -Merlinda Bobis, author of The Solemn Lantern Maker.
Leaving Yesler by Peter Bacho (Pleasure Boat Studio, 2010). This is the author's first coming-of-age novel, "a remarkable story filled with tension and magical realism."
Seeking First by Carlene Sobrino Bonnivier (Radiant Press, 2009). This is the author's second novel and described as "a woman's novel and its main character is one of the most complex and rich women characters readers have had in a very long time."
The Lost Language: Stories by Marianne Villanueva (Anvil, 2009). "Set in the suburbs and cities of America, and in Manila and provinces in the Philippines, these fourteen well-crafted stories will haunt you, move you, break your heart calmly, elegantly. A moving book from a talented writer." - R. Zamora Linmark, author of The Evolution of a Sigh and Rolling the R's.
The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata by Gina Apostol (Anvil, 2009). "Apostol plumbs the depths of one man's psyche and shows us our collective consciousness, a mirror, one might say, so Borgesian that it endlessly multiplies -- and redefines -- our self-image. We may never look at ourselves and our history the same way again." - Eric Gamalinda, author of Empire of Memory and My Sad Republic.
You can order these books through Philippine Expressions Bookshop.
Leaving Yesler by Peter Bacho (Pleasure Boat Studio, 2010). This is the author's first coming-of-age novel, "a remarkable story filled with tension and magical realism."
Seeking First by Carlene Sobrino Bonnivier (Radiant Press, 2009). This is the author's second novel and described as "a woman's novel and its main character is one of the most complex and rich women characters readers have had in a very long time."
The Lost Language: Stories by Marianne Villanueva (Anvil, 2009). "Set in the suburbs and cities of America, and in Manila and provinces in the Philippines, these fourteen well-crafted stories will haunt you, move you, break your heart calmly, elegantly. A moving book from a talented writer." - R. Zamora Linmark, author of The Evolution of a Sigh and Rolling the R's.
The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata by Gina Apostol (Anvil, 2009). "Apostol plumbs the depths of one man's psyche and shows us our collective consciousness, a mirror, one might say, so Borgesian that it endlessly multiplies -- and redefines -- our self-image. We may never look at ourselves and our history the same way again." - Eric Gamalinda, author of Empire of Memory and My Sad Republic.
You can order these books through Philippine Expressions Bookshop.
Noel Alumit: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We have also started posting reading recommendations from our community booksellers. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, Aileen Ibardaloza, Rick Barot, Eastwind Books of Berkeley, and Benjamin Pimentel. This next list is from Noel Alumit:
Creating Masculinity in Los Angeles's Little Manila: Working-Class Filipinos and Popular Culture in the United States (Popular Cultures, Everyday Lives) by Linda Espana-Maram (Columbia University Press, 2006).
Filipinos in Los Angeles, CA (Images of America) by Mae Respicio Koerner (Arcadia Publishing, 2007).
Filipinos in Hollywood (Images of America) by Carina Monica Montoya (Arcadia Publishing, 2008).
Benjamin Pimentel: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We have also started posting reading recommendations from our community booksellers. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, Aileen Ibardaloza, Rick Barot, and Eastwind Books of Berkeley. This next list is from Benjamin Pimentel:
Secrets of the Eighteen Mansions, by Mario Miclat (Anvil, 2010).
Below the Crying Mountain, by Criselda Yabes (UP Press, 2010).
Ilustrado, by Miguel Syjuco (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010).
The Autobiogaphy of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1 (University of CA Press, 2010).
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A Life, by Gerald Martin (Knopf, 2009).
History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos, by Luis Francia (Overlook Press, 2010).
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Eastwind Books of Berkeley: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, Aileen Ibardaloza, and Rick Barot. Today, we bring you the recommendations of one of our fearless local indie booksellers of Asian American literature, Eastwind Books of Berkeley:
The Forbidden Book: The Philippine-American War in Political Cartoons
Authors: Abe Ignacio; Enrique de la Cruz; Jorge Emmanuel; Helen Toribio
Publisher: T'Boli Publishing, Third Printing 2010, paper or cloth available
An astounding collection of 221 political cartoons created by Western public media to justify American colonization of Philippines during the time of the Philippine-US War. The book will alert you to the historical secrets that have been used to steer a nation to war. Filipinos are stereotyped as "savages" or "little brown brothers" to be directed and civilized by American institutions and policies. The book features 88 colored cartoons taken from the pages of popular magazines along with 133 black and white political cartoons reprinted from newspapers including the San Francisco Evening Post, New York World, Washington Post, Boston Globe.
Seven Card Stud with Seven Manangs Wild: An Anthology of Filipino-American Writings
Author: Filipino American National Historical Society East Bay Chapter
Edited by Helen Toribio, Evangeline Buell
T’Boli Publishing 2002 paper
An anthology of memoirs by Filipino Americans. The stories are culled from memories of growing up in different regions of the United States: from the urban jungle of Manhattan to the dusty farmlands of California. Contributing writers represent different generations, ranging from survivors of the Great Depression era in the 1930s to immigrants from the 1980s, escapees of an ancestral homeland in economic and political turmoil.
Mayor of the Roses: Stories
Author: Marianne Villanueva
Miami University Press 2005 paper
An impressive compilation of short stories by Marianne Villanueva, Mayor Of The Roses showcases an original literary talent as the reader encounters Philippine society in all of its beauty and ugliness, hope and sorrow, courage and violence, as well as the myriad contradictions of immigrant life in the new landscapes of America. Mayor Of The Roses tells of the search for home, family, and history, and the ways in which human beings can so thoroughly delude themselves.
