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Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

author and editor

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Cecilia Brainard Childhood Pictures

September 11, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

I'm sharing two childhood pictures that I recently cleaned up. The first one is the only surviving picture of me as an infant.  This shows my oldest sister Vicky carrying me, my sister Ana, and my brother Jess or Junior.  This photo was taken in our temporary home in Talisay, Cebu. We stayed there for a few years after World War II, while my parents built our home in Cebu City behind the … [Read more...] about Cecilia Brainard Childhood Pictures

Filed Under: Nonfiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: Cebu, childhood, Philippines, photographs, photos, pictures, WWII

Cecilia Brainard Sketch of Cebu’s “Tartanilla” Carriage

September 4, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

My cats usually hover near me when I'm writing or doing artwork.  Che was particularly interested in the following work.  It's an image of the tartanilla, a horse drawn carriage found only in Cebu.  This is part of my ongoing sketches of memories from my childhood.  Stay tuned!   #graycat #tabby #sketching # drawing #Cebu #tartanilla … [Read more...] about Cecilia Brainard Sketch of Cebu’s “Tartanilla” Carriage

Filed Under: Nonfiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: cat, Cebu, che, tartanilla

Bamboo Reed Paintings by Cecilia Brainard

August 12, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Fuente Osmena Park, Cebu, Philippines (copyright 2019 by Cecilia Brainard) I've been experimenting some more with bamboo reed painting.  I also use barbecue stick for finer work. I like the energy, the unruly and wild feeling of reed painting. Here are two reed paintings based on my memories of my birth city, Cebu, Philippines. Kiosk of Magellan's Cross, Cebu, Philippines (copyright … [Read more...] about Bamboo Reed Paintings by Cecilia Brainard

Filed Under: Nonfiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: Art, bamboo painting, Cebu, drawing, Philippines, reed painting, sketching

Authors Cecilia Brainard & Giovanni Jose at #CebuLitFest

June 21, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Authors Cecilia Manguerra Brainard (ceciliabrainard.com) and Giovanni Jose (GiovanniOrtega.com) will be at the #CebuLitFest on June 29-30, 2019, Ayala Terraces, Ayala Center, Cebu City, Philippines, to talk and sign copies of their books.  Look for them at the table of PALH (Philippine American Literary House).  The Festival runs from 10 in the morning until evening each day.  PALH will also be … [Read more...] about Authors Cecilia Brainard & Giovanni Jose at #CebuLitFest

Filed Under: Fiction, Nonfiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: #Cebulitfest, Cebu, fair, festival

Philippines Graphic Review Brainard’s Novel ‘Magdalena’

June 21, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

PHILIPPINES GRAPHIC BOOK REVIEW OF CECILIA BRAINARD’S NOVEL “MAGDALENA” Philippines Graphic Literary Editor and Associate Editor of the Philippines Graphic, Alma Anonas-Carpio, reviews the novel MAGDALENA by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. Brainard will be at the #CebuLitFest on June 29 and 30, 2019, Ayala Terraces, Cebu City, Philippines, to talk about her works and sign copies of her … [Read more...] about Philippines Graphic Review Brainard’s Novel ‘Magdalena’

Filed Under: Fiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: book, Cebu, historical fiction, literature, novel, Philippines, review, Vietnam War

Philippine Edition of Cecilia Brainard’s War Novel at #CebuLitFest

June 8, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

When the Rainbow Goddess Cover

PHILIPPINE EDITION OF CECILIA BRAINARD’S WAR NOVEL AT THE #CEBULITFEST The Philippine edition of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard’s novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, will be released by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House. The author, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, will be at the Cebu Literary Festival (CebuLitFest) on June 29 and 30, 2019, Ayala Center, Cebu, Philippines, to celebrate … [Read more...] about Philippine Edition of Cecilia Brainard’s War Novel at #CebuLitFest

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: book, Cebu, literature, Mindanao, novel, Pacific War, Philippines, World War II, World War Two, WWII

Manila Times Book Review: Cecilia Brainard’s Novel The Newspaper Widow

May 16, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Book Review: The Newspaper Widow: A cut above other whodunits by Faye Valencia, May 12, 2019, The Manila Times https://www.manilatimes.net/the-newspaper-widow-a-cut-above-other-whodunits/553054/?fbclid=IwAR3-AdSGYnAD11rv0xVmFzvjO6b0SXX3jbVPpAqXFW16xbQr0_DOvUUeRtM FOR the most part, crime fiction, also called the “whodunit,” is considered escapist entertainment. After all, it follows a … [Read more...] about Manila Times Book Review: Cecilia Brainard’s Novel The Newspaper Widow

