CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD: PHILIPPINE AMERICAN WRITER CALIFORNIA CEBU
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WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD'S OUT OF CEBU: ESSAYS AND PERSONAL PROSE
How can anyone miss with a book like this? It combines the marvelous
prose of Cecilia Brainard with
the reflective ambiance of Cebu. Although I am neither a woman nor a Cebuano,
Cecilia is one of my
favorite authors and Cebu is one of my favorite cities. Cecilia has always
impressed me with her energy
and expertise. Cebu has always been my writing city, which I visit whenever
I am in need of inspiration.
Now I have both Cecilia and Cebu every day between covers in my hands.”
Isagani R. Cruz
Columnist, Philippine Star
“I knew Cecilia Manguerra Brainard first as a fiction writer, writing from
the U.S. but grounded in the
physicality of Ubec, Cebu, of course ... Later when I got to know her as
a friend, I discovered another layer
which involved her deep interest, research in and thinking about Filipino
history, particularly Magellan,
who died, of course, in Cebu. I visited her in her current Cebuano home in
the Parian, and we walked past
the old Jesuit house down the street. Thus I found this collection of essays
charmingly
familiar and yet fresh and new . . . A beautiful collection!”
Susan Evangelista
Professor, Palawan State University
“Cecilia Manguerra Brainard’s essays are invaluable to students as
they reflect on their own life journey.
These essays celebrate a pride in a heritage. Brainard is clearly proud
of her Cebuana heritage
and this pride shows in this magnificent collection of essays. No doubt,
educators and students alike will
be enthralled by the details and pictures created in these essays.”
Edmundo F. Litton
Professor of Education, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles
“Cecilia Manguerra Brainard lets her passions take us on travels to places
in the world and in her spirit.
Either way she releases the candidness, the critique, and the chaos that
confront a writer evolving. For
never does the writer tire of becoming while connecting past with future.
And in her case, a youth spent
on the island of Cebu, jumps in and out whether she is haggling in Peru,
contemplating sweet Philippine
custard, or recalling her beloved Carnival Queen mother who reigned before
modern beauty contests dared
to design an international standard.”
Felice Prudente Sta. Maria
Award-winning Writer
~~~~~
PRESS RELEASE - For Immediate Release 1/20/12
SAN CARLOS RELEASES NEW BOOK “OUT OF CEBU”
The University of San Carlos Press is proud to announce that the book, Out
of Cebu: Essays and Personal Prose, by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard will be
released on February 5, 2012.
The book collects 28 essays about the author’s Cebuano ties, including
colorful accounts about her mother’s family, the Cuencos, a prominent
political family in Cebu. The book also includes writings about the author’s
life and travels outside of Cebu.
The book has received early praise from the educator, Dr. Edmundo Litton of
Loyola Marymount University who says, “These essays celebrate a pride
in a heritage. Brainard is clearly proud of her Cebuana heritage and this pride
shows in this magnificent collection of essays.”
Likewise, Dr. Susan Evangelista of Palawan State University comments, “I
knew Cecilia Manguerra Brainard first as a fiction writer, writing from the
U.S., but grounded in the physicality of Ubec, Cebu, of course. Later when
I got to know her as a friend, I discovered another layer which involved her
deep interest, research in and thinking about Filipino history, particularly
Magellan, who died,of course, in Cebu.”
The author, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, was born and raised in Cebu. Her parents
were Engr. Mariano F. Manguerra and Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra. She attended
St. Theresa’s College in Cebu and San Marcelino; she obtained her AB
in Communication Arts at Maryknoll College. She went on to do graduate work
in film making at UCLA, but later went into writing when she was a young wife
and mother. Aside from writing and editing, she teaches at the prestigious
Writers’ Program at UCLA Extension.
Brainard has written nine books, including the internationally-acclaimed novel,
When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, which chronicles the coming of age of a young
girl in Ubec (Cebu backwards) during World War II, a novel inspired by her
own parents’ experiences during the war. Brainard first coined the mythical
place “Ubec” in her first short story collection, Woman with Horns
and Other Stories, and she continued to use this setting in her other works
of fiction: Magdalena, Acapulco at Sunset and Other Stories, Vigan and Other
Stories.
She has also written books of nonfiction, edited four books, and co-edited
six more. Her writings have been translated into Finnish and Turkish.
Brainard has received a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody
Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian
American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California
State Senate, 21st District. She has also been awarded by the Filipino and
Filipino American communities she has served. She received the prestigious
Filipinas Magazine Arts Award, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her
birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has received several travel grants in the
Philippines, from the USIS (United States Information Service).
She has lectured and performed in worldwide literary arts organizations and
universities, including UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of
the Philippines, PEN, Beyond Baroque, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and
many others. She teaches creative writing at the Writers Program at UCLA-Extension.
She is married to Lauren R. Brainard, a former Peace Corp Volunteer to Leyte,
Philippines; they have three sons and several grandchildren.
Brainard’s book, Out of Cebu: Essays and Personal Essays, is available
from Cebu’s University of San Carlos Press (sancarlospublications@yahoo.com).
-end-
Copyright 2012 by Cecilia M. Brainard. All rights reserved.
E-mail questions/comments
to cbrainard@aol.com
Copyright © 2012
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