The Decolonized Eye: Filipino American Art and Performance
Author: Sarita Echavez See
University of Minnesota Press 2009 paper
From the late 1980s to the present, artists of Filipino descent in the United States have produced a challenging and creative movement. In The Decolonized Eye, Sarita Echavez See shows how these artists have engaged with the complex aftermath of U.S. colonialism in the Philippines. Focusing on artists working in New York and California, See examines the artistic and aesthetic practices of filmmaker Angel Shaw, painter Manuel Ocampo, installation artist Paul Pfeiffer, comedian Rex Navarrete, performance artist Nicky Paraiso, and sculptor Reanne Estrada.
Look for these Filipino American titles and more at Eastwind Books of Berkeley.
The Forbidden Book: The Philippine-American War in Political Cartoons
Authors: Abe Ignacio; Enrique de la Cruz; Jorge Emmanuel; Helen Toribio
Publisher: T'Boli Publishing, Third Printing 2010, paper or cloth available
An astounding collection of 221 political cartoons created by Western public media to justify American colonization of Philippines during the time of the Philippine-US War. The book will alert you to the historical secrets that have been used to steer a nation to war. Filipinos are stereotyped as "savages" or "little brown brothers" to be directed and civilized by American institutions and policies. The book features 88 colored cartoons taken from the pages of popular magazines along with 133 black and white political cartoons reprinted from newspapers including the San Francisco Evening Post, New York World, Washington Post, Boston Globe.
Author: Filipino American National Historical Society East Bay Chapter
Edited by Helen Toribio, Evangeline Buell
T’Boli Publishing 2002 paper
An anthology of memoirs by Filipino Americans. The stories are culled from memories of growing up in different regions of the United States: from the urban jungle of Manhattan to the dusty farmlands of California. Contributing writers represent different generations, ranging from survivors of the Great Depression era in the 1930s to immigrants from the 1980s, escapees of an ancestral homeland in economic and political turmoil.
Author: Marianne Villanueva
Miami University Press 2005 paper
An impressive compilation of short stories by Marianne Villanueva, Mayor Of The Roses showcases an original literary talent as the reader encounters Philippine society in all of its beauty and ugliness, hope and sorrow, courage and violence, as well as the myriad contradictions of immigrant life in the new landscapes of America. Mayor Of The Roses tells of the search for home, family, and history, and the ways in which human beings can so thoroughly delude themselves.
Author: Sarita Echavez See
University of Minnesota Press 2009 paper
From the late 1980s to the present, artists of Filipino descent in the United States have produced a challenging and creative movement. In The Decolonized Eye, Sarita Echavez See shows how these artists have engaged with the complex aftermath of U.S. colonialism in the Philippines. Focusing on artists working in New York and California, See examines the artistic and aesthetic practices of filmmaker Angel Shaw, painter Manuel Ocampo, installation artist Paul Pfeiffer, comedian Rex Navarrete, performance artist Nicky Paraiso, and sculptor Reanne Estrada.
Look for these Filipino American titles and more at Eastwind Books of Berkeley.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Rick Barot: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, Tess Uriza Holthe, and Aileen Ibardaloza. This next list is from Rick Barot:
Rules of the House by Tsering Wangmo Dhompa (Apogee Press, 2002).
So Often the Pitcher Goes to Water Until It Breaks by Rigoberto Gonzalez (University of Illinois Press, 1999).
Half of the World in Light by Juan Felipe Herrera (University of Arizona Press, 2008).
Man on Extremely Small Island by Jason Koo (C&R Press, 2009).
The Iron Key by James Longenbach (W.W. Norton, 2010).
The Ginkgo Light by Arthur Sze (Copper Canyon Press, 2009).
Pleasure by Brian Teare (Ahsata Press, 2010).
Rules of the House by Tsering Wangmo Dhompa (Apogee Press, 2002).
Suck on the Marrow by Camille Dungy (Red Hen Press, 2010).
So Often the Pitcher Goes to Water Until It Breaks by Rigoberto Gonzalez (University of Illinois Press, 1999).
Half of the World in Light by Juan Felipe Herrera (University of Arizona Press, 2008).
Man on Extremely Small Island by Jason Koo (C&R Press, 2009).
The Iron Key by James Longenbach (W.W. Norton, 2010).
The Ginkgo Light by Arthur Sze (Copper Canyon Press, 2009).
Pleasure by Brian Teare (Ahsata Press, 2010).
Aileen Ibardaloza: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, Penélope V. Flores, and Tess Uriza Holthe. This next list is from Aileen Ibardaloza:
The Chained Hay(na)ku Project, curated by Ivy Alvarez, John Bloomberg-Rissman, Ernesto Priego and Eileen Tabios (Meritage Press, 2010).
Juan Luna's Revolver, by Luisa Igloria (UND Press, 2009).
Diwata, by Barbara Jane Reyes (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2010).
Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein (HarperCollins, 1974).
The Financial Lives of the Poets, by Jess Walter (HarperCollins, 2009).
The Chained Hay(na)ku Project, curated by Ivy Alvarez, John Bloomberg-Rissman, Ernesto Priego and Eileen Tabios (Meritage Press, 2010).
Juan Luna's Revolver, by Luisa Igloria (UND Press, 2009).
Diwata, by Barbara Jane Reyes (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2010).
Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein (HarperCollins, 1974).
The Financial Lives of the Poets, by Jess Walter (HarperCollins, 2009).
Tess Uriza Holthe: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, R. Zamora Linmark, and Penélope V. Flores. This next list is from Tess Uriza Holthe:
NOTHING TO ENVY by Barbara Demick (Spiegel & Grau, 2009).
NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro (Vintage, 2006).
