POST BOOK: BREN BATACLAN

 The Halo-Halo Review is pleased to interview authors in the aftermath of their books’ releases. This issue’s featured authors include Bren Bataclan. 

What is your most recent book?

 

Fe, A Traumatized Son's Graphic Memoir

Who published and when was it released?

PAWA (Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc.)

Year: 2021

What has been the response/what has surprised you most about the response?

I never expected to have a book published. Ever! I'm a full-time artist. During the pandemic, I lost all of my art projects. No one was buying paintings or requesting mural projects. I had to pivot and decided to write and illustrate a graphic memoir. Initially, it was going to be about my family's immigration from the Philippines to Daly City, CA. I had the workings for that story already, since I had an exhibit about my immigration experience. However, my larger-than-life mom nudged me from beyond and my graphic memoir morphed into a book about her—it has always been about her :) After countless rejections, my graphic memoir was published by the Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc (maraming salamat, PAWA). To my surprise, FE became a top-seller at the Filipina-owned bookstore, Bel Canto Books, and at my neighborhood bookstore, Harvard Square Book Store. And NPR even featured FE: https://www.npr.org/2021/05/14/996566038/engaging-with-asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month-a-reading-list

 

Tell me something not obvious or known about the book.

I illustrated all of the characters and background images in FE, except for my mom. Right after she passed away, my siblings and I found a box-full of candid photos of my mom. We were sure that she didn't want anyone to see those pictures because the box was sealed with duct tape! However, she was a hoarder and could not throw away anything. Instead of throwing away those photos of my mom, I used some of her pictures to render her character. How could I resist? They had the perfect expressions.

What are you working on right now?

Given the opportunity to work on another graphic memoir, I'd like to write and illustrate how New Wave music saved my life as a gay person of color in high school. I also would like to work on stories about my mural residency experiences across the country, meeting people from greatly varying political backgrounds.

 

*****

 

Bren Bataclan is a Boston-based artist. He taught computer graphics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Bren also gives away paintings in public spaces with a note saying, "This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often." He has given away over 3,OOO paintings in close to 8O different countries and all 5O states in the U.S. These days, he mostly paints murals at schools--he paints what students draw for the mural projects. Heinemann published a textbook for elementary students about his kindness-related street art project in 2O13. Bren lives with his husband, Bob, in Cambridge, MA.