May 31, 2006

Artists to hold poetry and music night for detained poet.

Sometime in October last year, poet Axel Pinpin found himself writing a poem for a political prisoner captured in the Southern Luzon province of Batangas; only to find out several months later that he would become a political prisoner himself. Axel or Antoy to his many friends is now detained in Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Laguna. He and his group called the “Tagaytay 5” were arrested by the Philippine National Police for rebellion charges. Axel and his companions were but the latest victims of repressive tactics of the Arroyo administration against progressive organizations

A BS Agriculture graduate, Pinpin is currently serving as consultant of the peasant organization Kalipunan ng mga Magsasaka sa Kabite (Kasama-Ka). He was abducted by elements of the PNP in Tagaytay City on April 28, 2006. Abducted together with Pinpin were other Kasama-Ka members Riel Custodio and Aristedes Sarmiento and drivers Enrico Ybanez and Michael Masayes. It took the PNP three days before presenting the Tagaytay 5 to the media in a press conference on May 1. On this occasion, there were visible signs that the detainees had suffered in the hands of their captors: Custodio for one, had his legs wrapped with bandages; Sarmiento on the other hand could not walk properly; and Pinpin looked as if he just had an asthma attack.

A Fellow of the UP Creative Writing workshop in 1999, Pinpin has made friends with fellow poets and artists. These friends of Pinpin’s are expressing support for their detained comrade through a poetry and music night aptly titled “Tugma sa Laya.”

Pinpin is among the many artists that have suffered the brunt of dictatorial policies of the Arroyo administration. A few weeks before the abduction of the Tagaytay 5, musician Alexis Uy, a graduate of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, was illegally arrested, detained and tortured by the military. Uy is a gifted musician who helped organize the Artistang Pangkultura ng Mamamalakaya sa Timog Katagalugan (APLAYA), one of the member organizations of ARREST Gloria. Uy, who also works as a researcher for the Kalipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK), was arrested April 30 in Lucena City together with Joey dela Rosa, also a researcher for the said peasant organization; and 12 peasant activists from KOMPRA-Quezon. Just like the Tagaytay 5, they were preparing to join a caravan to Manila for the Labor Day rally when arrested.

Tugma sa Laya is intended to gather moral and financial support for the plight of Pinpin and his other detained comrades. The event is going to be held in Mag:Net Café in Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City. The program will run from 7 to 10 in the evening. No entrance fee will be charged but sponsorship tickets that cost 120 pesos each will be available. The proceeds of which will be used to finance legal and medical services that the group badly needs.

Among those who will be performing in the event are National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera; Nanding Josef, Actor and Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines; poet Vim Nadera, Director of the UP Creative Writing Center; Dexter Cayanes who is a Fellow of the 2005 UP Writer’s Workshop; writer and journalist Iris Gonzales; Radioactive Sago Project vocalist and poet Lourd de Veyra; TV Personality and SPIT Founder Gabe Mercado; Bobby Balingit of The Wuds; worker’s chorale from Laguna called KUMASA; and Ma. Theresa Pangilinan, Pinpin’s fellow Kabitenyo who is better known as the student who stood up against GMA at her graduation.

Tugma sa Laya is being organized by Southern Tagalog Exposure in cooperation with the Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria). A similar event with the same title and intention is also going to be held in Bahandi in Nakpil St. , Malate Manila by poetry group Kilometer 64.

May 30, 2006

Filipino Playwright Wins Awards

Glenn Sevilla Mas makes us proud! His new play, “The Death of Memory”, won 5 awards, including Best New Play, Best Supporting Actor and Best Lighting Design, in the 2006 Gilby Theater Awards of the Catholic University of America.

May 30, 2006

Mga Nanalo sa Talinghaga sa Tag-init

Sina Raul Funilas III at Michael Kho Lim ang itinanghal na mga makata ng gabi noong Mayo 4, 2006 sa Talinghaga sa Tag-init, unang gabi ng tula sa Bahandi, isang organic restaurant sa Nakpil cor. Agoncillo, Malate, Maynila. Ang kanilang tulang “Ang Matakot sa Pungos” (RFIII) at “Kaharian sa Boracay” (MKL) ang napili ni G. Alvin Gesmundo, isa sa mga may-ari ng Bahandi.

Ang susunod na gabi ng tula sa Bahandi sa 1 Hunyo 2006. School days ang paksa ng mga tulang babasahin/itatanghal at isasama sa mini literary folio na ipamimigay din sa gabing iyon. Para sa detalye, magtext o tumawag kay Bebang Siy sa 0919-3175708 o mag-email sa bebang_ej@yahoo.com. Bukas ang poetry night sa lahat ng nais sumali!

May 25, 2006

Bienvenido Lumbera Now National Artist for Literature
by Arvin Abejo Mangohig

Bienvenido Lumbera has officially been conferred National Artist for Literature status yesterday, May 24.

