Category: Blog
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April Fools Surprise
On April Fools’ Day I was surprised not by a prank, but by an article by Alicia de Leon Torres, published in our local newspaper. In it, Alicia profiled my writing, the day job as a Filipino phone interpreter, and my years long involvement with arts projects in San Diego. It was an honor and […]
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Covid Confidential
Amid a worldwide pandemic, the San Diego Central Library continued to promote literacy and support local writers, going above and beyond curbside book pickups. The San Diego Decameron Project is a collection of 100 flash fiction stories centered on this modern-day plague. My story was accepted for inclusion this anthology and was among the top […]
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Filipino Food Means Love in The Mango Bride
I employed food as a metaphor for love and home in my novel. On this episode of The Talk with Rose Tibayan, I moderated a discussion on Filipino food and how it is recreated, and reimagined by fellow Pinoy expatriates Professor Martin Manalansan, Culinarista Michael Gil Magnaye, Cookbook author Betty Ann Quirino and Covid survivor […]
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Recreating Home with Food
Filipino food appears in my novel as a metaphor for love in The Mango Bride. For millions of expatriate Filipinos like me, traditional dishes also help us recreate the sounds, scents and delicious flavors of home. I’ve invited a marvelous panel of home cooks to discuss our culinary obsessions and adventures. After contracting Covid 19, […]
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Generation Women Show
I look forward to sharing the virtual stage next with these phenomenal women next Wednesday, January 27, 7 p.m. ET/4 pm PT. Each of us represent a decade from the 20s through the 70s and will tell a story based on the theme of resilience and perseverance. Mine is about Stress Baking and Covid. Tickets […]
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Postcards from the Pandemic – Holy Week Edition
I retired from organized religion years ago, but remember all too well the dreariness of Lent, when good Catholics were expected to abstain from chocolate or wine or some other delectable indulgence. Ironically, for Lent this year, the Covid 19 pandemic compelled me to revert to being that “good Catholic” once more, for I had […]
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Postcards from the Pandemic
After hearing horror stories about long lines of people storming Walmart to buy fabric for face masks, I decided to go shopping in my closet instead. I donated my Victoria Secret bras after the company was disgraced by its association with Jeffrey Epstein and the #Metoo movement, but for some reason forgot to reattach their […]
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Postcards from the Pandemic – a Friend in Knead is a Friend Indeed
For the love of Bread, stay home! And we did, with the kindness of a virtual stranger. Yeast is as hard to find as hand sanitizers these days, but N. found several packets in an East Coast grocery and offered to send them out to her kneady friends. N. and I know each other through […]
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Postcards from the Pandemic
When I need comfort food, Mujadara is my Mac & Cheese. This Middle Eastern lentil and rice dish is fragrant with cumin, allspice and cayenne, topped with caramelized onions and parsley. Because I have more time to be finicky these days, I ended up drawing from three recipes. These two from Melissa Clark for the […]
Marivi Soliven 