Books
Returning to My Father's Kitchen: Essays. Forthcoming from Northwestern University Press/Curbstone Books, 2025.
Love and Other Rituals: Stories. Published by Grattan Street Press, University of Melbourne, 2022.
Love and Other Rituals: Stories. Published by Grattan Street Press, University of Melbourne, 2022.
Chapbook
"Playing With Dolls." (short story/novelette) Day One/Little A Books: 17 February, 2016. (out of print)
Recognized in:
Recognized in:
- Vela Magazine's "6 New Books from Diverse Voices" by Grace Talusan
- SF Gate's "Roundup of new e-books" by Porter Shreve
- Boston Filipino-American Book Club's Featured Books
short stories & Novelettes
"Leaving God on Cuba Street." River Styx: forthcoming in 2024.
"Visitors." The Hopkins Review. Volume 6, No. 2, Spring 2023. Print and digital.
"Inheritances." Your Impossible Voice: Spring 2021. (nominated for Best of the Net)
"Leaving Auckland." failbetter: Vol. 62, May/June 2018. (Glimmer Train Fiction Open Top 25 Finalist)
Recognized in:
"Love and Other Rituals." Thin Noon: Issue 1, 2015.
"Maricel." The Fictioneer: Winter 2015. (print and e-book)
"Stopover." Five Quarterly: Fall 2013. Reprinted in Hypertrophic Literary, Summer 2018. (Glimmer Train Fiction Open Honorable Mention)
Recognized in:
"The Autumn Sun." The Philippines Free Press: 17 February, 2007. (out of print)
"Silence." The Philippines Free Press: 8 and 13 January, 2006. (out of print)
"Visitors." The Hopkins Review. Volume 6, No. 2, Spring 2023. Print and digital.
"Inheritances." Your Impossible Voice: Spring 2021. (nominated for Best of the Net)
"Leaving Auckland." failbetter: Vol. 62, May/June 2018. (Glimmer Train Fiction Open Top 25 Finalist)
- Part one (May 31, 2018)
- Part two (June 14, 2018)
- Part three (June 28, 2018)
Recognized in:
- Radio New Zealand's "Talking sex with the editor of Aotearotica" (interview with Laura Borrowdale)
"Love and Other Rituals." Thin Noon: Issue 1, 2015.
"Maricel." The Fictioneer: Winter 2015. (print and e-book)
"Stopover." Five Quarterly: Fall 2013. Reprinted in Hypertrophic Literary, Summer 2018. (Glimmer Train Fiction Open Honorable Mention)
Recognized in:
- Longform Fiction: October 2013.
"The Autumn Sun." The Philippines Free Press: 17 February, 2007. (out of print)
"Silence." The Philippines Free Press: 8 and 13 January, 2006. (out of print)
essays/creative nonfiction
"Winter in Three Countries." Phi Kappa Phi Forum, Winter 2023. Print and Online.
"5:45 pm in Eastbourne, Wellington." Bennington Review, Issue 12, Fall 2023. Print.
"A Black Comedy Clicked on My Metaphorical Light: How the quirky cruelty of 'Ghost World' validated and ennobled my rebellious spirit." Electric Literature. January 23, 2023.
"The Grief of Publishing a Book Without the Parent Who Inspired You." Lit Hub. October 24, 2022.
"My Father and W.B. Yeats." The Hopkins Review: Volume 15, No. 9, Summer 2022. Print and Digital.
Recognized in:
"A Shared Stillness." Colorado Review, Spring 2021. Online and Print.
Recognized in:
"Returning to My Father's Kitchen." Lunch Ticket: Issue 17, Summer/Fall 2020.
Recognized in:
June 10, 2020. (reprinted in Katherine Mansfield and Children, Edinburgh University Press, October 2021)
Recognized in:
"How Zumba helped heal my trauma." SBS Voices: November 11, 2019.
"To Resist Being Unseen." Another Chicago Magazine: October 17, 2019.
Recognized in:
"30 Minutes and a World Apart." New Naratif: October 17, 2018.
"The Price of Freedom." The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Around the Globe. Ed. Jacqueline Chio-Lauri. Chicago: Agate Surrey, September 2018. (creative nonfiction with heirloom recipe)
Recognized in:
"My 'Get Out' moment as an overseas student." SBS Life: August 21, 2018.
"Visitations." Aotearotica: Vol. 5, August 2018. (print only)
"The Gift of Connection." Takahe Magazine: Issue 92, April 2018. Reprinted in Maganda Magazine, Issue 32, May 2019.