"Sir Bien" was joined by six others in the elite circle: Ramon Obusan for dance, Benedicto Cabrera, painting; Ildefonso Santos, architecture; Ramon Valera for fashion design, Abdulmari Asia Imao, sculpture and Fernando Poe Jr. for film. (Poe and Valera are posthumous awardees.)

The seven were cited for their contributions to their fields by Gloria Arroyo: "preeminent achievements that have enhanced the Filipino's cultural heritage deserve the recognition and acknowledgment of our government in pursuit of its policy of preserving and developing Filipino culture and a national identity."

Vim Nadera, UP Institute of Creative Writing director, was very happy with the honor conferred to his ICW colleague. "Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera is indeed a national artist. As an artist he's been trying to help other artists in building the Filipino language and literature that we can call national, neither regional nor international, " Nadera said.

Lumbera was recently embroiled in a controversy that spread like wildfire after poet Alfred Yuson questioned the deliberation procedures of the judges and Lumbera's credentials.

Lumbera joins Virgilio Almario as one of the two National Artists that the ICW boasts of and is one of the eight that the University of the Philippines has produced. He is a member of the ICW Board of Advisers and is in the faculty of the Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikang Pilipino.

May 25, 2006

Mga Bagong Kasapi ng LIRA, Nanumpa; Aplikasyon para sa 2006 LIRA Poetry Workshop, Bukas na!

Noong ikalawa ng Abril, pormal nang nanumpa ang mga bagong miyembro ng Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA). Sina Claire Madarang, Francisco Monteseña, Romel Samson, at Kathline Tolosa ay ilan sa mga naging kasapi sa isang taong palihan ng LIRA na ngayon ay malugod na ring kasama ng grupo. Sa araw na ring iyon nanumpa ang mga bagong pinuno ng
organisasyon - si Ronald Atilano bilang pangulo, si Raul "Tata" Funilas bilang pangalawang pangulo, si Ergoe Tinio bilang kalihim, si Pamela Maranca bilang ingat-yaman, at si Nanoy Rafael bilang tagapaghatid-balita. Ang huling tatlo ay kasama na bagong-nanumpang miyembro.

Tumatanggap na rin ng mga aplikante ang LIRA para sa taunan nitong palihan. Ang lahat ng interesado ay inaanyayahang magpasa ng limang (5) tula sa Filipino kasama ang isang maikling bio-data at 1x1 ID picture sa LIRA Workshop c/o Dir. Vim Nadera, UP Institute of Creative Writing, 2/F Bulwagang Rizal UP Diliman, 1101 Quezon City. Maaari ring ipadala ang mga ito sa e-mail address na liraworkshop@gmail.com at/o lira_makata@yahoo.com bago o sa ika-30 ng Mayo, 2006.

Gaganapin ang mga palihan tuwing Sabado at Linggo ngayong Hunyo at Hulyo sa Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman.

Ang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining na si Virgilio S. Almario ang magiging direktor ng workshop.

Ang LIRA ay organisasyon ng mga makatang nagsusulat sa wikang Filipino. Naglulunsad ang LIRA ng taunang kurso at palihan sa paglikha ng mga tula. Sa mga palihang ito nagmula ang mga premyado at kinikilalang makata tulad nina Vim Nadera, Romulo Baquiran, Mike Coroza, at magkapatid na Roberto at Rebecca Anonuevo. Noong Disyembre 2005, ipinagdiwang ng LIRA ang ika-20 anibersaryo nito.

***

Applications for the next LIRA Workshop are now being accepted. Applicants are invited to pass five (5) poems in Filipino along with a short bio-date and one 2x2 ID picture to LIRA Workshop c/o Dir. Vim Nadera, UP Institute of Creative Writing, 2/F Bulwagang Rizal, UP Diliman, 1101 Quezon City.

Requirements can also be sent to lira_makata@yahoo.com or liraworkshop@gmail.com. All applications should be in on or before May 30, 2006.

The workshop will be held every Saturday and Sunday this June and July at the College of Arts and Letter in University of the Philippines, Diliman.

National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario will direct the workshop.

May 25, 2006

First Filipino in Writers' Festival

Writer and poet Alfred "Krip" Yuson, representing the Philippines, is among 70 foreign writers who have been invited to participate in what is considered to be Australia's biggest annual literary event as it brings international authors, editors, publishers, speakers, and philosophers to interact together with the public through poetry readings, debates, panel discussions, workshops, and book signings.

Mr Yuson is the only Philippine-based writer to participate in the Festival's history, according to a press release from the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney this week.

Mr Yuson has written 22 books including novels, poems, short fiction, essays, children's stories and biographies. He teaches fiction and poetry at the Ateneo de Manila University, where he holds the Henry Lee Irwin Professorial Chair.

