PALH or Philippine American Literary House is a small publishing house that publishes select Philippine and Filipino American books of fiction. Many of its titles are published both in the US and in the Philippines.
PALH’s roots go back to 1991 when a group of seven Filipinas in the US formed a support group called Philippine American Women Writers and Artists (PAWWA). These women went on to publish and sell Filipino and Filam books in the US.
When PAWWA dissolved in 1998, founding member Cecilia Brainard arranged to take over PAWWA’s work under the name of PALH (Philippine American Literary House). Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is herself a writer and editor whose books have been published by Dutton Penguin, the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House and others.
For rights inquiries, please contact Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com.
PALH (Philippine American Literary House, PALHBOOKS.COM
CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD
Novel
MAGDALENA
Erotic and Tragic Novel written in the fragmentary style
When the young woman Juana becomes pregnant, she decides to tell the tragic love story of her mother who died during childbirth, and her American father who is a prisoner of war in Vietnam. But soon, her grandmother and other women in her family come to her in dreams and thoughts, demanding to have their stories written, to have their secrets revealed.
“Expertly written by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard … Magdalena is set in the chaotic backdrop of twentieth century East Asia. A romantic, powerful tale of three generations of Filipino women, written with a close eye on the terrors of war and the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II, Magdalena is an intense, involving, highly recommended saga that documents author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard as a gifted author with a mastery of storytelling that will keep the reader’s total attention and engagement from first page to last!” ~Midwest Review
Author: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
ISBN: 978–971-506–801‑7 (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House)
ISBN: 978–1‑953716–11‑8 (PALH)
For rights inquiries, please contact cbrainard@gmail.com . Rights sold to Greece, Egypt, Serbia, Macedonia.
Novel
THE NEWSPAPER WIDOW
A literary mystery set in the Philippines in 1909
Finalist for the 37th National Book Award
Shortlisted for the Inaugural Cirilo F. Bautista Prize
When a murdered priest is discovered in a creek, the son of Ines is picked up as a suspect and jailed. Ines, newly-widowed and is still grieving, and who is also trying to keep his newspaper business afloat, decides she has to find the real murderer so her son will be freed. She and her friend a French seamstress set out to investigate the crime.
“What follows is part detective story and part historical fiction, set in the Philippines seven years after the conclusion of the Philippine-American War (1899–1902) that cemented U.S. occupation of the islands. The mystery elements are competently plotted, and the characters appealing, and there’s a charming long-distance romance, with a hint of another yet to come. The book’s signal virtue, though, is its bighearted look at Filipino culture and society in 1909.” ~ David Keymer, Library Journal
Author: Cecilia Manguerrra Brainard
ISBN: 978–971-506–811‑6 (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House). Rights sold to Serbia, Greece, Egypt, Macedonia, Slovenia.
ISBN: 078–1‑053716–14‑9 (PALH)
For rights inquiries, please contact cbrainard@gmail.com
Novel
WHEN THE RAINBOW GODDESS WEPT
A Classic in Pacific War and Philippine Literatures
When World War II breaks out in the Philippines, the nine-year old girl Yvonne has to leave her city home with her parents to hide in the mountains of Mindanao. There she becomes a witness to wartime horrors. Her father is an American-trained engineer who is part of the guerrilla movement. Her mother, who is used to comfort and city-life, is totally unfit for harsh jungle/mountain life. Living under harsh conditions, Yvonne’s only comfort are the ancient Philippine epics that the family cook tells her. Will this sustain her for the duration of this bloody and horrific war?
