Listen in on this Merienda with the Maker where I was joined by Kenneth and his mom Tita Olivia.
We talk about the art memoir Kenneth wrote with paintings from his Lola Crescenciana - which Kenneth illustrated on. “Crescenciana” follows the story of Kenneth’s Lola, from her time in the Philippines, immigrating to Canada, then immigrating to California.
During the Merienda with the Maker Instagram live, we shared our favorite stories in the book, Tita Olivia’s spelling bee (which she did in her third language, English - not her native tongue!), Korean dramas, what we had for merienda (our light snacks), and Tita’s new book project!
Tita also shared a new story about how she used to sell halo halo at the markets with Lola. Never heard of by Kenneth! I’m so glad Tita Olivia felt comfortable and called to share these stories with us.
I also shared how I requested for Kenneth’s book to be at my local library. For those who would love to further support Kenneth’s stories, Tita’s stories, and Lola’s stories - you too can request for “Crescenciana” to be added to your local library. 👏🏽👏🏽 You can request via your library webpage or app.
Then click Add Suggestion.
Another example from another library:
Here’s the info you will need:
Book Title: Crescenciana
Author: Kenneth Tan
Format: Book
Audience: Adult
Content: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Black Carabao
ISBN: 9780578315829
When my library purchased Crescenciana, I got a notification that my hold was placed. I LOVED being able to see their book in the hold section. Then my daughter and I were able to check it out with the rest of our holds! Totally normalizing Filipino stories at the library for my daughter and all future generations.
Thank you Kenneth and Tita for sharing Lola’s story - which is also your story too! And thanks to everyone for joining today!
Watch the Instagram Live here.