The Filipino author has won various awards: the Stalwart of Art and Culture Award in Manila in June 2003, and a Rockefeller Foundation grant for residency at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center in Italy in October 2003. He was conferred the SEA Write (South East Asian Writers) Award by the Thai Royalty for lifetime achievement, and has been elevated to the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, which is the Philippines' most prestigious literary distinction.

Mr Yuson is also a documentary filmmaker and scriptwriter, has won a FAMAS Award and a Catholic Mass Media Award for a feature-length film screenplay. He contributes a weekly literature and culture column to the daily,

*The Philippine Star.

May 25, 2006

Mindanao’s Uwahig featured in UNESCO-ITI festival

Fire and water are the overlaying images of Uwahig (Bukidnon for “water”) that presents its world premiere in May 24 (Wednesday) at the Huseng Batute studio theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The play is one of the Philippines’ entries to the UNESCO-International Theater Institute (ITI) 31st World Congress and Theatre Olympics of the Nations in Manila which the Philippines hosts for the first time.

Written and directed by Dr. Steven Patrick C. Fernandez, UWAHIG is a collaborative dance-theatre piece by MINDULANI, Inc., the network of theatre practitioners in Mindanao.

This post modern play weaves folklore in a multimedia composition. Based on the Maranao-Maguindanao Indarapatra epic, the play deconstructs the story of two brothers who defend the land against darkness. Interspersed in the dance-music narrative are several folktales notable the flood legends adapted from the various communities of Mindanao. Images of contemporary representations of darkness (war, hunger, evacuation, environmental destruction) are shaped through digital images, puppetry and masks, music, chants, chorus, and poetry.

Collaborating with Fernandez in the production of this opus are Felimon Blanco of Kumbingan Ensemble who choreographs, Boots Dumlao of Kathara Dance Theatre Collective who designs the production, and Geejay Arriola and the Mebuyan Peace Project who compose and score the original music.
Performing artists are from MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology’s Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG).

May 25, 2006

Film Academy of the Philippines Plans Pilots for Pelikulang Pampanitikan

The Film Academy of the Philippines working committee for its Pelikulang Pampanitikan project has decided to produce a trilogy of short stories based on Filipino literary materials in the curriculum of the collegiate level as its pilot for the feature film category.

In a meeting on Friday, May 5, the committee opted to come up with a feature film based on three stories instead of a film based on a single novel or novelette. Those who attended the meeting were FAP Director General Leo Martinez, Deputy Director General Jesse Ejercito, Directors Jose N. Carreon and Felix Dalay, and Ms. Raquel Paz of the Actors' Workshop Foundation.

Two other pilots will be simultaneously produced for the short film (10 to 15 minute running time) category which will be based on a literary material being taken by high school students; and the shorter film (three to eight minute running time) category which will be based on materials in the elementary level.

As proposed by the FAP, the feature film will have a budget of P2 million, half a million pesos for the short film and P200,000 for the shorter film.

CVRP Chairman Eddie Romero, National Artist for Film, endorsed the FAP project and the CVRP members decided to approve the production of one pilot each for the three categories.

Director General Martinez said that a short list of the short stories being taken by college, high school and elementary students is still being updated. The materials to be adapted for the trilogy will come from this list.

The committee will commission scriptwriters, specially those who are also literary writers in their own right, to adapt the stories in the short list.

Scriptwriters are encouraged to lump together three stories which can be interwoven with a single or common thematic motif.

This ambitious FAP project aims to build up a library of films based on literary Filipino masterpieces.

According to the project proposal of the FAP, Pelikulang Pampanitikan will showcase published literary works by Filipino authors – legends, children's stories, poems, short stories, novels, plays – literature that are being taught in our elementary, high-school and college levels. These selected Filipino literary works will be interpreted visually in digital format as full-length feature and short films, by selected filmmakers who are also guild members affiliated with the Film Academy of the Philippines.

The finished films will be shown in scheduled exhibitions in theaters in Metro Manila and other key cities in selected provinces with students as the primary targeted viewers. In areas without theaters, mobile exhibitions may also be arranged in coordination with local schools and organizations. Ultimately, the finished films will also be reproduced in VCD to be distributed extensively at popular prices to schools, libraries, to educators, students, to embassies and consulates, and to the general public.

Pelikulang Pampanitikan is an education-directed project that hopes to generate better understanding of and a deeper appreciation for our Filipino literature and their writers. Through this project, we give due recognition to our own Filipino literature and their authors and writers, at the same time that we provide our schools with a video library of literature materials for the students.

Basically the project will take the form of a film grant to be awarded to groups of film workers interested in interpreting in digital format literary works included in a short list prepared by
FAP with the assistance of the academe.

The films under the Pelikulang Pampanitikan program will be exhibited in regular theaters in Metro Manila and other key cities in the country. The Department of Education will be requested to provide schools the viewing schedules so teachers and students can be organized to view the films as aid to Literature/English subjects and courses. In areas where no theaters operate, mobile exhibitions may be schedule by the Project Organizers in coordination with the local schools or organizations.