JULIE & JULIA by Julie Powell (Back Bay Books, 2006).
DARKNESS TAKE MY HAND by Dennis Lehane (Harper, 2003).
THE TOWN: A NOVEL by Chuck Hogan (Also sold as THE PRINCE OF THIEVES) (Scribner, 2004).
CUTTING FOR STONE by Abraham Verghese (Knopf, 2009).
CITY OF THIEVES by David Benioff (Viking, 2008).
SH*T MY DAD SAYS by Justin Halpern (It Books, 2010).
ALL THE PRETTY HORSES by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage, 1993).
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS by Arundhati Roy (Harper Perennial, 1998).
YOUNG ADULT BOOKS:
HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY by Suzanne Collins(Scholastic, 2010).
A NORTHERN LIGHT by Jennifer Donnelly (Graphia, 2004).
SHIVER/LINGER by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic, 2010).
NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro (Vintage, 2006).
JULIE & JULIA by Julie Powell (Back Bay Books, 2006).
DARKNESS TAKE MY HAND by Dennis Lehane (Harper, 2003).
THE TOWN: A NOVEL by Chuck Hogan (Also sold as THE PRINCE OF THIEVES) (Scribner, 2004).
CUTTING FOR STONE by Abraham Verghese (Knopf, 2009).
CITY OF THIEVES by David Benioff (Viking, 2008).
SH*T MY DAD SAYS by Justin Halpern (It Books, 2010).
ALL THE PRETTY HORSES by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage, 1993).
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS by Arundhati Roy (Harper Perennial, 1998).
YOUNG ADULT BOOKS:
HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY by Suzanne Collins(Scholastic, 2010).
A NORTHERN LIGHT by Jennifer Donnelly (Graphia, 2004).
SHIVER/LINGER by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic, 2010).
Friday, December 17, 2010
Penélope V. Flores: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Albert B. Casuga, and R. Zamora Linmark. This next list is from Penélope V. Flores:
The Third Wave: Quo Vadis, by Caridad Concepcion Vallangca (Bloomington, IN: Author House, 2009).
Bulaklak sa Tubig, by Joi Barrios (Manila: Anvil, 2009).
66 Ilocano Songs, Collected, edited ad translated by Sigrid Rodolfo (Q.C.: Giraffe Books, 1998).
The Third Wave: Quo Vadis, by Caridad Concepcion Vallangca (Bloomington, IN: Author House, 2009).
Bulaklak sa Tubig, by Joi Barrios (Manila: Anvil, 2009).
66 Ilocano Songs, Collected, edited ad translated by Sigrid Rodolfo (Q.C.: Giraffe Books, 1998).
Biblical Sites in Turkey, Everett C. Blake and Anna G, Edmonds, (13th edition, Istanbul, Turkey, 2006).
Diwata, by Barbara Jane Reyes (Rochester, NY: BOA Editions, Ltd., 2010).
California Uncovered, Stories for the 21st Century, Eds. Chitra Banerjee Divakuruni, Wiliam E. Justice, and James Quay (Berkeley: Heyday Books, 2005).
R. Zamora Linmark: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., and Albert B. Casuga. This next list is from R. Zamora Linmark:
I-Hotel, by Karen Tei Yamashita (Coffee House Press, 2010).
Here, by Wislawa Szymborska (Houghton Mifflin, 2010).
Shorts, by Alberto Fuguet (Harper Perennial, 2005).
Action Kylie, by Kevin Killian (ingirumimusnocteetcomsumimurigni, 2008).
Imago, by Joseph O. Legaspi (CavanKerry Press, 2007).
I-Hotel, by Karen Tei Yamashita (Coffee House Press, 2010).
Here, by Wislawa Szymborska (Houghton Mifflin, 2010).
Shorts, by Alberto Fuguet (Harper Perennial, 2005).
Action Kylie, by Kevin Killian (ingirumimusnocteetcomsumimurigni, 2008).
Imago, by Joseph O. Legaspi (CavanKerry Press, 2007).
Albert B. Casuga: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, Cecilia Brainard, and Benito M. Vergara, Jr. This next list is from Albert B. Casuga (all the way up in Canada!):
Freedom: a collection of short fiction celebrating the universal declaration of human rights (Key Porter Books, 2009. Compilation copyright by The Amnesty International UK).
Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (Hamish Hamilton, Canada, published by the Penguin Group, 2010).
The 2010 Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology (John Glenday, Louise Gluck, Kate Hall, P.K. Page, Eilean Nui Chuilleanain, Valerie Rouzeau, Karen Solie, and Susan Wicks) Edited by A. F. Moritz (House of Anansi Press Inc., 2010).
Lookout (Poems) by John Steffler (McCLeland and Stewart, Publishers, 2010).
The Grammar of Distance by Ian Burgham (Tightrope Books, 2010).
20 Canadian Poets Take on the World edited by Priscilla Uppal (The Exile Book of Poetry in Translation, Exile Editions 2009).
Pigeon (Poems) by Karen Solie (House of Anansi Press, 2009).
The Certainty Dream (Poems) by Kate Hall (Coach House Books, Toronto, 2009).
Freedom: a collection of short fiction celebrating the universal declaration of human rights (Key Porter Books, 2009. Compilation copyright by The Amnesty International UK).
Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (Hamish Hamilton, Canada, published by the Penguin Group, 2010).
The 2010 Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology (John Glenday, Louise Gluck, Kate Hall, P.K. Page, Eilean Nui Chuilleanain, Valerie Rouzeau, Karen Solie, and Susan Wicks) Edited by A. F. Moritz (House of Anansi Press Inc., 2010).