“Cecilia Brainard’s debut novel is the tearful, seldom-told story of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II as seen through the eyes of a young Filipino girl. The many hardships that 9‑year-old Yvonne Macaraig and her family are faced with teach her the value of hope and endurance…Brainard’s wonderful novel shows how war brings out the best and the worst in people as it describes both the atrocities and the heroics that befall her characters. The novel’s theme, the vast cost of war on the human spirit is illustrated well by Yvonne’s tragic loss of innocence. In the words of her grandfather, Lolo Peping: “Before man sinned, he was innocent. Man’s original sin wasn’t eating the forbidden fruit; it was Cain’s murder of his brother.” ~ Associated Press
Author: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
ISBN: 978–971-506–842‑0 (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House)
ISBN: 978–0‑472–08637‑5 9 (University of Michigan Press – Ann Arbor)
For rights inquiries, please contact cbrainard@gmail.com. Rights sold to Azerbaijan, Egypt, Macedonia, Brazil, Japan
SELECTED SHORT STORIES BY CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD
Winner 40th National Book Award and Cirilo Bautista Prize
Finalist Gintong Aklat Award
“Cecilia Manguerra Brainard’s (39) short stories cover not just the history of the Philippines – Spanish and American colonial rule, the bloody Marcos era, the high price of fighting for political and economic freedom – but also the deeply moving hesitations and complexities of the human heart: the loves and longings and losses that shape and haunt a life, the sensuality and desires that rip apart the fabric of social life, the intricacies of girlhood and female friendship, the confrontation of cultures, the loneliness and courage of Filipino-Americans and others who have left their homelands and the idea of home. Beautifully written, masterfully crafted, these stories are at once heart-breaking, entertaining, and profoundly humane — very difficult to put down, impossible to forget.” ~ Reine Arcache Melvin, Novelist
Author: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
ISBN: 978–971-506‑8710 (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House)
ISBN: 978–1‑954716–01‑9 (PALH)
For rights inquiries, please contact cbrainard@gmail.com. Rights sold to Macedonia, Brazil
More fiction by Cecilia Manguerrra Brainard: Woman with Horns and Other Stories, Acapulco at Sunset and Other Stories — click on links
Nonfiction/Memoir
OUT OF CEBU: ESSAYS AND PERSONAL PROSE
“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, Writer)
Author: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
First published by the University of San Carlos, Cebu, out of print.
For rights inquiries, please contact Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com
“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.” ~ Resil B. Mojares, Philippine National Artist in Literature.
Collected and Edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
ISBN978-971–97–1010–3 — (Vibal Foundation 2025), softcover, 192 pages, with full color photos
For rights inquiry, contact Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com.
WITH AN IMPRIMATUR FROM ARCHBISHOP OF MANILA LUIS ANTONION D. TAGLE D.D.
This religious Catholic book collects 24 Marian devotees’ accounts of their experiences in Marian pilgrim sites. The sites are found in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, India, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United States, and there are eight Pilgrim sites in the Philippines. The book includes short write-ups of other international pilgrim sites and some Catholic Prayers.
Collected and Edited by Cecilia Brainard
ISBN 9781953716491 (PALH 2024), softcover, softcover, 225 pages
For rights inquiry, contact Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com.
“Step Into Our Kitchens: Theresian Recipes and Tales is not just a cookbook; it’s a time capsule of cherished family recipes and stories passed down through generations. As you explore these pages, you’ll discover more than just ingredients and cooking method-you’ll uncover the love, laughter, and traditions that have shaped a Theresian family’s culinary heritage. For those with a Theresian grandmother, mother, aunt, wife, or sister, let these recipes serve as a bridge to the past, a connection to your roots, and a reminder to savor the flavors of your family history for many years to come. This is a true culinary masterpiece that captures the heart and soul of Theresian values.” ~ Ige Ramos, Independent Food Scholar and Writer
Collected and Edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
ISBN 978–971–97–1028‑8 (Vibal Foundation 2025)
For Rights Inquiry, contact Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com
LINDA TY-CASPER 
Novella and Short Stories
A RIVER, ONE WOMAN-DEEP: STORIES
Winner of the SEA Write and other Awards, Filipina writer Linda Ty-Casper, who is noted for her historical fiction set in the Philippines, presents this new story collection that includes her novella of the same title.
