Explore Filipinos’ history in Louisiana as told by a Fil-Am author

A New Orlean native and of Filipino descent, Randy Gonzales will take you down memory lane as he shares the history of Filipinos in Louisiana in his poetry book “Settling St. Malo.”

Unraveling the story of Filipino communities in the Bayou State during the 19th and 20th centuries, this book holds a collection of poems offering not just history but also a slice of Gonzales’ story of migration and assimilation.

The beautiful poetic lines will whisk you back to that old Louisiana town when this state held the majority of the Filipino population in the US.

A decade in the making, Gonzales sets the stage gorgeously as he narrates how “Filipinos fished out in St.Malo, dried shrimp on Barataria Bay, and designed Mardi Gras floats in New Orleans,” as UL Press describes it in a news release.

Settling St. Malo is available today in time for #FAHM2023. It took me a decade to research and write this story of #FilipinoLa. So excited to share it. https://t.co/LWicqVCra7

— Randy Gonzales (@randygon) September 19, 2023

“Settling St.Malo” isn’t just a poetry full of verses; it’s also a treasure trove of lost history. Gonzales has woven these poems from diaries, histories, letters, and even government documents.

Infused with visual and cultural landscapes, you can feel the author’s desire to pay tribute to a heritage almost lost in time.

The poet behind the verses

A father who wants to raise his children that’s proud of their heritage, Gonzales is a writer who’s also a community historian and researcher, spreading the story of Filipinos in Louisiana.

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He also has impressive academic accolades, including a scholarship—Dr.James Wilson/BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Professorship in Southern Studies. He’s also an associate professor of English at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

“Settling St. Malo” is available on Amazon and on Gonzales’ official website.