Lookout (Poems) by John Steffler (McCLeland and Stewart, Publishers, 2010).
The Grammar of Distance by Ian Burgham (Tightrope Books, 2010).
20 Canadian Poets Take on the World edited by Priscilla Uppal (The Exile Book of Poetry in Translation, Exile Editions 2009).
Pigeon (Poems) by Karen Solie (House of Anansi Press, 2009).
The Certainty Dream (Poems) by Kate Hall (Coach House Books, Toronto, 2009).
Call for Submissions: Cha Fourth Anniversary Issue
From Asia Writes:
Deadline: 15 September 2011
Cha: An Asian Literary Journal is now calling for submissions for its November 2011 issue (Issue #15). Please send in (preferably Asian-themed) poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, reviews, photography & art for consideration. Submission guidelines can be found here. Deadline: 15 September, 2011.
Cha's regular guest editor Royston Tester (prose) and poet Robert E. Wood (poetry) will act as guest editors and read the submissions with co-editors Tammy Ho and Jeff Zroback. Please contact Reviews Editor Eddie Tay at eddie@asiancha.com if you want to review a book or have a book reviewed in the journal.
Cha is also accepting submissions for "The China Issue" due out in June 2011. More details are available here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to write to any of the Cha staff at editors@asiancha.com.
More information here.
Deadline: 15 September 2011
Cha: An Asian Literary Journal is now calling for submissions for its November 2011 issue (Issue #15). Please send in (preferably Asian-themed) poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, reviews, photography & art for consideration. Submission guidelines can be found here. Deadline: 15 September, 2011.
Cha's regular guest editor Royston Tester (prose) and poet Robert E. Wood (poetry) will act as guest editors and read the submissions with co-editors Tammy Ho and Jeff Zroback. Please contact Reviews Editor Eddie Tay at eddie@asiancha.com if you want to review a book or have a book reviewed in the journal.
Cha is also accepting submissions for "The China Issue" due out in June 2011. More details are available here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to write to any of the Cha staff at editors@asiancha.com.
More information here.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Benito M. Vergara, Jr.: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, Tony Robles, and Cecilia Brainard. This next list is from Benito M. Vergara, Jr.:
elsewhere held and lingered by Conchitina Cruz (High Chair, 2008). Remember those scenes in Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love when Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung would walk through the luridly red motel hallway? Or when they ride silently in the back of a cab as it moved through the neon-lit Hong Kong streets? This is what Cruz’s book of poetry is like. Half-remembered fragments of cigarettes smoked, unknown stirrings, betrayals and negotiations: "Each moment, the compulsive incisions: the wished-for hand, the wishing it away."
Invisible: Covert Operations and Classified Landscapes by Trevor Paglen (Aperture, 2010). Anthropologist Carolyn Nordstrom, in her magisterial ethnography Shadows of War, writes about how “the politics of invisibility” are not accidental: “it is created, and created for a reason… the modern state is as dependent on shadow economies and warzone profits as it is on keeping those dependencies invisible to formal reckoning.” This retrospective collection of Paglen’s photography – of military spacecraft orbiting the Earth, secret airfields in Nevada (looking eerily like Ansel Adams’ famous moonrise photograph), blurry photocopies of fake IDs of CIA officials involved in extraordinary rendition -- is both incontrovertible testimony and a reversal of the hierarchy of photographic power: it is now us who sees the workings of the state laid bare, made terrifyingly visible.
The Kite of Stars and Other Stories by Dean Francis Alfar (Anvil, 2007). Alfar skillfully weaves both Philippine history and legend into fantastic miniatures both familiar and unfamiliar. In The Kite of Stars' depths are contained entire worlds.
Martial Law Babies by Arnold Arre (Nautilus Books, 2008). This well-observed, sometimes piercingly nostalgic, and occasionally infuriating -- it's sometimes reminiscent of the same fascinatingly insular and sheltered world examined in Miguel Syjuco's Ilustrado -- graphic novel is a labor of love. Arre takes his readers through the disappearance of Voltes V from Philippine TV screens, UP Diliman hijinks, and the lovelorn protagonist's frustrations in the advertising world. It may devolve into St. Elmo's Fire-type melodrama towards the end, but its honesty and clarity of vision as it follows a barkada through the decades is worth the read.
Memories of Philippine Kitchens: Stories and Recipes from Far and Near by Amy Besa and Romeo Dorotan (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2006). I honestly can't write about the recipes -- I haven't tried any of them, daunted as I am --but this is far, far more than "just" a cookbook: there's a good reason "memories" and "stories" are featured prominently in the title. The authors and other contributors reminisce, in glowing prose, about memorable meals and, most important, the places and people attached to them. Food, memory, being Filipino: this book wonderfully, sumptuously, ties it all together. With gorgeous photography by Neal Oshima throughout.
Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love with Basketball by Rafe Bartholomew (NAL Hardcover, 2010). A frequently hilarious and enjoyably written chronicle of lived experience, stuffed with observational detail. Pacific Rims isn’t a great book about basketball in the Philippines; it’s a great book about the Philippines, period.
Partial List of People to Bleach by Gary Lutz (Future Tense Books, 2007). Words and sentences obsessively sculpted and nudged, maybe begrudgingly, into a tense coupling connoting both nocturnal clinches and tugs-of-war.
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville (Del Rey, 2001). Partly a discourse on political philosophy and the limits of science, partly a gripping steampunk thriller, this wildly imaginative book engrossed me like no other -- yes, it's up there, SF & Fantasy-wise, with His Dark Materials, Speaker for the Dead and Little, Big. An incredible monument of a novel, Perdido Street Station conjures up an entire city in all its filth and wonder.
Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead (Anchor, 2009). This was my favorite book of 2009: hugely funny and wise and sharply evocative of the mid-80s, from someone who should have been included in the New Yorker's 20 under 40, if he weren't a year older.
The Ten Thousand Things by Maria Dermout (New York Review Books, 1958). Somehow, in my previous career as a scholar of Southeast Asia, I missed this strangely beautiful novel. Set on an island in the Moluccas, the book is a series of stories -- the connections between them as light as gauze, the prose the same -- about memory, loyalty, mourning, the places we remember, and the ghosts that haunt them.
elsewhere held and lingered by Conchitina Cruz (High Chair, 2008). Remember those scenes in Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love when Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung would walk through the luridly red motel hallway? Or when they ride silently in the back of a cab as it moved through the neon-lit Hong Kong streets? This is what Cruz’s book of poetry is like. Half-remembered fragments of cigarettes smoked, unknown stirrings, betrayals and negotiations: "Each moment, the compulsive incisions: the wished-for hand, the wishing it away."
Invisible: Covert Operations and Classified Landscapes by Trevor Paglen (Aperture, 2010). Anthropologist Carolyn Nordstrom, in her magisterial ethnography Shadows of War, writes about how “the politics of invisibility” are not accidental: “it is created, and created for a reason… the modern state is as dependent on shadow economies and warzone profits as it is on keeping those dependencies invisible to formal reckoning.” This retrospective collection of Paglen’s photography – of military spacecraft orbiting the Earth, secret airfields in Nevada (looking eerily like Ansel Adams’ famous moonrise photograph), blurry photocopies of fake IDs of CIA officials involved in extraordinary rendition -- is both incontrovertible testimony and a reversal of the hierarchy of photographic power: it is now us who sees the workings of the state laid bare, made terrifyingly visible.
Martial Law Babies by Arnold Arre (Nautilus Books, 2008). This well-observed, sometimes piercingly nostalgic, and occasionally infuriating -- it's sometimes reminiscent of the same fascinatingly insular and sheltered world examined in Miguel Syjuco's Ilustrado -- graphic novel is a labor of love. Arre takes his readers through the disappearance of Voltes V from Philippine TV screens, UP Diliman hijinks, and the lovelorn protagonist's frustrations in the advertising world. It may devolve into St. Elmo's Fire-type melodrama towards the end, but its honesty and clarity of vision as it follows a barkada through the decades is worth the read.
Memories of Philippine Kitchens: Stories and Recipes from Far and Near by Amy Besa and Romeo Dorotan (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2006). I honestly can't write about the recipes -- I haven't tried any of them, daunted as I am --but this is far, far more than "just" a cookbook: there's a good reason "memories" and "stories" are featured prominently in the title. The authors and other contributors reminisce, in glowing prose, about memorable meals and, most important, the places and people attached to them. Food, memory, being Filipino: this book wonderfully, sumptuously, ties it all together. With gorgeous photography by Neal Oshima throughout.
Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love with Basketball by Rafe Bartholomew (NAL Hardcover, 2010). A frequently hilarious and enjoyably written chronicle of lived experience, stuffed with observational detail. Pacific Rims isn’t a great book about basketball in the Philippines; it’s a great book about the Philippines, period.
Partial List of People to Bleach by Gary Lutz (Future Tense Books, 2007). Words and sentences obsessively sculpted and nudged, maybe begrudgingly, into a tense coupling connoting both nocturnal clinches and tugs-of-war.
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville (Del Rey, 2001). Partly a discourse on political philosophy and the limits of science, partly a gripping steampunk thriller, this wildly imaginative book engrossed me like no other -- yes, it's up there, SF & Fantasy-wise, with His Dark Materials, Speaker for the Dead and Little, Big. An incredible monument of a novel, Perdido Street Station conjures up an entire city in all its filth and wonder.
Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead (Anchor, 2009). This was my favorite book of 2009: hugely funny and wise and sharply evocative of the mid-80s, from someone who should have been included in the New Yorker's 20 under 40, if he weren't a year older.
The Ten Thousand Things by Maria Dermout (New York Review Books, 1958). Somehow, in my previous career as a scholar of Southeast Asia, I missed this strangely beautiful novel. Set on an island in the Moluccas, the book is a series of stories -- the connections between them as light as gauze, the prose the same -- about memory, loyalty, mourning, the places we remember, and the ghosts that haunt them.
Cecilia Brainard: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn, and Tony Robles. This list is from Cecilia Brainard:
REQUIEM FOR A REBEL PRIEST, by Lim, Paulino, Jr. (New Day, 1996). Paulino Lim is a professor of English at Cal State Long Beach.You can read his short story, "Curacao Cure," in Our Own Voice (March 2002). Requiem for a Rebel Priest is his 3rd novel of a trilogy set during the Marcos and Aquino regimes follows the return of an ex-Jesuit to the Philippines when restless segments of the military were attempting to overthrow the Aquino government.You can find his other books here.
DREAM EDEN by Ty-Casper, Linda (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1996). One of the most prolific Filipino American writers is Linda Ty Casper who has written over 15 books. She is one author who should be admired not only for her talent but for her grace. This novel by Linda Ty-Casper is a portrait of the Philippines just before the Peaceful Revolution of 1986 up to the last coup of 1989.
AWAITING TRESPASS, by Ty-Casper, Linda (New Day, 1989). New York Times Book Review says: "Linda Ty-Casper pulls no punches in this unusual novel, which she describes as "a pasión" - yet she wears silk gloves. With jobs so deft they avoid the didactic but sting mightily, she indicts everything, from the values of the well-to-do to martial law."