The finished films will become the property of the Film Academy of the Philippines which will take responsibility in their exhibition and promotion. After the prescribed exhibition period, the films will be produced in VCD for sale to interested individuals and institutions.

In implementing the project, the FAP will formulate revenue-earning measures that will allow the academy to earn funds that can be used in the succeeding projects. These measures will include a percentage share in theater sales as well as income garnered from the sale of VCD copies.

May 25, 2006

International Essay Competition for Human Rights Conference in Berlin Now Open!

Deadline: July 30th, 2007

The Irmgard Coninx Foundation is continuing its program on human rights with an international conference and adjunct workshops to address the social, political, theoretical, and pragmatic issues of human rights today.

The topic of the new focus is: Population Politics and Human Rights.

As in the years before the "Berlin Roundtables on Transnationalism" will start its new topic with an essay/working paper competition on:

Population Politics and Human Rights:

Can political intervention to family planning and fertility behaviour be brought into harmony - at the global, national and regional levels -with human rights, including the right to reproductive health, to self-determination, to freedom of movement and residence within and across the borders of the state, to a secure existence and social protection?

45 essayists will be selected by an international jury and invited to join the international conference and workshops in Berlin from February 15th - 20th. The Irmgard Coninx Foundation will cover costs of travel to and accommodation in Berlin for invited participants.

Furthermore, for the best essay the Irmgard Coninx Foundation will award to up to three workshop participants a three months research grant in Berlin for the year 2007 at the Social Science Research Centre Berlin (WZB) and the Humboldt University. The recipient will also be invited to join the workshop in 2006. The Irmgard Coninx Foundation will provide for a monthly stipend of 1000 Euro plus accommodation.

For essay details, application procedure and additional information, please visit our website: www.irmgard-coninx-stiftung.de

May 20, 2006

Call for papers: Humanities Diliman

Humanities Diliman is a refereed semi-annual journal for the humanities. It is multi-lingual and both disciplinal and multi-disciplinary. Manuscripts on any aspect of creative and cultural work are welcome. Reviews may also be submitted.

Deadlines for submission: July 14, 2006 and November 30, 2006.

Suggested themes:
1. Language and social transformation
2. Popular culture
3. Myths and institutional dynamics
4. Urban legends
5. Sense and aesthetics
6. Asian-European cultural links

Send contributions to:
The Editor-in-Chief
HUMANITIES DILIMAN
Research Dissemination and Utilization Office
Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development
Lower Ground Floor, Phivolcs Building
C.P. Garcia Ave., UP Diliman, Quezon City 1101

For more information, please contact tel. nos. 927-2309; 927, 2568 (telefax); 981-8500 local 4047
e-mail: rduo.ovcrd@up.edu.ph
website: http://www.ovcrd.upd.edu.ph

May 17, 2006

Philippine Entry to World Theater Congress Slated

The musical play "Pataya Pat(ih)aya" is the NCR Committee on Dramatic Arts' bet for the Philippine Theater Festival component of the 31 st UNESCO-ITI World Theater Congress happening from May 20-29, 2006.

U.P. professor Glecy C. Atienza wrote the play that tackles the issues of drugs, prostitution and the basketball ending game. Bobet Mendoza composed the enthralling songs, which capture the soul and sentiments of the people trapped in the web of technology and poverty. Erick Castro directs this collaboration of artists and theater workers from the various groups of the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Pangkultura sa Kamaynilaan at Karatig-pook, Inc. (Alyansa, Inc.)

The play is scheduled on May 27, 2006, 9:00 P.M. at the CCP Little Theater through the support of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

May 17, 2006

UNESCO ITI World Congress in RP for first time

The UNESCO International Theatre Institute World Congress, a major cultural event gathering theater directors, writers, playwrights and actors from all over the world, simultaneous with the with the World Festival of Drama Schools, will be held in the Philippines for the first time this summer.

ITI World Congress will be held in Manila from May 16 to May 30, 2006.

Festival Director Nick Lizaso of the World Festival of Drama School also announced that a workshop component, to be participated in by foreign theater professionals, will also take place simultaneously.

The workshop will be open to Filipino theater practitioners.

Professor Andrey Andreyev, of the theater Academy of St. Petersburg in Russia will handle a workshop on Russian dramatist Anton P. Chekhov that will include the production of his play The Wedding Proposal , as a workshop showcase. The workshop will be open to local playwrights, actors and directors.

Japanese stage actress and directress Sayoko Shirotani will handle a demonstration workshop on Japanese Traditional Culture to be capped by a final demonstration at the end of the workshop. Local dancers, actors and directors are invited to participate in this dance/movement workshop.

Professor Maria Horne from Buffalo University of New York will also conduct a five-day workshop that will be of particular interest to film actors and directors, as the workshop will focus on American Method Acting.

