Author Archives: sawagariverpress

Hello, Friends, July went by too quickly! So many fun summer trips. But don’t be fooled. Even with the many camping trips we went on with our respective families, Lynnor and I managed to spend some time on the book. Twice in July we got together and talked about the changes we needed to do.Continue reading “July Updates”

Hello, Friends! Lynnor and I are on a roll! We’ve set the scenes and finalized the page counts. I am making it sound like it was easy to get to this point. In a way it was. But it could have been harder. I initially told Lynnor our book will be 32 pages. She createdContinue reading “Page Counting and Clothing”

Hello Friends and Family! I was invited by Professor Melissa Moreno of the Woodland Community College to discuss Sawaga River Press’ publishing journey through a decolonizing framework. This was a very welcomed change of pace for me as I usually present at events geared towards younger children, not adults, and I don’t get to delveContinue reading “Independent Publishing and Decolonizing”

Hello, Family and Friends! Happy May! After a few weeks of mulling over options, we have finally decided on our next book’s boy protagonist’s look. (Google chatting with Lynnor, choosing which look best fits our Jack) (Illustration Credit: Lynnor Bontigao) And so…Meet Jack! (Illustration Credit: Lynnor Bontigao) He loves to hear and tell stories, especiallyContinue reading “Meet Jack”

Hello, Friends, We hope your April is off to a good start! We are super excited to announce our second book, tentatively titled “Jack Meets Agio.” This story is inspired by the oral folk literature of my hometown, Bukidnon. (See below for map.) Specifically, it is inspired by the Olaging epic about the adventures of Agio (also knownContinue reading “Introducing Our New Book and Illustrator”

Hello, Everyone!   Spring is here and it is so good to be feeling the warmth of the sun instead of the gnawing cold.   Jack and I were at our local library last week. He sauntered around to look for his favorite books (currently the Squish series) while I checked out the new children’sContinue reading “Mama, Mama at the Mary Stephens (Davis) Library”

Dear Readers, We at the Sawaga River Press would like to thank you for supporting us this year. We hope your 2017 was bountiful and that 2018 would be full of opportunities to create and collaborate! We closed the year with a very successful and inspiring Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair in Oakland. (ForContinue reading “Bye-bye 2017, Hello 2018”

Hello, Everybody, Time flew so fast this year! The Mama, Mama book has been to several places this year but we’ve neglected to update our blog! So here are the highlights to catch you all up, starting from the most recent: Filipino American International Book Festival What an honor it was to be part ofContinue reading “Catching Up with 2017!”

Hello, Friends! We’ve been added to the collection of children’s books at the Philippine Expressions Bookshop in San Pedro, Los Angeles. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hi to the owner, Linda Nietes who dedicates this bookshop to Filipino-Americans in search of their roots. Happy Holidays!  

  Hello, All! The holidays are upon us! The Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC) graciously invited us to display and sell the Mama, Mama book at the holiday party at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco. I’ve been going to FBANC’s party for the last three years and this year’s was extra specialContinue reading “Mama, Mama at the Filipino Bar Association of Nor Cal Holiday Party”