ANGELICA'S DAUGHTERS, A DUGTUNGAN NOVEL by Brainard, Cuizon, Evangelista, Montes, and Sarreal (Anvil, 2010). Angelica's Daughters is a collaborative novel by five established Filipina writers, called a "dugtungan." A dugtungan is a genre of Tagalog novel popular early in the 20th century, in which each writer creates a chapter and hands it off to the next, who writes another chapter without direction. The result, in this case, is an ensemble performance that contains something of the exhilaration of theatrical improv. One watches these accomplished authors inventively weave a historical romance, creating gripping heroines and turns of plot, crossing decades and national boundaries, tapping into cultural roots of the Philippines, Spain and America. Reading Angelica's Daughters is a gripping experience.~ Brian Ascalon Roley, Author of American Son (W.W. Norton)
LIFE IN OLD PARIAN, by Briones, Concepcion G. (Kaguiakan, 2000). I love this hard to find book about historic old Cebu, especially because the Parian district is undergoing gentriffication. Concepcion Briones writes about growing up in the old Parian district of Cebu. She writes about the old families who lived there; she describes the houses and landmarks of the place; she records gossip of the time. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Cebu.
GROWING INTO ASIA AND OTHER ESSAYS, by Evangelista, Susan (UP Press, 2001) This is a collection of charming and insightful essays by Susan Evangelista who straddles many worlds. She hails from Michigan but is married to a Filipino. She has traveled to Japan, China, Thailand, Cambodia, and many other places. In this collection, she explores her life as an American in the Philippines, and reflects on the many other facets of her fascinating life. Evangelista taught writing and literature at the Ateneo de Manila.
Look for these titles at Philippine American Literary House and Philippine Expressions Bookshop.
REQUIEM FOR A REBEL PRIEST, by Lim, Paulino, Jr. (New Day, 1996). Paulino Lim is a professor of English at Cal State Long Beach.You can read his short story, "Curacao Cure," in Our Own Voice (March 2002). Requiem for a Rebel Priest is his 3rd novel of a trilogy set during the Marcos and Aquino regimes follows the return of an ex-Jesuit to the Philippines when restless segments of the military were attempting to overthrow the Aquino government.You can find his other books here.
DREAM EDEN by Ty-Casper, Linda (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1996). One of the most prolific Filipino American writers is Linda Ty Casper who has written over 15 books. She is one author who should be admired not only for her talent but for her grace. This novel by Linda Ty-Casper is a portrait of the Philippines just before the Peaceful Revolution of 1986 up to the last coup of 1989.
AWAITING TRESPASS, by Ty-Casper, Linda (New Day, 1989). New York Times Book Review says: "Linda Ty-Casper pulls no punches in this unusual novel, which she describes as "a pasión" - yet she wears silk gloves. With jobs so deft they avoid the didactic but sting mightily, she indicts everything, from the values of the well-to-do to martial law."
GROWING INTO ASIA AND OTHER ESSAYS, by Evangelista, Susan (UP Press, 2001) This is a collection of charming and insightful essays by Susan Evangelista who straddles many worlds. She hails from Michigan but is married to a Filipino. She has traveled to Japan, China, Thailand, Cambodia, and many other places. In this collection, she explores her life as an American in the Philippines, and reflects on the many other facets of her fascinating life. Evangelista taught writing and literature at the Ateneo de Manila.
Look for these titles at Philippine American Literary House and Philippine Expressions Bookshop.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tony Robles: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, Luis Francia, Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn. This list is from Tony Robles:
Criminal of Poverty, Growing up Homeless in America by Lisa Gray Garcia AKA "Tiny" (City Lights Books, 2007). The Story of Tiny and her mother Dee, co-founders of POOR Magazine--Revolutionary indigenous Media project.
Facing Ali: 15 Fighters / 15 Stories by Stephen Brunt (Lyons Press, 2004). A fantastic collection of anecdotes/recollections of fighters who faced Muhammad Ali.
I-Hotel by Karen Tei Yamashita (Coffee House Press, 2010).
Kali's Blade by Michelle Bautista (Meritage Press, 2006). My father has been practicing Kali for many years. I gave this book to him as a gift. He loved it.
Raymond Carver, A Writer's Life by Carol Sklenicka (Scribner, 2009).
Republic of East LA by Luis J. Rodriguez (Rayo, 2002). One of my favorite books.
Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas (Vintage, 1997).
Growing up Brown by Peter Jamero (University of Washington Press, 2006).
Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults edited by Cecilia Brainard (PALH Books, 2010).
Criminal of Poverty, Growing up Homeless in America by Lisa Gray Garcia AKA "Tiny" (City Lights Books, 2007). The Story of Tiny and her mother Dee, co-founders of POOR Magazine--Revolutionary indigenous Media project.
I-Hotel by Karen Tei Yamashita (Coffee House Press, 2010).
Kali's Blade by Michelle Bautista (Meritage Press, 2006). My father has been practicing Kali for many years. I gave this book to him as a gift. He loved it.
Raymond Carver, A Writer's Life by Carol Sklenicka (Scribner, 2009).
Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas (Vintage, 1997).
Growing up Brown by Peter Jamero (University of Washington Press, 2006).
Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults edited by Cecilia Brainard (PALH Books, 2010).
Jessica Hagedorn and Ninotchka Rosca: Holiday Gift Book Lists
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, Karen Llagas, and Luis Francia. Today, we have brief notes from Ninotchka Rosca and Jessica Hagedorn:
Ninotchka Rosca tells us she is currently reading the works of Turkish Nobel Laureate, Orhan Pamuk.
Jessica Hagedorn tells us she is currently reading the works of Roberto Bolaño (New Directions Publishing).