The 30-hour workshops will be held from May 17 to 21 at the St. Paul University in Quezon City with a minimum number of 25 participants per workshop.

Another workshop will have US-based international Filipino director and Onassis award-winning playwright, Dr. Anton Juan, focusing on Creative Theater which will discuss the creative techniques to achieve through theater the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.

The development goals are envisioned to eradicate poverty and hunger by eliminating corruption; provide education for all; effect environmental sustainability; empower women; ensure material care; enable reproduction of child morality; enforce health requirements; and encourage partnership from development through debt relief to protect cultural diversity.

This 30-hour workshop will be held from May 17 to 21 at the Lyceum of the Philippines and will accommodate 25 participants, made up of actors, directors and writers.

A minimal workshop fee of P3,000 will be charged all participants to cover meals, snacks and materials. Interested participants are requested to submit their resumes on or before May 9, 2006 at the World Festival of Drama Schools Secretariat, St. Paul University, Quezon City. Inquiries can be made at 726-7986 to 88, local 144.

May 17, 2006

Food Writing Competition now accepting entries

The Manila Ladies Branch of the International Wine and Food Society (IWFS) announces the start of The Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Award 2006. On this fifth year of the competition, the theme is Filipino native cake or kakanin , its generic name.

The announcement was made at the opening Monday of the Heritage Food Festival of Ilonggo cuisine at the Mandarin Oriental Manila. It was an excellent opportunity because the Filipino Heritage Festival, Inc. is a sponsor and partner of the Food Writing Award starting this year. Both the Manila Ladies Branch and the Filipino Heritage Festival are working towards the same goal-that of promoting our Filipino culture.

Through the DGF Food Writing Award, the Manila Ladies are cultivating a significant body of literature about Philippine culinary culture. The latest compilation of this is in the book Slow Food: Philippine Culinary Traditions launched last year at a major event of the Branch.

Those who wish to join must write an essay on the native cakes that use rice and other grains like corn and millet, rootcrops (e.g. cassava, kamote ) and fruit (e.g. saba ). Kakanin comes in many forms--cylindrical like the suman , shaped like squares, rectangles or triangles, rounded like some puto .

The essay must be in English, not less than 4,500 characters nor more than 5,000 characters or 800 words, printed on two pages of bond paper, double-spaced.

All entries must use a pen name. Accompany the essay with a separate envelope containing the Author's Information Sheet revealing your (1) name; (2) pen name; (3) residential address and telephone number; (4) business address and telephone number, if you work; (5) cell phone number.

Deadline for submission is August 31, 2006. Submit the printed entry together with a digital copy (Word file or rtf-rich text format on a floppy disk or CD) and the Author's Information Sheet to:

Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Award 2006
IWFS Manila Ladies Branch Awards Committee
PRISM, 5 th floor, PDAF Bldg.
Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City 1200

For more information: email dgfawards@yahoo.com.ph or call Ms. Girlie Canlas, 895-2021

Cash prizes are donated by the Filipino Heritage Festival, Inc. The first prize winner gets P10,000.00. The runner-up gets P5,000. Finalists will get cash prizes as well. Expect gift certificates as well from bookstores, publishing houses and restaurants.

Announcement of winners will be in September 2006.

Subject Matter: FILIPINO NATIVE CAKES/ KAKANIN

Kakanin is the generic name for Filipino native cakes. While the word indicates rice or kanin as the basic ingredient, it can also mean cakes that use rootcrops (e.g. cassava, kamote ), fruit (e.g. saba ) and other grains (corn, millet).

Kakanin can be in many forms-cylindrical like the suman , shaped like squares, rectangles or triangles, rounded like some puto .

Entries must contain the descriptions of shape, color, ingredients, packaging, manner of cooking and taste. Research on origins, citing essays from other writings on the subject and interviews with kakanin specialists earn additional points.

Important: Cakes and pastries made out of wheat or corn flour are not allowed.

Some examples of kakanin :

The tinubong of Vigan is puto mixture poured into long bamboo tubes and left to cook on coals.

Cebuanos love their putomaya , suman bodbod nd biko , all made of sweetened malagkit as well as the bibingka .

Pampangos make their Christmas week specialties like putong sulot and putong lusong .

Bacolod has its Manapla puto that needs the saba banana leaf for its lining.

Sapin sapin in Bulacan are layers of creamy exquisite tasting rice flour mixed with coconut milk.

Calasiao in Pangasinan is known for its white rounded puto .

Indonesia Lecture Series 2006 slated by the University of San Carlos

The Department of Languages and Literature of the University of Carlos has slated two series by two Indonesian scholars. Dr. Faruk will discuss "A Survey of Modern Indonesian Literature" on May 29 to June 9. Meanwhile, Cahyaningrum Dejawati will lecture on "Women and Gender in Indonesia" from August 7 to 18.

