Cecilia Manguerra Brainard


Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is an author and editor of 22 books. She co-founded PAWWA or Philippine American Women Writers and Artists; and also founded PALH or Philippine American Literary House. Brainard's works include the World War II novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept; The Newspaper Widow; Magdalena; and Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, which won the 40th Philippine National Book Award and Cirilo Bautista Prize. She ranks among the Top Translated Filipino Authors of the Philippine Works and Translation Data Base. She edited several anthologies including How I Became a Writer: Essays by Filipino and Filipino American Writers, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and three volumes of Growing Up Filipino, young adult books used by educators.

Biography

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard grew up in Cebu City, Philippines, the youngest of four children to Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra and Mariano F. Manguerra. The death of her father when she was nine prompted her to start writing, first in journals, then essays and fiction. She attended St. Theresa's College and Maryknoll College in the Philippines; and she did graduate work at UCLA.
Brainard has worked with Asian American youths for which she received a Special Recognition Award from the Los Angeles Board of Education. She has also received awards from the California State Senate, 21st District, several USIS Grants, a California Arts Council Fellowship, an Outstanding Individual Award from the City of Cebu, Philippines, Brody Arts Fund Award, a City of Los Angeles Cultural grant, and many more. The books she has written and edited have also won awards, the Philippine National Book Award, the Gintong Aklat Award and the International Gourmand Award, among others.
As of 2025, her novels and Selected Short Stories have been translated into Arabic, Azerbaijani, Greek, Japanese, North Macedonian, Portuguese, Serbian, Turkish. and Slovenian, ranking her among the Top Translated Filipino Authors of the Philippine Works and Translation Data Base. Some short stories of hers have been translated into Finnish.
Brainard's second novel, Magdalena inspired the playwright Jocelyn Deona de Leon to write a stage play, Gabriela's Monologue, which was produced in 2011 by the Bindlestiff Studio in San Francisco as part of Stories XII! annual production showcasing original works for the stage by Pilipino/Filipino American Artists.
Brainard's writings can be found in periodicals such as CNN,''Town and Country, Zee Lifestyle Magazine, Focus Philippines, Philippine Graphic, Amerasia Journal, Bamboo Ridge among others. Her writings have been anthologized in books such as More Cebuano Than We Admit, Cherished, Asian American Literature, Pinay: Autobiographical Narratives by Women Writers, 1926-1998, On a Bed of Rice, Songs of Ourselves, Making Waves, and others.
The Cebuano Studies Center & National Commission for Culture and the Arts produced a documentary video about her: The Cebuana in the World: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Writing Out of Cebu'' .

Selected works

Novels and short story collections (writer)

  • Acapulco at Sunset and other Stories ;
  • Angelica's Daughters, a Dugtungan Novel
  • Magdalena ; ;
  • The Newspaper Widow ;
  • Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard,.
  • Vigan and other Stories
  • When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, which first appeared as Song of Yvonne; ; ;
  • ''Woman With Horns and Other Stories''

Short story collections (edited)

  • Ala Carte Food and Fiction
  • Asian and Philippine Folktales: Retellings by PAWWA,
  • Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America
  • Fiction by Filipinos in America ;
  • Growing Up Filipino: Stories for Young Adults
  • Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults
  • Growing Up Filipino 3: New Stories for Young Adults
  • Seven Stories from Seven Sisters: A Collection of Philippine Folktales
  • ''The Beginning and Other Asian Folktales''

Non-fiction collections (edited)

  • Behind the Walls: Life of Convent Girls
  • Finding God: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters
  • How I Became a Writer: Essays by Filipino and Filiino American Writers
  • Journey of 100 Years: Reflections on the Centennial of Philippine Independence
  • Magnificat: Mama Mary's Pilgrim Sites
  • Philippine Woman in America
  • ''Step Into Our Kitchens: Theresian Recipes and Tales''

Non-fiction (writer)

  • Cecilia's Diary: 1962-1969
  • Fundamentals of Creative Writing
  • Fundamentals of Creative Writing, Revised and Expanded Edition
  • Magical Years: Memories & Sketches
  • Out of Cebu: Essays and Personal Prose
  • ''Philippine Woman in America''

In translation

  • Magdalena
  • Magdalena
  • Magdalena
  • Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
  • Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
  • The Newspaper Widow
  • The Newspaper Widow
  • The Newspaper Widow
  • The Newspaper Widow
  • When the Rainbow Goddess Wept
  • When the Rainbow Goddess Wept
  • When the Rainbow Goddess Wept
  • ''When the Rainbow Goddess Wept''

Awards

  • Recipient 2024 Travel Grant as part of the Philippine Delegation to the Frankfurt Book Fair from the National Book Development Board of the Philippines
  • Winner 40th National Book Award, Best Book Short Fiction English, for Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
  • Winner Cirilo Bautista Prize for Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
  • Top Hat Award from the Philippine American Business Improvement and Development
  • Certificate of Recognition from the United States House of Representatives
  • Gintong Aklat Award, for Finding God: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters
  • Gourmand Award, for Ala Carte Food & Fiction
  • Certificate of Recognition from the Cebu Provincial Government
  • Amazing Alumni Achiever Award from Maryknoll College, QC, RP
  • Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District
  • Filipinas Magazine Achievement Award for Arts and Culture
  • California State Summer School for the Arts Award
  • Outstanding Individual Award from the City of Cebu, Philippines
  • USIS Travel Lecture Grants
  • Makati Rotarian Award
  • Literature Award, Filipino Women's Network
  • City of Los Angeles Certificate of Appreciation
  • Brody Arts Fund Fellowship
  • Special Recognition Award, Los Angeles Board of Education
  • City of Los Angeles Cultural Grant
  • California Arts Council Artists' Fellowship in Fiction