Ninotchka Rosca tells us she is currently reading the works of Turkish Nobel Laureate, Orhan Pamuk.
Jessica Hagedorn tells us she is currently reading the works of Roberto Bolaño (New Directions Publishing).
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
12/18/2010: Rizal Day Lecture and Photo Presentation
From Penélope V. Flores:
Rizal Day Lecture and Photo Presentation
You are invited to a Rizal Day Lecture and Photo presentation on my research on "Tracing the Footsteps of Dr. José Rizal in Europe."
Rizal went to Madrid in 1882-1887, lived in several apartments, attended classes at the university, wrote for La Solidaridad, visited with friends, ate at his favorite restaurant, attended some bailes at the "Alhambra" picnicked at the gardens of El Retiro, socialized at the Ateneo de Madrid, demonstrated with other Filipino radicals in front of the Congreso de los Diputados, and many more. I present the photos of these places which are still very much the way it looked 200 years ago.
When: Dec. 18th, 2010, Saturday, 4:30 pm
Where: San Francisco Public Library, Civic Center, Koret Auditorium
Simple refreshments will be served.
Rizal Day Lecture and Photo Presentation
You are invited to a Rizal Day Lecture and Photo presentation on my research on "Tracing the Footsteps of Dr. José Rizal in Europe."
Rizal went to Madrid in 1882-1887, lived in several apartments, attended classes at the university, wrote for La Solidaridad, visited with friends, ate at his favorite restaurant, attended some bailes at the "Alhambra" picnicked at the gardens of El Retiro, socialized at the Ateneo de Madrid, demonstrated with other Filipino radicals in front of the Congreso de los Diputados, and many more. I present the photos of these places which are still very much the way it looked 200 years ago.
When: Dec. 18th, 2010, Saturday, 4:30 pm
Where: San Francisco Public Library, Civic Center, Koret Auditorium
Simple refreshments will be served.
Luis Francia: Holiday Gift Book List
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, Veronica Montes, and Karen Llagas. This list is from Luis Francia:
The Beauty of Ghosts, by Luis H. Francia (Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2010). (Order at Philippine Expressions.)
Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Vol. 1 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010).
Haywire: Flash Fictions, by Thaddeus Rutkowski (New York: Starcherone/Dzanc Books, 2010).
Poems of the Black Object, by Ronaldo Wilson (New York: Futurepoems Books, 2009).
Ilustrado, by Miguel Syjuco (New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2010).
The Verso Book of Dissent: From Spartacus to the Shoe Thrower in Baghdad, edited by A. Hsiao & A. Lim (New York: Verso Books, 2010).
Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Vol. 1 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010).
Haywire: Flash Fictions, by Thaddeus Rutkowski (New York: Starcherone/Dzanc Books, 2010).
Poems of the Black Object, by Ronaldo Wilson (New York: Futurepoems Books, 2009).
Ilustrado, by Miguel Syjuco (New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2010).
The Verso Book of Dissent: From Spartacus to the Shoe Thrower in Baghdad, edited by A. Hsiao & A. Lim (New York: Verso Books, 2010).
Monday, December 13, 2010
Call for Submissions: ANTHOLOGY SEEKING ESSAYS BY WOMEN WRITERS ABOUT CRAFT AND THE WRITING PROCESS
In our own lives as writers and educators, we have felt buoyed by, and thirsty for, dialogue about the creative process. We think it is particularly essential to gather a collection of process/craft-based essays by women who span several different generations. We hope that an anthology such as this will serve as both a historical document of the times and lives of a sampling of women writers, but also as a rare look into some of the concerns of a diverse body of writers writing about craft, process, and their relationships to the literary arts in different personal/socio-political contexts.
We are open to a variety of styles, from the more personal to the more academic. Based on the suggestions of a guiding group of women writers, we have drawn up a list of questions (see below) which can serve as a guide for your essays. Please feel free to use them in any way that is helpful to you (or not at all). We are also interested in re-publishing relevant essays by some of our luminaries (dead and living): Audre Lorde, Muriel Rukeyser, June Jordan, Cherrie Moraga, Adrienne Rich... In addition to contributing your own, if you have read any essays that you think should be included, please send them our way.
Please submit essays by March 15th, 2011, to discuss with publishers who might be interested in April. Please send essays to elanzobell@gmail.com and agia@hampshire.edu
We really hope you’ll consider contributing an essay to this important project.
Sincerely,
Aracelis Girmay and Elana Bell
We are open to a variety of styles, from the more personal to the more academic. Based on the suggestions of a guiding group of women writers, we have drawn up a list of questions (see below) which can serve as a guide for your essays. Please feel free to use them in any way that is helpful to you (or not at all). We are also interested in re-publishing relevant essays by some of our luminaries (dead and living): Audre Lorde, Muriel Rukeyser, June Jordan, Cherrie Moraga, Adrienne Rich... In addition to contributing your own, if you have read any essays that you think should be included, please send them our way.
Please submit essays by March 15th, 2011, to discuss with publishers who might be interested in April. Please send essays to elanzobell@gmail.com and agia@hampshire.edu
We really hope you’ll consider contributing an essay to this important project.
Sincerely,
Aracelis Girmay and Elana Bell
Karen Llagas: Holiday Gift Book List
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, and Veronica Montes. This list is from Karen Llagas:
Baker of Tarifa by Shadab Zeest Hashmi (Poetic Matrix Press, 2010).
Bulaklak sa Tubig: Mga Tula ng Pag-ibig at Himagsik / Flowers on Water: Poems on Love and Revolt by Joi Barrios (bi-lingual, Tagalog-English; Anvil Publishing, 2010).