"You're Here Because You're Good." Hedgebrook (alumnae blog): 8 September, 2016.
Recognized in:
Recognized in:
"James." Impact: An Anthology of Short Memoirs: June 2012.
"5:45 pm in Eastbourne, Wellington." Bennington Review, Issue 12, Fall 2023. Print.
"A Black Comedy Clicked on My Metaphorical Light: How the quirky cruelty of 'Ghost World' validated and ennobled my rebellious spirit." Electric Literature. January 23, 2023.
"The Grief of Publishing a Book Without the Parent Who Inspired You." Lit Hub. October 24, 2022.
"My Father and W.B. Yeats." The Hopkins Review: Volume 15, No. 9, Summer 2022. Print and Digital.
Recognized in:
- The Best American Essays 2023, ed. Vivian Gornick and Robert Atwan, Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction
"A Shared Stillness." Colorado Review, Spring 2021. Online and Print.
Recognized in:
- The Best American Essays 2022, ed. Alexander Chee and Robert Atwan, Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction
- CLMP's "A Reading List for Filipino-American History Month 2021". October 4, 2021.
- CLMP's "A Reading List for Filipino-American History Month 2022". October 6, 2022.
"Returning to My Father's Kitchen." Lunch Ticket: Issue 17, Summer/Fall 2020.
Recognized in:
- The Best American Essays 2021, Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction of 2020 (list appears in The Best American Essays 2022)
June 10, 2020. (reprinted in Katherine Mansfield and Children, Edinburgh University Press, October 2021)
Recognized in:
- The Spinoff: "The Bulletin." June 17, 2020.
- KHN Center for the Arts Alumni News: July 1, 2020.
"How Zumba helped heal my trauma." SBS Voices: November 11, 2019.
"To Resist Being Unseen." Another Chicago Magazine: October 17, 2019.
Recognized in:
- The Rumpus: "This Week in Essays." October 23, 2019.
"30 Minutes and a World Apart." New Naratif: October 17, 2018.
"The Price of Freedom." The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Around the Globe. Ed. Jacqueline Chio-Lauri. Chicago: Agate Surrey, September 2018. (creative nonfiction with heirloom recipe)
Recognized in:
- Epicurious. September 2018.
- The San Francisco Chronicle: "Our favorite cookbooks of 2018". Nov. 23, 2018.
"My 'Get Out' moment as an overseas student." SBS Life: August 21, 2018.
"Visitations." Aotearotica: Vol. 5, August 2018. (print only)
"The Gift of Connection." Takahe Magazine: Issue 92, April 2018. Reprinted in Maganda Magazine, Issue 32, May 2019.
"You're Here Because You're Good." Hedgebrook (alumnae blog): 8 September, 2016.
Recognized in:
- Fortune raceAhead, September 13, 2016.
Recognized in:
- The Best American Essays 2016, ed. Jonathan Franzen and Robert Atwan, Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction
"James." Impact: An Anthology of Short Memoirs: June 2012.
excerpts from the novel, people we trust
"Reconciliations." Action, Spectacle: Winter 2022.
"Appearances." The Bookends Review: 21 March 2022.
"Revolutionaries." About Place Journal: Geographies of Justice. Vol. VI, Issue 2, May 2021.
"White Lies." Turbine|Kapohau: 2020 Annual Issue.
"A Visit to General Lim Street." Oyster River Pages: Issue 4.1, September 2020.
"An Unexplained Kindness." Anomaly: Issue 30, April 2020.
"Learning to Shoot." TAYO Literary Magazine: Issue 8, January 2019.
"A Fair Face." WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly: Spring/Summer 2018.
"Appearances." The Bookends Review: 21 March 2022.
"Revolutionaries." About Place Journal: Geographies of Justice. Vol. VI, Issue 2, May 2021.
"White Lies." Turbine|Kapohau: 2020 Annual Issue.
"A Visit to General Lim Street." Oyster River Pages: Issue 4.1, September 2020.
"An Unexplained Kindness." Anomaly: Issue 30, April 2020.
"Learning to Shoot." TAYO Literary Magazine: Issue 8, January 2019.
"A Fair Face." WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly: Spring/Summer 2018.
news articles & op-eds
"Free or Low-Cost Residency Programs from Around the World to Apply to in 2024." Electric Literature. December 26, 2023.