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: book review, Cebu, literature, mystery, novel, Philippines, Pinoy, whodunit

Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra 1931 Cebu Carnival Queen Article

May 15, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra

I came across this article and magazine cover (Sunstar Weekend 9/1/1996) featuring my mother, Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra. She was Cebu's 1931 Carnival Queen. Read also: Death of a Carnival Queen Mother's Day: Remembering My Mother Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra Lucy Urgello Miller's Glimpses of Old Cebu Cebu Politics Philippines: Cebu's Cuencoi Family in 1932 Tags: #Cebu #Philippines … [Read more...] about Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra 1931 Cebu Carnival Queen Article

Filed Under: Nonfiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: Carnival Queen, Cebu, Karnabal Queen, Mother, Philippines, Pinay

Cecilia Brainard’s Pen and Wash of Old House in Cebu

May 5, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

  Here is a Pen and Wash of my "Old House in Cebu" which I did in pencil and pen and ink earlier.  This is my interpretation of the Villalon Mansion in Cebu City, Philippines. Tags: #CeciliaBrainard #sketch #art #penandwash #penandink #cebu #house #hauntedhouse #heritagehouse #antiquehouse #mansion #Philippines … [Read more...] about Cecilia Brainard’s Pen and Wash of Old House in Cebu

Filed Under: Nonfiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: Art, Cebu, pen and ink, Pen and wash, sketch

Cecilia Brainard’s Old Haunted House in Cebu Philippines — Pen and Ink

April 30, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

I'm sharing a corrected version of the Old Haunted House in Cebu, my interpretation of the Villalon House. This sat on a hill in Cebu and I used to stare at this last thing at night and wonder about the ghosts and enchanted people that supposedly occupied the house. Sometimes the house would be lit up and the next day people would say the spirits had a party. This was all part of my growing up in … [Read more...] about Cecilia Brainard’s Old Haunted House in Cebu Philippines — Pen and Ink

Filed Under: Nonfiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: Art, Cebu, drawing, pen and ink

My Cousin, The Biz Wiz: Profile on Manny Gonzalez

November 29, 2018 by admin

I wrote about my cousin, Manny Gonzalez, businessman and CEO of Plantation Bay Hotel and Resort in Mactan, Philippines. This appeared in Positively Filipino, November 14, 2018 - please click here to visit Positively Filipino.  The text is pasted below. My Cousin, The Biz Wiz By  Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Positively Filipino, Nov. 14, 2018  I ran into my cousin Manny Gonzalez in … [Read more...] about My Cousin, The Biz Wiz: Profile on Manny Gonzalez

Filed Under: Nonfiction Tagged With: Cebu, hotel, Mactan, Philippines, Plantation Bay, resort

Mactan 50 Years Ago and Now

August 25, 2018 by admin

Mactan, 50 Years Ago And Now By Cecilia Manguerra Brainard The last time I visited Mactan, I stayed in a five-star resort with a man-made lagoon in the middle of clusters of handsome Colonial-style buildings. It felt like a picture-perfect village with well-appointed rooms, pools, tennis courts, and wonderful restaurants. The spa offered a variety of massages and had wonderful hot and … [Read more...] about Mactan 50 Years Ago and Now

Filed Under: Nonfiction Tagged With: Cebu, Mactan, Personal Essay, Philippines, Vietnam War

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Welcome!

I am a daugh­ter of the Philip­pines and an adopt­ed daugh­ter of Amer­i­ca. I have also trav­eled to many places so I am also a daugh­ter of the Earth. My expe­ri­ences have found their way into my sto­ries, which try to depict char­ac­ters caught in impor­tant moments in their lives, sit­u­a­tions that force them to act, make deci­sions, change. I try to see the world from my own point of view, not the dom­i­nant West­ern one, thus my inter­est in his­to­ry, cul­ture, and set­ting. But my char­ac­ters car­ry my sto­ries; they are the most impor­tant in my sto­ry-telling. I have to dive deep into them to under­stand their human­i­ty – their good­ness as well as their bad­ness, their beau­ty as well as their ugli­ness. Just like us. Just like each of us. I need to know where they came from, where they are now, so I under­stand where they are going. Just like us.

Please read my full biog­ra­phy here

 

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Cecil­ia Brainard
c/o PALH
PO Box 5099
San­ta Mon­i­ca, CA 90409
USA

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