MEETING CECILIA BRAINARD AND HER BOOKS

 Meeting Cecilia Brainard and Her Books

By Rachielle Ragasa Sheffler

From https://ceciliabrainard.com/

In the early 2000s, my grandmother’s health plummeted. Mama Ching, as everyone called her, declared with certainty that the end was near.

 

“You better come to my birthday, because it will be my last.” Not quite. She celebrated two more, reaching the ripe age of eighty-two.

 

My family met about her situation and, among other things, discussed her legacy. My youngest Auntie was dispatched to inform me of my mission. “We thought that since you inherited your Papa’s writing talent, you should write a book about our family.”

 

Emboldened by my family’s trust, confidence, and expectations, I asked each relative about their favorite memory of Mama Ching. I gathered stories, from her childhood in the days of the Spanish flu pandemic in a small town in Ilocos Sur, Philippines to her immigration to the United States. I compiled my notes and typed them into the computer. My father, who died early, once wrote for an Ilocano magazine called Bannawag. I was sure he would be proud of me. I swore to write the Great American Novel and would call it “Growing Up Filipino.”

 

To my dismay, the title was taken—Growing Up Filipino: Stories for Young Adults, edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard.

 

I was intrigued and checked out a copy at the local library. Usually, I am a fast reader, but with anthologies, I tend to linger, as if each tale is a new flavor from a variety box of polvoron. I devoured every story from Cecilia, Linda Ty-Casper, Marianne Villanueva, and many more. I laughed so hard with “Lolo's Bride” by Veronica Montes. In the last scene, where the main character's mom grasped the situation, the group of uncles and aunties was no different than my own family. They dealt with a crisis in a variety of ways, from feigning ignorance to bursting into song or exploding in guffaws.

 

When I first arrived in America in the late 1980s, there were so few books written by Filipinos. In the bookstores, I saw only Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn. With Growing Up Filipino, I discovered more. Like Alice, I fell into a rabbit hole and I did not want to escape from this Wonderland.

 

For a couple of decades, motherhood and my career as a lab scientist took priority. Apart from scribbling in my journal, I did not write much and was content to enjoy books. In the meantime, Cecilia published the second anthology in the series. I was like a kid in a sari-sari store. Veronica Montes displayed her humor once again in “My Father’s Tattoo.” It seemed that I had reunited with a good old friend.

 

In the year of the coronavirus pandemic, Cecilia made available to readers her book, Fundamentals of Creative Writing, for free. I took her advice as bible truth: “If you want to be a good writer, read, read, read. Be humble, and take classes to improve your craft. Write, write, write.”

 

I dared to dream again.

 

I continued to follow Cecilia and devoured everything she wrote. I listened to her interviews and read all her books. I learned that she considered Bienvenido Santos and Francisco Sionil Jose her mentors and friends. To her, they were Ben and Frankie. To me, they were stalwarts of Philippine literature, my literary ancestors even before I knew the term existed. 

 

In Philippine Woman in America, Cecilia recalled a trip to Baguio, my birthplace. The mountains, cool air, and pine trees were linked to her last happy memory of her father, who died soon after. I felt a connection to her and loved her from that moment on.

 

Cecilia fascinated me with her stories centered around Ubec, a mystical imagined place, whose name arose from a doodle of her hometown, Cebu. I have never been to Cebu. In my childhood village, seminarians at Recoletos spoke of their hometown like it was a magical place where they made the best guitars and everyone sang well. Cecilia’s story, Where the Rainbow Goddess Wept, brought Cebu to me in all its glory and rich history.

 

I began to follow her social media, blog posts, and virtual events. She responded to all my questions with patience and grace and offered many nuggets of wisdom. I listened to her lectures on YouTube and attended Zoom meetings with the Carlos Bulosan Book Club. In 2022, she announced the completion of Growing Up Filipino 3 (GUF3). In videos of the Philippine launch, I witnessed Cebu welcoming her like a returning hero and a favorite daughter. 

 

I was thrilled when she scheduled a book launch at the Echo Park Library in Los Angeles, a few hours' drive from where I live. 

 

The written word became flesh when I met Cecilia Manguerra Brainard on March 18, 2023. She walked into the lobby and greeted me as if we had known each other all our lives. She introduced me to Marilyn Alquizola, author of "It's Cold in America," and to Rio Alfar, who read “Lola Ging and the Crispa Redmanizers,” his mother’s story from the same collection. 

 

After the readings, Cecilia invited the audience to share a story about growing up in the Philippines. A lady who sat next to me recounted her strongest memory. She was a five-year-old, alone in their house in Kalibo, Aklan. Soldiers speaking in a different language banged on the windows and doors. She ran into the kitchen and hid under a trapdoor, in a bomb shelter her father had built. This experience fueled her recurring nightmares, as fresh today as it was on December 8, 1941. 

 

She had earlier introduced herself to me—"Call me Ming.” At the event, I heard others address her as Professor or Doctor, and she shushed me when I tried to do the same. Later, I looked her up and realized that Ming is Herminia Coben, a famed folklorist in her own right.

 

My greatest joy was being invited to share as well. Although the time was limited to about two minutes, I was honored to relate a tidbit about my other grandmother, Lola Andang, and the summers I spent in Ilocos.

 

After the book launch, our host Jamie Geaga showed us the Philippine Heritage Collection housed at the library. I had never seen so many books by Filipinos in one location!

 

“If your library does not have a title, they can borrow it from here.”

 

I left Echo Park feeling like I was the richest person on earth. Tucked under my arm were signed copies of GUF3, Vigan and Other Stories, and Cecilia’s latest novel, The Newspaper Widow. I was blessed with Cecilia’s presence and also gifted with a community of Filipino authors and book lovers. In print and in person, Cecilia is a master at bringing people together to celebrate the bounty of our culture.

 

On the way home, I drove through Historic Filipinotown, under the newly installed arch that proclaimed Pinoy pride and heritage. I reflected on the book title, Growing Up Filipino: Stories for Young Adults. 

 

How appropriate, for I felt young at heart.

 

 

*****

 

Rachielle Ragasa Sheffler is working on a collective family memoir. The working title is Born There: Growing Up Ilocano and Migrating to the Land of Milk and Honey. She lives in California with her husband, children, and her big family. When not writing, she works as a clinical laboratory scientist. For more info: https://linktr.ee/rachiellesheffler