Pinoy: A' merican Tale - The books

For last year's production, The Rave Scenes, part of the rehearsal process included watching several movies as a cast, but also starting each rehearsal taking turns picking a book from a pile of selections, and then opening to a random page and reading. You can find these movies and books at the resources blog entry I made not much more than a month ago.

Anyway, I want to incorporate literature again, maybe in the rehearsal process, but certainly more in the writing of it.  I find it somewhat ironic that I'm doing this on today...Sunday. While "the book" can have many interpretations, I find myself drawn to the "people of the book" phrase.  My mom, being Filipino, raised me Catholic.  I, being Filipino-American (as well as Black), have since been searching for my own path.

And while I might not revere "The" book as central to my beliefs, I certainly believe that books in general are.  And, yes I even mean the physical object the text is held in.  I am not an e-book convert, and while that may change depending on the affordability of technology, there's just something I prefer about holding the paper in my hand.  Same reason I still like reading the physical newspaper with breakfast, when I can.

Maybe it's all just symbolism, knowledge being physicalized in a vessel and imparted to others. All the more ironic (maybe) that I am sharing these with you online. Maybe not, because it's still the transfer of information.  Anyway, with that, here are the 10 books of Pinoy: A 'merican Tale.


From Asia to DC:

• A History of the Philippines: From Indos Bravos to Filipinos (2010)
• Publisher | Amazon
• Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans (1989)
• Publisher | Amazon
• Filipino American Lives (1995)
• Publisher | Amazon
• Filipinos in Washington, DC (2009)
• Publisher | Amazon

Jose Rizal:

• The First Filipino: A Biography of José Rizal (1963)
• Amazon
• Noli Me Tangere: A Novel (1997), translated by Soledad Lacson-Locsin
• Publisher | Amazon
• Rizal's Prose (1962)
• Amazon

Fil-Ams & Psych:

• Depression and Other Mental Health Issues: The Filipino American Experience (1995)
• Amazon
• Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice (2009)
• Publisher | Amazon | Facebook
• Filipino American Psychology: A Collection of Personal Narratives (2009)
• Publisher | Amazon

If possible (especially for the ones that are out of print), if being Filipino-American is part of your background, your culture, I definitely encourage you to consider purchasing any of these books which you haven't read, even if you're not a "book" person.

Even if it's just one, it can only help you to continue becoming the person you already are.

- JR, A Way of Life Productions, Vision Director

Other Resources

• Arcadia Publishing - Facebook
• Overlook Press - Twitter
• Kevin Nadal - Facebook | YouTube

4 weeks and counting for our 1st Kickstarter campaign

So, as you may have noticed, we've started a Kickstarter campaign for Pinoy: A 'merican Tale that wraps up four weeks from today, at 5pm on April 14.

Now, if you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's a fundraising site geared towards supporting creative projects. I think that's pretty cool, and not just because they accepted my initial request.  Part of the charm, I think, is that they make it clear that donors will not be charged unless creatives meet their minimum goal.

It definitely speaks to one of the few points of contention I've experienced when sitting on grant panels at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the debate over whether it would be better to fund less artists at greater amounts of the amount they applied for, or more at lower, and if lower, how much was too low.

Not a problem with Kickstarter, if they don't make the minimum, the funding doesn't happen.  I believe this gives an even greater incentive to fund the project at the minimum, if not more.

Anyway, I could go more into this, but just thankful at the progress that has been made so far, 5% funding, and it's only been 2 days. Doesn't mean that there's not any work to do, but just hopeful, so far.

- JR, Vision Director, A Way of Life Productions

PAT: Kickstarter campaign is launched