I’m Heidi Kyser, and this is Black Mountain Institute Conversations, an interview series produced by Nevada Public Radio’s Desert Companion in collaboration with the Black Mountain Institute. On this show, we get to hear from BMI’s current fellows about their time in Las Vegas, their past and future works, and how their writing intersects with our local culture.
Our guest today is Monica Macansantos. She’s currently a Black Mountain Institute 2024-25 Shearing Fellow.
Her forthcoming book, Returning to My Father’s Kitchen, is a collection of 15 essays in which she explores her connections to her Filipino culture, the foods of her childhood, and her late father’s influence on both. Over the course of the book, Macansantos finds healing in remembering her father’s cooking, his poetry, and embarking on her own journeys, both culinary and literary.
