Marivi Soliven
Marivi has taught creative writing at the University of the Philippines and the University of California at San Diego. Stories from her 17 books have appeared in anthologies in Manila and the United States. Her short story “Talunang Manok” was recently adapted into a short film, titled “The Losing Cock” by Delano Manongs Director Marissa Aroy. After gaining awards for two children’s books in 1991 and 1992, Marivi’s debut novel In the Service of Secrets won the 2011 Grand Prize for the Novel, all three prizes conferred by the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Philippine counterpart of the Pulitzer Prize. That novel, retitled The Mango Bride was published by Penguin Books in the April, 2013. The San Diego Book Awards later named The Mango Bride Best Contemporary Fiction of 2014. The novel’s Spanish edition, Hace Una Eternidad en Manila (Grupo Planeta, 2014) was released in October, 2014. National Book Store released the Filipino edition in August 2015. Readers' responses to The Mango Bride inspired Marivi to develop the Saving Beverly Campaign, a series of literary fundraisers that benefit nonprofits offering support services for immigrant survivors of domestic violence. Since its inception in in October 2014, these events have raised enough money to gain legal residency for nine survivors and rescue them from their abusive marriages.
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