Legend of the Banana

About the Writers: Meri J. Henson-Bodnar is retired, but keeps herself busy writing, illustrating, and doing volunteer work (computer graphics tutoring, literacy classes, resource person, etc.). She still lectures on writing in some American universities. In Manila, she was a professor of languages, management and masscom at different universities in both graduate and undergraduate levels. She headed different public relations/ media/ publications offices (schools and government departments), the last as Deputy Press Attache at the Philippine Consulate-General in Los Angeles. She took her AB with English as major, and took public administration as major in her masteral and doctoral studies. At various times, she was connected with the working press, as well as with publications offices (schools and NGO's), She has authored and illustrated manuals, reference, literary and journalistic pieces, and children's books. She has won prized for her work, both in the Philippines and in the United States. Mari was recently awarded Honorable Mention in the Non-Rhyming Poem Category of the 1998 Writer's Digest Writing Competition in the U.S., which had attracted over 9,000 entries.