"Free or Low-Cost American Writing Residencies to Apply for in 2024." Electric Literature. December 19, 2023.
"Why Did NZ Filipinos vote overwhelmingly to return the Marcos dynasty to power?" The Spinoff. May 31, 2022.
"Filipino Food in Wellington is Moving From Its Enclaves Into the Mainstream." VICE New Zealand. January 30, 2019.
"When One's Anger is Justified, but Silenced: Tone Policing in Filipino Immigrant Groups." Brain Mill Press Voices: The ANGER issue. October 31, 2018.
"The invisible brown Asians of Crazy Rich Asians." SBS Life: September 7, 2018.
"Free or Low-Cost American Writing Residencies to Apply for in 2024." Electric Literature. December 19, 2023.
"Why Did NZ Filipinos vote overwhelmingly to return the Marcos dynasty to power?" The Spinoff. May 31, 2022.
"Filipino Food in Wellington is Moving From Its Enclaves Into the Mainstream." VICE New Zealand. January 30, 2019.
"When One's Anger is Justified, but Silenced: Tone Policing in Filipino Immigrant Groups." Brain Mill Press Voices: The ANGER issue. October 31, 2018.
"The invisible brown Asians of Crazy Rich Asians." SBS Life: September 7, 2018.
poetry
"Homing in" and "Christmas House, Vallejo, California." A Fire to Light Our Tongues: Texas Writers on Spirituality. Ed. Donna Walker-Nixon and Elizabeth Dell. Texas Christian University Press, May 27, 2022.
"Six War Haikus." Cha: An Asian Literary Journal: Issue 34, December 2016.
"Afternoon in Laguna" and "Return to Maguindanao." TAYO Literary Magazine: Issue 5, 2015-2016. (print only)
"Hand-me-down." phatitude Literary Magazine: Vol. 2, No. 1, 2010. (print only)
"The Cup of Knowing." Quarterly Literary Review Singapore: Vol. 8 No. 2, 2 April 2009.
"Packing", "Waiting", and "Rain." 100 Filipina Poets. 2008.
"Six War Haikus." Cha: An Asian Literary Journal: Issue 34, December 2016.
"Afternoon in Laguna" and "Return to Maguindanao." TAYO Literary Magazine: Issue 5, 2015-2016. (print only)
"Hand-me-down." phatitude Literary Magazine: Vol. 2, No. 1, 2010. (print only)
"The Cup of Knowing." Quarterly Literary Review Singapore: Vol. 8 No. 2, 2 April 2009.
"Packing", "Waiting", and "Rain." 100 Filipina Poets. 2008.
work in translation
"The Autumn Sun." (Czech Translation) Kuřata v hadí kleci ("Chicks in the Snake´s Cage"). Eds. Jaroslav Olsa and Silvie Mitlenerová. Prague: Argo Press, 2020. (print only)
"Afternoon in Laguna." (Spanish Translation) Arbolarium: Antologia Poetica de los Cinco Continentes. Ed. Robert Max Steenkist. Bogota: Colegio Bilingüe José Max León, April 2019. (print only)
"Afternoon in Laguna." (Spanish Translation) Arbolarium: Antologia Poetica de los Cinco Continentes. Ed. Robert Max Steenkist. Bogota: Colegio Bilingüe José Max León, April 2019. (print only)
ACADEMIC WRITING
“The Nation as Fragmented Self in Gina Apostol’s Gun Dealers’ Daughter.” Closer to Liberation: Pin[a/x]y Activism in Theory and Practice. Eds. Amanda Solomon Amorao, Candice L. Custodio Tan, and Jen Soriano. San Diego: Cognella, 2023.
THE ENEMY WITHIN: FICTIONALIZING THE MARCOS REGIME (creative writing PhD thesis, critical component). Victoria University of Wellington Library. Submitted on 10 October 2018, first online publication 07 May 2021.
“Historical Amnesia, Colonial Trauma, and Self-Immolation in Ninotchka Rosca’s State of War.” Journal of English Studies and Comparative Literature 18.3 (2019).
“Is There Only One Way to Be Free? A Review of Edilberto K. Tiempo’s To Be Free.” Silliman Journal 57.1 (2016): 101-109. Print and digital. (reprint)
THE ENEMY WITHIN: FICTIONALIZING THE MARCOS REGIME (creative writing PhD thesis, critical component). Victoria University of Wellington Library. Submitted on 10 October 2018, first online publication 07 May 2021.
