How I Became a Writer 2: Essays by Filipino Writers
Collected and Edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
ISBN 978–971-97–1067‑7 — (Vibal Foundation 2026), softcover, 170 pages, with full color photos, order from Vibal Shop, Lazada, in the US, contact palhbooks@gmail.com
PRAISE:
“How I Became a Writer, Volume 2 affords twenty-five fascinating glimpses of the phenomenon by which experience, sense, and sensibility are transmuted by the grace of writing—not to mention opportunity and stamina—into a form of intervention in the world. This is a book to be read for fun, for insight, and for inspiration. ” ~ Caroline S. Hau,Ph.D. Literary Critic and Fiction Writer
“The 25 new essays in How I Became A Writer, Volume 2, recount the failures and frustrations as well as successes and joys of the writers of all genres, whether of creative writing (prose fiction, poetry, plays and/or of essays and journalistic pieces. Readers, whether Filipino or not, get to know the writers close up, as people as well as practitioners, with extensive, often multi-national experiences. Combined with volume 1 of How I Became A Writer (Vibal, 2025), we see the remarkable richness of Filipino literature, wherever inthe Philippines or the diaspora it may originate.” ~ Lynn M. Grow, Ph.D. Emeritus Senior Professor of English, Broward College
“This book is remarkable because it reveals what few readers get to explore, the inner lives, private rituals, or simple kismet paths to creative expression that marks the life of every writer. It is a compendium of life experiences leading to a documentation of craft: of individuals, and generations of some of the keenest minds this country has produced.” ~ Manolo L. Quezon III, Author and Historian
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INTRODUCTION
copyright 2026 by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
THE FIRST VOLUME OF How I Became a Writer: Essays by Filipino Writers, which was released in 2025, grew out of my personal curiosity about how other writers discovered their gift for writing. I wondered how they developed their talent to become the noted writers they now are. I invited my literary writer friends to share in my blog their personal journeys. The 22 authors’ personal stories by established writers revealed a lot about the creative process and at the same time, taught others “how to do it.”
Validation of the strength of the collection came in different forms. Vibal picked it up for publication; it is one of their best sellers. Philippine National Artist in Literature, Resil Mojares, who is reputed for his straight-talking, praised it saying: “How I Became a Writer: Essays by Filipino and Filipino American Writers offers intimate, fine-grained accounts in the making of what constitutes contemporary Philippine literature, provided by a remarkable set of Filipino writers in the Philippines and abroad, It is a book to be treasured.”
Further validation came when my Brazilian publisher picked up the book for translation into Portuguese.
Gratified by the response to Volume 1 of How I Became a Writer, I went on to collect personal essays for Volume 2 of How I Became a Writer. I wanted this second volume to offer something different from the first volume. Aside from testimonials by fiction writers and poets, I wanted to hear the personal stories of non-fiction writers, including journalists, historians, and others, about their challenges and developments, as well as their contributions to Philippine writings.
I sought them out, but I quickly learned that one cannot box writers in categories; writers will write in different genres: a historian can be a journalist, a poet, a playwright, a memoirist, a fiction writer. This anthology includes such authors who write in various genres. The collection also includes playwrights, a chick-lit novelist, and a comic-book writer. The reader will find an amazing collection of testimonials by established Filipino writers from different parts of the world, who have something to say about their creative process and work.
Writers in Diaspora
While most of the writers in this book come from the Philippines, we have several contributors from other countries. We have Gene Alcantara who resides in the UK and Spain. For decades, Gene has worked in building a strong network of Filipino writers in the EU. He is involved in Filipino publications (published and online) in the UK and the rest of Europe. Aside from journalistic work, he also writes poetry and short stories and is a translator (from Russian to Filipino).
From Northern California, we have Myles A. Garcia who is a screenwriter, non-fiction writer, and regular contributor to the widely distributed online magazine called Positively Filipino. Geronimo Tagatac, the son of an Ilocano farmworker, comes from Oregon. An avid listener to the stories of his father and his Cajun grandmother, he transforms his Filipino American experiences into stories. From Massachusetts, we have Grace Talusan who teaches at Brown University and writes memoirs. New York-based Luis H. Francia, who knew Jose Garcia Villa in New York, is a playwright, poet, journalist, and non-fiction writer. Brian Ascalon Roley from Ohio is another award-winning writer and professor who melds in this writing, his Filipino and his American experiences. His debut novel, American Son, about two Filipino-American brothers in California, remains a powerful landmark novel. Singapore-based Claire Betita de Guzman gives us insight into her writing life as a commercially successful chick-lit novelist; she is highly popular among younger readers.