Dr. Faruk is a distinguished scholar and critic from the Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He is the author of several books: Strukturalisme Genetik dan Epistemologi Sastra (1989), Pengantar Sosiologi Sastra (1993), Petarugan Tak Kunjung Usali (1995), Hilangan Pesona Dunia (1999), Womem Womeni Lupus (2000) and Beyond Imagination: Sastra Mutakhir dan Ideologi (2001).

The series is made possible in part by the SEASREP Foundation.

For more information, please call 9320253-1000 local 166 or contact the following

Hope Sabanpan-Yu
hsyu@usc.edu.ph

Joanalyn P. Gabales
jpgabales@usc.edu.ph

Haidee K. Palapar
hkpalapar@usc.edu.ph

May 11, 2006 LIKHAAN cited by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
by Arvin Abejo Mangohig

The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino recently awarded the LIKHAAN: UP Institute of Creative Writing with an Award of Recognition for its many projects that seek to promote Philippine Literature.

The Komisyon acknowledged the ICW's contributions in traditional literary fora like Kuwentuhan, the ICW's lecture series and Likhaan, the ICW's joint anthology projects with the University of the Philippines Press.

Moreover, the Komisyon took notice of the ICW's pioneering projects such as the Textula, Dionatext and Dalitext for bringing together cellphone technology and the more traditional poetic forms. Other projects that were commended were panitikan.com.ph, a website project with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, Panitikabataan, Sawikaan and Bukambibig.

Amelia Lapena Bonifacio, former ICW director, received the award in behalf of the Institute's fellows, associates and current director Vim Nadera. The awarding was held last April 4 at the Philippine Columbian Association, Paco, Manila in celebration of Balagtas Day.

May 3, 2006

15 Fellows to 13th Iligan National Writers Workshop Named

The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), Mindanao Creative Writers Group, Inc., and MSU-IIT Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Extension (OVCRE) announce the 15 writing fellows to the 13th Iligan National Writers Workshop on May 22-25 to be held at the Elena Tower Inn, Iligan City.

Fiction in English: Anna Felicia C. Sanchez, Marikina City (UP Diliman); Catherine C. Bucu, Caloocan City (UP Diliman); Monica S. Macansantos, Baguio City (UP Diliman); Erwin A. Martinez, Caloocan City (UP Diliman); and Romel Tomaring Villaflor, Cotabato City (UP Mindanao).

Other fellows in fiction: (Filipino) Piya Cruz Constantino, (UP Diliman); (Cebuano) Josua S. Cabrera, Cebu City (University of Cebu); (Waray) Hermenigildo A. Sanchez, Catbalogan, Samar; (Chabacano) Linda Cababa Espinosa, Zamboanga City (Western Mindanao State University).

Poetry in Filipino: Mark Anthony Angeles, Manila (PUP); Carlos M. Piocos III, Quezon City (UP Diliman); Reggy C. Figer, Tacloban City (UP Diliman); and Hilda Rosca Nartea, Quezon City (UP Diliman);

Poetry in Cebuano: Greg Fernandez, Cebu City (University of Cebu); (Hiligaynon): Lester Mark P. Carnaje, Iloilo City (West Visayas State University).

Panelists this year are: Ma. Rosario Cruz Lucero (UP Diliman), Erlinda Kintanar Alburo (University of San Carlos), Merlie M. Alunan (UP College of Tacloban), Jaime An Lim (FEU), Steven Patrick C. Fernandez (MSU-IIT), Leoncio P. Deriada (UP in the Visayas) and Michael U. Obenieta, 1996 writing fellow of the 3rd INWW and keynote speaker this year. Workshop director is Christine Godinez Ortega.

The 12th INWW proceedings titled "The State of Constant Beginnings" edited by Godinez Ortega and published by the MSU-IIT OVCRE will be launched during the last day of the workshop.

May 2, 2006

Dumaguete National Writers Workshop fellows announced

National Artist for Literature Edtih L.Tiempo, co-founder of the National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City, has announced the list of Writing Fellows for the 45th edition of the longest-running writing workshop in the country.

For Poetry, the fellows are Darwin Chiong and Michellan Christine Sarile of De La Salle University, Andrea Teran of Ateneo de Manila University, and Ana Escalante Neri of UP Manila.

For Creative Nonfiction, they are Patricia Evangelista of UP Diliman and Noel Pingoy of Davao Medical Center.

For Short Fiction, the fellows are Douglas James Candano and Antonio Adrian Habana of Atebeo de Manila University, Erika Jean Cabanawan of UP Los Baños, Larissa Mae Suarez of Philippine National High School for the Arts, and Dominique Cimafranca of University of San Carlos.

Sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and coordinated by the Dumaguete Literary Arts Services Group or DULA Inc. headed by Atty. Ernesto Superal Yee, the workshop will be held at the CAP Building in Dumaguete City from May 8 to 26.