The Place That Inhabits Us: Poems of the San Francisco Bay Watershed, edited by Sixteen Rivers Press (Sixteen Rivers Press, 2010).
Independence, by Sarah Lapido Manyika (Legend Press, 2008).
Crown of Dust, by Mary Volmer (Soho Press, 2010).
A Thousand Threads, by Steve Orlen (The Hollyridge Press Chapbook Series, 2009).
Baker of Tarifa by Shadab Zeest Hashmi (Poetic Matrix Press, 2010).
Bulaklak sa Tubig: Mga Tula ng Pag-ibig at Himagsik / Flowers on Water: Poems on Love and Revolt by Joi Barrios (bi-lingual, Tagalog-English; Anvil Publishing, 2010).
The Place That Inhabits Us: Poems of the San Francisco Bay Watershed, edited by Sixteen Rivers Press (Sixteen Rivers Press, 2010).
Independence, by Sarah Lapido Manyika (Legend Press, 2008).
Crown of Dust, by Mary Volmer (Soho Press, 2010).
A Thousand Threads, by Steve Orlen (The Hollyridge Press Chapbook Series, 2009).
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Veronica Montes: Holiday Gift Book List
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here. We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, and Vangie Buell. This list is from Veronica Montes:
What It Is (Drawn & Quarterly, 2008) and Picture This: The Near-Sighted Monkey Book (Drawn & Quarterly, 2010) by Lynda Barry. Writers and artists will be inspired by these two unorthodox “manuals” for the creative life. Written by hand and filled with Barry’s color-saturated collages, drawings, doodles, and whatnot, they're pretty much impossible to put down.
Pinoy Capital: The Filipino Nation in Daly City, by Benito M. Vergara, Jr. (Temple University Press, 2009). Like thousands of Filipinos before me, and hundreds of thousands after me, I grew up in Daly City. This is a fascinating anthropological take on my hometown, written in a style that is somehow both academic and conversational. A must-have for the bookshelf of anyone with even a tangential interest in a landscape that holds special meaning for Filipinos.
A History of the Philippines from Indios Bravos to Filipinos by Luis Francia (Overlook Press, 2010). A history of the Philippines written by a poet/journalist? Who could resist such a fine book? Pick up two copies: one for yourself, and one to offer as a gift to someone who has been very, very good this year.
Imago by Joseph O. Legaspi (CavanKerry Press, 2007). I had the chance to hear Joseph read from the poems in Imago when he participated in the PAWA Reading Series earlier this year, and was instantly drawn to his work. He captures all the beauty and innocence of childhood, tempered by the inevitable intrusion(s) of death, violence, sex (the confusing parts, that is). So good.
Diwata by Barbara Jane Reyes (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2010). Lush, lovely, inspired. These poems are filled with startling imagery, strong women, and story, story, story.
The Solemn Lantern Maker, by Merlinda Bobis (Delta, 2009). This novel begins just six days before Christmas with a mute boy trawling the streets selling his handmade paper lanterns. Add to this his best friend Elvis (who holds a terrible secret), an injured and missing American tourist, and a post-9/11 let’s-freak-everybody-out media frenzy, and what do you have? A really good story.
Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults, Cecilia Brainard, ed. (PALH Books, 2009). I would recommend this anthology even if I didn’t have a story in it. It’s one of those books I’d wished I’d had as a teenager and young adult, simply because it’s affirming to have our experiences transformed into a narrative on the page. You’ll find bits and pieces of yourself and yours in these stories, for sure.
I’d also like to recommend subscriptions to literary journals that seem to consistently support the work of Filipino writers. Bamboo Ridge Press, The Asian American Literary Review, and Manoa instantly come to mind.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Vangie Buell: Holiday Gift Book List
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature? We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here.
We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios, Barbara Jane Reyes, and Oliver de la Paz. Here's Vangie Buell's:
Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee, by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Carl Angel (Tricycle Press, 2009).
Cora Cooks Pancit, by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore, illustrated by Kristi Valiant (Shen's Books, 2009).
Twenty Five Chickens and a Pig for a Bride: Growing up in an Filipino Immigrant Family, by Evangeline Canonizado Buell, illustrated by Carl Angel (T'Boli Publishing, 2006).
Images of America: Filipinos in the East Bay, by Evangeline Canonizado Buell, Evelyn Luluquisen, Ellie Luis, and Lillian Galledo (Arcadia Publishing, 2008).
Look for these books at Arkipelago Books and Eastwind Books of Berkeley.
Oliver de la Paz: Holiday Gift Book List
This holiday, why not give the gift of literature?
We will be posting reading lists and book buying suggestions from Filipino American authors here.
We've previously posted lists from Eileen Tabios and Barbara Jane Reyes. Here are Oliver de la Paz's recommendations:
In Canaan, by Shane McCrae (Rescue Press, 2010).
Burnings, by Ocean Vuong (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2010).
Each Crumbling House, by Melody S. Gee (Perugia Press, 2010).
Sweet Grass, by Micah Ling (Sunnyoutside Press, 2010).
Friday, December 10, 2010
Call for Submissions: Queer Women of Color Filmmakers
From Asia Writes:
Deadline: 31 December 2010
CALL FOR FILMS from Queer Women of Color Filmmakers for our 7th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) invites queer women of color to submit short films to our 7th annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival, to be held June 10-12, 2011 at the Brava Theater, in San Francisco.
Deadline: 31 December 2010
CALL FOR FILMS from Queer Women of Color Filmmakers for our 7th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) invites queer women of color to submit short films to our 7th annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival, to be held June 10-12, 2011 at the Brava Theater, in San Francisco.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)