Journalists
There are several journalists in this collection who had opposed the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Dictatorship. When the 1972 Martial Law broke out in the Philippines, Rene Ciria-Cruz, had to leave the Philippines for New York where he became the organizer for the KDP (Katipunan ng mga Demokratikong Pilipino).
Alma Cruz Miclat and her husband Mario Miclat, fled to China after Martial Law. There they lived for 15 years, with their two daughters, until the People Power EDSA Revolution allowed them to safely return to the Philippines.
Journalists in this book who cover political and human rights topics include Ma. Ceres Doyo, Marites Dañguilan Vitug, Elizabeth Lolarga, and Marra Pl. Lanot (who is multilingual and has written books of poetry and fiction in English, Filipino, and Spanish).
Academics
This book includes multitalented academics who write literary history, criticism, and other academic work, as well as fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and plays.
Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo has published more than 40 books of novels, short story collections, creative non-fiction, as well as literary criticism. Susan Evangelista, who was born in Michigan but who has lived in the Philippines since the 1960s, finds writing inspiration from her wealth of experiences. She served in the American Peace Corps; she taught at the Ateneo and Palawan State Universities; she co-founded with her daughter an NGO which promotes reproductive health.
Playwright and poet Joem Antonio also writes children’s books even as he teaches at the University of Asia and the Pacific. Jose Wendell Capili who is immersed in his academic life at the University of the Philippines as Professor and Dean for Public Affairs, pulls in awards for his literary history and criticism, essays, poetry, and other writings. Charlie Samuya Veric, who is Director of the Ateneo Literary and Cultural Studies Program; Project Leader of the Ateneo Archive of Philippine Literature in English; and Vice Chair of the National Research Council of the Philippines, finds the time to write poetry even as he does his historical and other academic writings.
Danton Remoto is a professor, journalist, fiction writer, poet, screenwriter, who is also involved in fighting for human and gender rights. He founded Ladlad, the LGBTQ political party in the Philippines. Among his many published books are Riverrun and The Heart of Summer: Stories and Tales.
Historians
The historians in this collection include Jose Victor Z. Torres who integrates a literary style in his historical writings. “I was writing historical pieces that wasn’t the academic style of presenting history. I was telling history as a story. It was exciting to be a historian and a storyteller at the same time,” he says.
The food historian, Ige Ramos, also graces this anthology. Aside from his scholarly work on food, Ige Ramos, is also a book designer.
Another historian in this collection, Vicente Rafael, unfortunately passed away in February 2026, but he leaves us with his wise words in this collection. “My practice and habit of writing have always been shaped by my reading,” his essay begins. In his elegant writing, he informs us about the importance of libraries, and how at a young age, he spent “quite a bit of time riffling through card catalogs … (and) Like meeting strangers who end up becoming friends, found books proved to be intimate companions …”
Other Writers
Other notable writers in this book include Father Jesus Jay M. Miranda, Jr., a Dominican professor at the University of Santo Tomas, who gives us a religious point of view as an opinion writer. We have noted comics writer and artist Randy Valiente, who brightens the pages of our anthology with his personal story in comic-form.
The collection also includes Jessica Zafra, who was a popular television and radio show host, columnist, and non-fiction writer, before focusing on fiction writing. In this book, she shares with us how she wrote her debut novel The Age of Umbrage.
I am proud to present How I Became a Writer: Essays by Filipino Writers Volume 2, which highlights 25 of our most talented writers. I believe the readers will find nuggets of information as well as inspiration in their personal accounts.
Photo taken at the book launch of How I Became a Writer 2: Essays by Filipino Writers, on Saturday, September 12, 2026, 5 pm at Manila International Book Fair 2025, SMX Convention;
front l‑r: Marites Vitug, Cecilia Brainard, Alma Miclat Cruz, Ceres Doyo, Jose Victor Torres;
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