Among the panelists expected to assist Dr, Tiempo are Dumaguete-based writers Yee, Bobby VIllasis and Cesar Ruiz Aquino, as well as guest panelists Dr. Rowena Torrevillas from the University of Iowa, R. Zamora Linmark from Honolulu and San Francisco, NCCA Literature Arts committee chair Lito Zulueta, Dr. Gémino H. Abad, Dr. Marjorie Evasco, Susan Lara, DM Reyes, Dr. Anthony Tan and Krip Yuson.

May 2, 2006

Cavite Young Writer’s Association presents: KAAKUHAN-KALAYAAN

Kaakuhan-Kalayaan is an exhibit-theatre-play-poetry performance-bazaar-carnival fair presentation of the Cavite Young Writer’s Association in cooperation with other artist groups of Cavite. It will be held on June 12, our national day of independence, something that Cavitenos can be doubly proud of, because the first Independence Day was celebrated right here in Cavite. As such, it is a celebration of the independent status of artists and of the self as represented in the arts, and of the self as part of the nation.

If the theme sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a spin-off from Alejandro Garcia Abadilla’s Ang Ako, which is only fitting since this is his hundreth year celebration. Abadilla’s representations of an egocentric self, Ako ang daigdig, is taken to another level as CYWA (and others) digs deep into the self to come up with glimpses, bold glances, stolen shots, paintings, dances, music, what-have you of the self in the carnival of the universe.

A carnival with flashing lights, rides, poetry readings, bands and great music, exhibits, plays, all going all at once, no holds barred, the idea for this year’s art event in Cavite. Of the carnival itself, of the self in the carnival, of the carnival of the universe, and of the carnival-like universe, seen at different angles, and conflicting paradigms and shifts, CYWA aims to bring out cultures, sub-cultures, and counter-cultures of Cavite by involving artists, fair-goers, students, the local government, and just ordinary people who came for a show. Definitely, this is one show, they won’t soon forget.

Using the perya as a format and take-off for the ako, the event is deliberately multi-layered to represent, uncover, and add more layers to the ako, the centerpiece of the event. Thus, the following are necessary parts of the celebration:

I. Exhibit- one tent crammed wall to ceiling with artist’s representations of their own ako, their kaakuhan, their daigdig. The artworks will be pasted/ installed side by side, thus the whole exhibit is also one big installation of the ako. When viewers enter the tent, they will be treated to the daigdig of the ako, as the whole installation/exhibit will seem to engulf them in its seamlessness. Their will also be film installations all around the project site.

II. Theatre- the tula-dula, or street theatre will be highlighted in this celebration. Taking one of Abadilla’s plays and adding a modern twist to it, the play is then made accessible to ordinary people. Shown in the open, the tula-dula will call people to watch, take part, and engage in their own ruminations of Abadilla’s and their own ako.

III. Performance Poetry- as poetry is one of the more personal forms of art, the performance of it will speak of the ako of the poet, and also how s/he deals with his/her daigdig. This is synthesized by the poetry chapbook that CYWA will be releasing at the event.

IV. Dance- using the body as canvas, the dancers will elucidate in mimes, gestures, and dance their own ako, and the daigdig of their ako. The fitting backdrop for this dance festival is experimental music from emerging artists.

V. Music- an open-air concert of bands coming from Cavite. Their presence would be a sure crowd-pleaser and the music that they play, part and parcel of the general atmosphere of the perya. The thought that travels in sound is also that which powers the ako.

VI. Bazaars- anything and everything will be put up for sale, auctioned, and inspected to within an inch of their lives. In this marketplace of clothes, food, music, art, and ideas, people come to buy what they need for themselves and their souls.

What we need:

I. Artists/ artist groups for the exhibit, theatre, poetry performance, dance and band shows and video installations. We are especially looking for Cavite artists.
II. Volunteers who will help in the preparation and actual project.
III. Bazaar people/ franchisers who will sell their wares during the perya.

If you or your group is interested, please register by contacting Ronald Verzo (Acting Project Coordinator) at 09179417365, or Ayn dela Cruz (Acting Secretary General) at 09209517707. You can also e-mail cavyoung@yahoogroups.com, or sanghiyang@yahoogroups.com. We hope that you can join us in this effort to celebrate our independence, (in more ways than one), and also to turn art into a community initiative.

May 2, 2006

Call for Submissions: KAAKUHAN-KALAYAAN FOLIO.

Kaakuhan-Kalayaan is an exhibit-theatre-play-poetry performance-bazaar-carnival fair presentation of the Cavite Young Writer’s Association in cooperation with other artist groups of Cavite. It will be held on June 12, our national day of independence, something that Cavitenos can be doubly proud of, because the first Independence Day was celebrated right here in Cavite. As such, it is a celebration of the independent status of artists and of the self as represented in the arts, and of the self as part of the nation.