Her novella is set during the tumultuous Estrada years from 1998 to 2001 when the Philippine president rose to power and was impeached after massive rallies. The main character is a Filipina-American who uncovers a family secret during her visit to Manila, a secret caused by another traumatic historic event in the Philippines — World War Two. Her other stories are about Filipino and Filipino-American women.
World Literature Today’s Nota Bene section reviewed: “In this collection of stories, Filipina American Linda Ty-Casper runs her finger along the scars left behind in the wake of historical events in the Philippines parsing out what it means to live through and after the trauma of dictatorships and war.
Author: Linda Ty-Casper
ISBN: 9780971945852 (PALH);
also published by the UST Publishing House
For rights inquiries, please contact Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com
Nonfiction — Collection of Letters
WILL YOU HAPPEN, PAST THE SILENCE, THROUGH THE DARK?
Award-winning Filipino novelist, Linda-Ty-Casper — the author of this biography, says this book is the Memoir that her husband Leonard Ralph Casper did not get to write. Born in Fond du Lac Wisconsin in 1923, Leonard Casper had a full life as a writer, an academic, a literary critic until he passed away in 2018.
Linda Ty-Casper collects the letters to and from Leonard Casper, letters which reflect who he was to many friends, high school classmates, teachers and professors, colleagues in the Universities of Rhode Island, Ateneo University of Manila, University of the Philippines and Wisconsin, from editors of Southwest Review who encouraged Len to send stories from the European front during World War II; from Robert Penn Warren starting with his first letter of inquiry (two pages) when he began on his dissertation at the University of Wisconsin, the dissertation becoming the first book on Warren, which critics said showed the way for later books on the Southern writers. There are letters from Filipino writers Len grew to know as friends from years of teaching in the Philippines.
Editor: Linda Ty-Casper
ISBN: 9781953716200 (PALH); also published by the Ateneo University Press of Manila
For rights inquiries, please contact Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com
VERONICA MONTES
Short Stories
BENEDICTA TAKES WING AND OTHER STORIES
This is the debut collection of short fiction by Filipino American writer Veronica Montes. In these fourteen stories, Montes explores the intricate workings of Filipino families as they struggle to define their place in the world. Two American-born sisters bumble their way through an unforgettable night at a Manila nightclub famed for its staff of midgets. The mother of legendary warrior Gabriela Silang has been lost to history, but here she is given voice to share her story. A lonely, middle-aged woman’s life changes when she stumbles on a surrogate son and together they create a makeshift family. “Veronica Montes limn the lives of Filipino families,” writes author Benito Vergara, “with wit, simmering fury, and an abundance of generosity. With her sharp eye for the telling detail, she depicts the grief and everyday joy handed down as inheritance, the affections and denials the bind Filipino families together.” In 2020 Veronica Montes won the Black Lawrence Price for their Black River Chapbook competition.
Author: Veronica Montes
ISBN: 9780971945876 (PALH); also published by the UST publishing house
For rights inquiries, please contact Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com
Children (Age 6–12), Anthology
ASIAN AND PHILIPPINE FOLKTALES – CHILDREN (6–12)
This children’s book contains retellings of beloved Asian and Philippine folktales as retold by members of PAWWA (Philippine American Women Writers and Artists). This small group of Filipina writers in America had published these stories in two book that have been out-of-print for years. The new edition includes 25 folktales and legends from places such as Laos, Japan, Korea, Sumatra, Vietnam, China, Bali, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines. The book’s target audience is 9 and older.
“These stories unlock a storehouse of cultural knowledge – of lessons learned from tapestries of words. Parents, children, and educators and all others who love “old-time stories” will enjoy this collection.” Dr. Herminia Meñez Coben, Folklorist.
Editor: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
ISBN: 978‑1953-716–262 (PALH)
For rights inquiries, please contact Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com