News and Events - Monica Macansantos

Monica Macansantos

new lyric essay in bennington review

9/9/2023

I am overjoyed to see my lyric essay in the latest issue of Bennington Review! Written last year, this piece entitled, "5:45 pm in Eastbourne, Wellington," is a short, meditative essay about waiting in the dark for the Eastbourne ferry back to the city of Wellington, while reflecting on the sadness I felt over having to leave New Zealand after finishing my PhD. I also briefly mention trying to find one of Katherine Mansfield's childhood homes while in Eastbourne, before giving up because of the cold. Unfortunately the piece is only available in print, but you can purchase a copy here (it's a beautiful object with one of my mentors, the former Tomaz Salamun, in it) or request your local library to purchase it for you.

Love and Other Rituals reviewed in Colorado Review

9/7/2023

When I read this review of Love and Other Rituals on the Colorado Review/Center for Literary Publishing website this morning, I told myself, "now this is why I write." This is probably one of my favorite reviews of my book, made special by the fact that it's written by a young writer of color who's in the place I once was as an MFA student in America, trying to figure out how to represent my culture and write from it without exoticizing or playing into the white, colonialist gaze. I am so happy to know that my scrappy little small press book made its way into the hands of Bianca Melendrez Valenzuela, who made me feel so seen and appreciated as an author in this review! Read the full review here.

Awarded Residency at Monson Arts In Maine

7/21/2023

I am overjoyed to share that I have been selected for a fall artists' residency at Monson Arts in Maine! This follows a recent string of rejections and is a healthy reminder for me to never, ever give up. My application's writing sample was an excerpt from my novella, "Leaving Auckland," which appears in my debut story collection, Love and Other Rituals--and it's thrilling to see how a story I wrote about Filipino immigrants in New Zealand is now taking me to Maine. The writing life is indeed full of setbacks and disappointments, but it can also take you to unexpected places--isn't that the beauty of art as it breaks down barriers and connects us across the distances?

Interviewed Greg Marshall for Electric Literature

6/23/2023

This was one of the most enjoyable author interviews I've done, perhaps because Greg and I go back a long way--we first met in 2010 as incoming fellows at the Michener Center for Writers. I am so proud of him, and so happy that his memoir containing so much of his brilliant hilariousness is out in the world. Read our conversation here and then buy his book!

Conversation With Rene Nonoy Molina for Philippine Diversity Channel

6/18/2023

Thank you to Rene Nonoy Molina for inviting me to guest on his podcast featuring the lives and stories of Filipinos in Aotearoa New Zealand! Watch our conversation here.

My Second Book to Be Published by Northwestern University Press

6/4/2023

After sitting on this for months, I am so, so thrilled to share that my essay collection about grief, home, and belonging, set in the Philippines, the US, and New Zealand, has found a home with Northwestern University Press under its Curbstone imprint, with a tentative publication schedule of Fall 2024. I owe this to the inimitable Marisa Siegel, who picked up my manuscript from the slush and steered it through the lengthy approval process with NUP. She is truly my fairy godmother.

Author Talk hosted by Auckland City LiBraries

6/4/2023

Much gratitude to Honour Zhu of Auckland City Library's Glenfield branch and Kate Middleton of The Reading Revolution for organizing this event! Aucklanders can attend this in person at the Glenfield Library, while anyone from anywhere around the world can also attend on zoom. More details can be found on OurAuckland.

"Visitors", A Short Story, In the Hopkins Review (Spring 2023, 16.2)

5/16/2023

I am thrilled that my short story, "Visitors", is in the latest issue of The Hopkins Review! This is my first published story after the release of my debut story collection, Love and Other Rituals, and I couldn't have been happier since it means that there will be more books and stories to be written. It's also my second short story set in Texas and my first story set in Houston, and it was a leap of faith for me to write during the pandemic, during which I found myself stranded in my family's ancestral home in the Philippines. "Visitors" is the story of a difficult and combative Filipina named Dina who entertains a series of interesting visitors during the span of a single week, including a wealthy Vietnamese refugee, a young Filipino tourist, and her own mother who's addicted to designer handbags. Physical copies are on their way to subscribers and are available from select bookshops, and can also be accessed from university libraries through Project Muse.

"DePArtures" by Priscilla Supnet Macansantos Wins Philippine National Book Award!

5/15/2023

I am so proud of my mama, who won a National Book Award in the Philippines for her essay collection, Departures, published by the University of the Philippines Press in 2021. Published in her sixties, this is her first book that brings together a lifetime of stories about her family's roots in the Ilocos, growing up during the Marcos dictatorship, meeting my father, and living in America as a graduate student, among other topics. You can buy her book from Lazada! Congratulations to other winners of this year's National Book Award--here is the full list of winners.

BookWoman Virtual Event With Elizabeth McCracken

4/15/2023

Had an awesome time talking to one of my favorite authors and mentors about my book! Listen to our recorded conversation here, and purchase your copies from BookWoman in Austin.