(My father, with his favorite tablea chocolate, in Iloilo.) 

My newest essay, which appears in Issue 17 of Lunch Ticket, is about how my father, the late poet Francis C. Macansantos, showered his love upon his family by nourishing us with delicious meals, and how his love for me survived in the midst of death as I strove to recreate his dishes. It's also about his mother, my Lola Peregrina, and how her spirit of vitality and joy sustained him, as their love continues to sustain me in the kitchen and beyond. I am so happy that it came out in time for Father's Day--you can read the full essay here and the Lunch Ticket issue where it appears here. 

(Katherine Mansfield. Source: Archives New Zealand.) 

My newest piece, up on New Zealand's The Pantograph Punch, is about how reading Katherine Mansfield's short fiction taught me to slow down, and allow light to shine through my days amidst the darkness and despair of this pandemic. This is the first time I wrote an essay that straddles literary criticism and memoir, and I enjoyed the process immensely. Read the full essay here. 

"A recognition of her own mortality allowed her to write honestly about death, even as life, and human kindness, continued to shine through her work."

UPDATE (6/17/2020): This essay was featured in The Spinoff's Daily News roundup--you'll have to scroll to the end of this article to see the wonderful things The Spinoff staff said about my essay. I am so honored to see its warm reception in New Zealand and around the world. 

UPDATE (10/1/2020): A version of this essay will appear in Vol. 13 of Katherine Mansfield Studies, published by the Katherine Mansfield Society and the Edinburgh University Press, in 2021.