My 6-week writers residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts is drawing to a close, and I'd like to express my gratitude to this wonderful artists' residency program for helping me finish my novel. I wrote the beginnings of my novel in this same building in 2012, and I came back in 2019 to finish it. Truly, this is sacred ground. Got so much work done (around 100 pages more of my novel+edits, in addition to an academic article I revised for publication), and got so much living done too. I made new friends outside my studio (visual artists and writers I was in residence with) whom I shared laughter and stories with, while inside my studio, I embarked on a difficult but eye-opening journey with my novel's characters. I just feel that I'm a different person from the Monica that arrived here 6 weeks ago, and I think that's a good thing. For writers, visual artists, and composers, I highly recommend applying for this wonderful residency. 

I am pleased to share that my haiku series, "Afternoon in Laguna", was selected for inclusion in Colombia's Arbolarium: Anthologia Poetica De Los Cinco Continentes, an international anthology of poetry about trees by writers from five continents, translated into Spanish. What makes this publication all the more special for me is that my poem appears alongside some poems by my father, Francis C. Macansantos, that were originally written in English and Chavacano, and translated into Spanish. I would like to thank Robert Max Steenkist for selecting and translating our work! It is a huge honor. More about this beautifully-produced anthology here.