“Historical Amnesia, Colonial Trauma, and Self-Immolation in Ninotchka Rosca’s State of War.” Journal of English Studies and Comparative Literature 18.3 (2019).
“Is There Only One Way to Be Free? A Review of Edilberto K. Tiempo’s To Be Free.” Silliman Journal 57.1 (2016): 101-109. Print and digital. (reprint)
book reviews & Author Engagements
In Everything I See Your Hand by Naira Kuzmich, reviewed in Colorado Review. 20 April 2024.
A conversation with Greg Marshall on his debut memoir, Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It. Electric Literature: 22 June 2023.
Mongolian Horse by David E. Yee, reviewed in Colorado Review. 1 March 2023.
"9 Books About the Complexities of Filipino Family Bonds." Electric Literature: 21 October 2022.
A conversation with Addie Tsai on their novel, Unwieldy Creatures. Electric Literature: 4 August 2022.
"A Difficult Reckoning: A Review of Grace Talusan's The Body Papers." Anomaly/Anomalous Press: 23 May 2022.
A conversation with Melissa Chadburn on her debut novel, A Tiny Upward Shove. Electric Literature: 12 April 2022.
What Could Be Saved by Gregory Spatz, reviewed in Colorado Review. 6 April 2022.
A conversation with Daphne Palasi Andreades on her debut novel, Brown Girls. The Masters Review blog: 6 January 2021.
The Memory Eaters by Elizabeth Kadetsky, reviewed in Colorado Review. 26 June 2021.
Abundance by Jakob Guanzon, reviewed in Colorado Review. 5 May 2021.
To Be Free by Edilberto K. Tiempo, reviewed in The Halo-Halo Review. 1 August 2016.
A conversation with Greg Marshall on his debut memoir, Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It. Electric Literature: 22 June 2023.
Mongolian Horse by David E. Yee, reviewed in Colorado Review. 1 March 2023.
"9 Books About the Complexities of Filipino Family Bonds." Electric Literature: 21 October 2022.
A conversation with Addie Tsai on their novel, Unwieldy Creatures. Electric Literature: 4 August 2022.
"A Difficult Reckoning: A Review of Grace Talusan's The Body Papers." Anomaly/Anomalous Press: 23 May 2022.
A conversation with Melissa Chadburn on her debut novel, A Tiny Upward Shove. Electric Literature: 12 April 2022.
What Could Be Saved by Gregory Spatz, reviewed in Colorado Review. 6 April 2022.
A conversation with Daphne Palasi Andreades on her debut novel, Brown Girls. The Masters Review blog: 6 January 2021.
The Memory Eaters by Elizabeth Kadetsky, reviewed in Colorado Review. 26 June 2021.
Abundance by Jakob Guanzon, reviewed in Colorado Review. 5 May 2021.
To Be Free by Edilberto K. Tiempo, reviewed in The Halo-Halo Review. 1 August 2016.
INTERVIEWS AND AUDIO RECORDINGS
Interview with Speaking of Marvels. February 14, 2023.
A Rush of Joy from Complete Strangers: an interview with Monica Macansantos by Grace Talusan for The Rumpus. January 9, 2023.
Love and Other Rituals: Home, growing as a writer, and the Filipino diaspora (interview with Jaime Alejandro) for Arts Calling Podcast, Episode #76. December 22, 2022.
Monica Macansantos on Tango, Cooking, and Reading E.M. Forster (conversation with Greg Marshall) for The Hopkins Review. October 21, 2022.
Live from Storyknife: 49 Writers Project, September 2022. (group reading with Carolyn Forche, Pam Uschuk, Emily Hoang, Jamaica Baldwin and Erica Watson)
5 Questions with Monica Macansantos for LIMINAL (Australia). September 16, 2022.
Interview with Oyster River Pages (contributor showcase, Issue 4). August 25, 2021.
A Reading of "Inheritances" for Your Impossible Voice, Spring 2021.
A Reading of "Little Girls" for About Place Journal's "Works of Resistance, Resilience" Reading Series. December 4, 2020.
Interview with Cristina Querrer for yourartsygirl podcast, featuring Filipino, Filipino-American, and POC writers. Episode 21, June 26, 2019.
A reading from "The Day I Was a Comfort Woman" for Your Impossible Voice, Issue 4, 2014
A Rush of Joy from Complete Strangers: an interview with Monica Macansantos by Grace Talusan for The Rumpus. January 9, 2023.