If the theme sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a spin-off from Alejandro Garcia Abadilla’s Ang Ako, which is only fitting since this is his hundreth year celebration. Abadilla’s representations of an egocentric self, Ako ang daigdig, is taken to another level as CYWA (and others) digs deep into the self to come up with glimpses, bold glances, stolen shots, paintings, dances, music, what-have you of the self in the carnival of the universe.

A carnival with flashing lights, rides, poetry readings, bands and great music, exhibits, plays, all going all at once, no holds barred, the idea for this year’s art event in Cavite. Of the carnival itself, of the self in the carnival, of the carnival of the universe, and of the carnival-like universe, seen at different angles, and conflicting paradigms and shifts, CYWA aims to bring out cultures, sub-cultures, and counter-cultures of Cavite by involving artists, fair-goers, students, the local government, and just ordinary people who came for a show. Definitely, this is one show, they won’t soon forget.

Using the perya as a format and take-off for the ako, the event is deliberately multi-layered to represent, uncover, and add more layers to the ako, the centerpiece of the event.

Thus, we are calling for works (poetry, short story, creative non-fiction, one-act play, art) in English and Filipino that will tackle the self, the independence of the self, the self as part of the nation, the self as an artist, the self as an ordinary person, the self as more than self, and as less than self. It will try to uncover the multiplicity of images that one and many sees of the self, or the blindness that occurs in the self.

The folio will be distributed during the event. The artists who will be selected for the folio are enjoined to perform their pieces or excerpts of it during the event. Submit all works to cavyoung@yahoogroups.com or sanghiyang@yahoogroups.com. Please include contact information, and a one-paragraph write-up about the author. For questions, comments, etc. please contact Ayn dela Cruz at 09209517707 or Ronald Verzo at 09179417365.

May 2, 2006

IPAG’s “Bak2Bak” in Cagayan de Oro

Gender politics is the theme of Bak2Bak when this twin bill of one act comedies of the Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) performs in Cagayan de Oro City for its pre-29th Season offering. Bak2Bak are the plays Babuyan Island by three-time Palanca-winner German Gervacio and Isa Pang Kawing by IPAG Director Steven Patrick C. Fernandez.

Teasing yet painful, the plays essay the “put-on” relationships between couples. Babuyan Island is set in the Batanes during a location shooting where a middle-aged screenplay writer and a young sexy starlet come to terms with their unpleasant lives.

Setting irony in high relief, Fernandez’s Isa Pang Kawing is about a scheming couple who weave themselves in among awkward twists and turns in a riotous situation.

IPAG, the resident theater company of the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology, casts some of its more veteran actors: Hobart Savior (who recently returned from a Singapore international festival), Lara Maglinao (who’s with the international touring group), Phoebe Gayanelo (who’s with the national touring company and has done work in films), and Orwel Obach (a professional architect). Vicmar Paloma stage manages with production management by Arlem Abanes and technical direction by Arvin Solis. Fernandez directs.

Bak2Bak which completed a successful 12-show run in Iligan City goes onstage May 12, 3 p.m. matinee and 7 p.m. evening show at the Grand Caprice in Cagayan de Oro.

Supporting Bak2Bak are the Liceo University of Cagayan de Oro, the Liceo Theater and Performing Arts, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation, and the MSU-IIT.

May 2, 2006

The 5th Tagaytay Film, Broadcast and Creative Workshop

The Creative Media Professionals Guild of Asia and the Pacific (CMPGAP), a non-stock, non-profit organization composed of active media professionals, would like to invite you to join the fifth summer edition of The Tagaytay Film, Broadcast and Creative Workshop on May 8-12 and May 22-26, 2006 at the Development Academy of the Philippines Conference Center in Tagaytay City.

The Workshops is dedicated to the honing of capabilities of serious students career people in the fields of cinema, television, radio and print media. The courses are separate one-week intensive, experiential workshops conducted by renowned, multi-awarded and respected practitioners in their respective fields who generously shares their know-how to guide the participants expand their vision, sharpen their skills and reveal their potentials. In addition, the weeklong live-in set up of the workshops provides myriad of interaction with other groups.

Course fee of Php 15,000++ covers the cost of course instruction, food and shared lodging, learning materials, shuttle service within Tagaytay, technical facilities (when applicable) and workshop kits. Check payments addressed to the Guild will also be accepted as long as they are paid one week before the course schedule. Enclosed is our brochure for your reference.

We are confident that you as enthusiast in film and media would continue to find this offer a rare opportunity to be exposed to the most respected names in media practice and at the same time have a first hand experience with the technology and equipment that they will be working with in the communication industry.

For further questions about The Workshops, please call 892-9421 or 0915-9471308. You can also visit our website at www.tagaytayworkshops.com.ph or email us at tagaytayworkshops@inbox.com

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