Rachielle Ragasa Sheffler Engages
Suddenly Stateside: Postscript by Marivi Soliven
(UnSung Voices Books, 2026)
Suddenly Stateside: A Postscript is a reboot of an earlier work and a collection of previously published stories, and new stories for this edition. I never read the original, and I enjoyed the updates listed at the end of each chapter.
I loved these short stories for their wit, self-effacing humor, and relevance. For Filipinos in the diaspora, immigration is the great equalizer. No matter what your station in life was in the Philippines, everyone starts the same here--trying to pass the DMV test, oohing and aahing at the marvels of technology, and being so homesick you question your sanity and want to die.
My favorite chapter was the Rizal Dance Hall Murder, which happened right in San Diego. I’ve read about the Manongs saving their hard-earned money for the weekend dime-a-dance, but the setting was always in Stockton or Fresno. Marivi unearthed the 1935 newspaper headlines while volunteering at the San Diego Historical Society. The story of rival dance hall owners, unfolding in the streets of San Diego, felt palpable to me.
Like Marivi, I also found myself suddenly stateside, and that trauma of being ripped apart from my country has forever defined the before and after of my life. In her book, I find encouragement. No matter how long it has been, or how far the Philippines is, it is still in my heart.
Growing up under Martial Law, I cannot help but draw parallels to the experiences in America today. Marivi’s stories demonstrate that there is always hope if people express their love for their country, even in dissent.
*****
Rachielle Ragasa Sheffler is a keeper of memories. Born in Baguio City, Philippines (Ibaloi land) with roots in Ilocos Sur, she settled on Kumeyaay land (Southern California). She explores her diasporic identity through oral histories and research. She is a multimedia artist currently working on a fabric installation titled Project Retaso. To read her work and view her art, please visit: https://substack.com/@baguiogirl
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