Love and Other Rituals: Home, growing as a writer, and the Filipino diaspora (interview with Jaime Alejandro) for Arts Calling Podcast, Episode #76. December 22, 2022.
Monica Macansantos on Tango, Cooking, and Reading E.M. Forster (conversation with Greg Marshall) for The Hopkins Review. October 21, 2022.
Live from Storyknife: 49 Writers Project, September 2022. (group reading with Carolyn Forche, Pam Uschuk, Emily Hoang, Jamaica Baldwin and Erica Watson)
5 Questions with Monica Macansantos for LIMINAL (Australia). September 16, 2022.
Interview with Oyster River Pages (contributor showcase, Issue 4). August 25, 2021.
A Reading of "Inheritances" for Your Impossible Voice, Spring 2021.
A Reading of "Little Girls" for About Place Journal's "Works of Resistance, Resilience" Reading Series. December 4, 2020.
Interview with Cristina Querrer for yourartsygirl podcast, featuring Filipino, Filipino-American, and POC writers. Episode 21, June 26, 2019.
A reading from "The Day I Was a Comfort Woman" for Your Impossible Voice, Issue 4, 2014
selected conference presentations and group readings
- "Bad Immigrant Daughters": Panel discussion & reading, AWP Annual Conference, Kansas City, MO, February 8-10, 2024. With Grace Loh Prasad, Lisa Chiu, Putsata Reang, and Lindsay Wong.
- AWP Offsite Reading with Colorado Review, Parlor Press, and Futurepoem, Kansas City, MO, February 9, 2024. With Kazim Ali, Monica Macansantos, John Gallaher, Gale Marie Thompson, Sasha Steensen, Kylan Rice. Aby Kaupang, Matthew Cooperman, Daniel Bourne, Molly Spencer, Manuel Paul López, Stephon Lawrence, Tolghman Goldsborough, Wendy Lotterman & Violet Sporlock.
- AWP Offsite Reading with Another Chicago Magazine and JackLeg Women Writers, Kansas City, MO, February 8, 2024. With Dr. Taylor Byas, Jessica Cuello, Suzanne Frischkorn, Rita Mookerjee, Melissa Studdard, Gemini Wahhaj, and Karen Rigby.
- "The Cultural Contours of Grief": Panel discussion, AWP Annual Conference, March 2021 (Virtual). With Frankie Rollins, Kimi Eisele, and Michelle Chikaonda.
- “Historical Amnesia, Colonial Trauma, and Self-Immolation in Ninotchka Rosca’s State of War": Paper presentation, FASSGRAD Conference, University of Waikato, New Zealand, November 2017.
Awards and recognitions
Fellowships at Artists' Residency Programs and Institutes:
- Shearing Fellowship, Black Mountain Institute, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (9 months, Aug 2024-May 2025)
- Monson Arts, Maine (4 weeks, 2023)
- Storyknife Writers Retreat, Alaska (4 weeks, 2022)
- I-Park Foundation, Connecticut (4 weeks, 2021)
- KHN Center for the Arts, Nebraska (6 weeks, 2019)
- Hedgebrook, Washington State (4 weeks, 2014)
- KHN Center for the Arts, Nebraska (4 weeks, 2012)
Academic Fellowships and Recognitions:
- James A. Michener Fellowship for Writing, University of Texas at Austin (MFA, 2010-2013)
- Victoria Doctoral Scholarship, Victoria University of Wellington (PhD, 2015-2018)
- Graduated magna cum laude from the University of the Philippines-Diliman (BA, 2007)
- Phi Kappa Phi Love of Learning Award (2019)
Other Prizes and Recognitions:
- Notable Citation in The Best American Essays 2023 for the essay, "My Father and W. B. Yeats" (published in The Hopkins Review in 2023)
- Notable Citation in The Best American Essays 2022, Notable Essays of 2021 for the essay, "A Shared Stillness" (published in Colorado Review in 2021)
- Notable Citation in The Best American Essays 2022, Notable Essays of 2020 for the essay, "Returning to My Father's Kitchen" (published in Lunch Ticket in 2020)
- Finalist, Glimmer Train Fiction Open for the novella, "Leaving Auckland" (2016)
- Notable Citation in The Best American Essays 2016 for the essay, "Becoming A Writer: The Silences We Write Against" (published in TAYO Literary Magazine in 2015)
- Honorable Mention, Glimmer Train Fiction Open for the short story, "Stopover" (2013)
WRITER'S PROFILES