May 6, 2008

PETA announces new theater courses

Thinking of enhancing your creativity in your community theater group or the classroom? Enroll now at PETA’s specialized courses for community cultural workers and educators!

THEATER FOR DEVELOPMENT 1: Community Theater
(Community cultural workers ages 17 and up)

Experience the PETA Integrated Theater Arts (ITA) approach through creative group processes with special sessions on community situational analysis. Immerse yourself in necessary production processes with focus on different theater forms culminating in a play production.

THEATER-IN-EDUCATION 1: Creative Pedagogy
(Formal and non-formal educators)

Rev up your teaching competency by maximizing creative methodologies, approaches and philosophies in the teaching of arts and academic subjects whether in formal or non-formal education. Demonstrate your teaching technique by using artistic disciplines as engaging tools of learning. Design your creative lesson plans as your final output.

THEATER-IN-EDUCATION 2: Asian Theater
(Theater artists and cultural workers ages 17 and up)

Immerse yourself in the discussions and analyses of the rich culture of Asian countries, their theater history, art forms and world views. Discover their influences to artists, dramatists and theater pedagogues from all over the world. Be more conscious of their nature and qualities that have influenced your own artistic expressions.

Reserve your slots now! Call us at 4100821 or 7256244 and look for Julie Bautista. You may also direct your inquiries through mobile number 0928-5078368 or this email address. All courses will be conducted from May 12 to 16, 2008, Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. Course fee is PhP 3,500 per participant.

Tag: NEWS

March 14, 2008

Success for Pagpupugay 2008

by Arvin Abejo Mangohig

On its second year, Ang Pagpupugay sa Pambansang Alagad ng Sining was once again successful. Bringing the five living National Artists for Literature to various cities across the country, Pagpupugay is the centerpiece program of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ Philippine Arts Festival. The brainchild of UP Institute of Creative Writing Center director Vim Nadera, it aims to bring our great writers closer to the reading public.

Edith Tiempo, the first and only female National Artist for Literature, spoke at the Marcelo B. Fernan Cebu Press Center, DECS Compound, Lahug Cebu City on February 7. Her lecture was entitled “Enhancing the Poetic” and the Cebu Arts Council “performed” some of her poems for the audience composed mainly of students and teachers.

Virgilio S. Almario went to the UP Visayas Auditorium and spoke on “Sino ba ang Filipino?” The February 13 lecture also featured a performance of UP CAL Dean Almario’s poems by students of the UP Visayas. An audience estimated at 1,000 was there for the rare treat.

The University of Makati Grand Theater saw Alejandro Roces gracing its halls on February 20. Mr. Roces spoke on music and the audience was fortunate to enjoy the performance of UST Lithurgikon Choir.

UP ICW Board of Advisers member Bienvenido Lumbera was hosted by Laoag Ilocos Norte National Highschool. His lecture was “National Artist for Literature Mula sa Rehiyon Naman!” The Dulaang UP performed excerpts from the gargantuan Lumbera musical “Hibik at Himagsik ni Victoria Laktaw.”

Last but not least, F. Sionil Jose visited Ateneo De Naga and spoke on “Literature as Memory, as Ethics.” The CCP Tanghalang Pilipino performed excerpts from Mr. Sionil Jose’s novel Pragress.

The five events were ably coordinated by the UP ICW, also the coordinator of panitikan.com.ph and the country’s premiere writing workshop, the UP National Writers Workshop.

Tag: NEWS

February 16, 2008

3,000,000 hits for Philippine literature
by Arvin Abejo Mangohig

February, the month of hearts, is also the month for Philippine Arts. For many years now and all month long, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts rolls out various programs across the country via its Philippine Arts Festival, formerly known as the National Arts Month.

Two years ago, www.panitikan.com.ph was launched at the Rizal Park . A joint project between the NCCA, the UP Institute of Creative Writing and the Likhaan Foundation, it sought to become the definitive portal which disseminated Philippine Literature in the Internet, catering to students, teachers and researchers. A few days before its first year of being online, panitikan.com.ph received its 1,000,000th hit. Now, a year after that, the website has received its 3,000,000 th hit.

The numbers, by no means a small feat, mean that it had doubled its daily hits over a one year period from 2,000 to a little over 4,000 hits. An interesting figure is how hits rise during weekdays and fall slightly during weekends. This could very well mean that students and teachers are accessing the site for research and information during those times.

Vim Nadera, UP ICW director and the man behind the website, was more than pleased with the figures. "What was initially a dream is now a reality; and not just a virtual one. We hope panitikan.com.ph will live up to everyone's expectations as the country's portal to Philippine literature." Eva Garcia-Cadiz, its former coordinator, would love to see more support for the site, seeing how important the site can be as an online resource.

Nadera and the website staff members are ecstatic about the 3,000,000 hits. The project has generated sustained interest all over the globe. Its success bodes well for Philippine Literature as it continues to augment and alter in the frontier of cyberspace.

Tag: NEWS

February 16, 2008

Applications for the Sertipiko sa Malikhaing Pagsulat sa Filipino in UPD now open

Applications are now open for the Sertipiko ng Malikhaing Pagsulat at the Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas at UP Diliman.

Requirements are:

(1) Photocopy of high school report card, GWA 80 (1st - 3rd year High School and 1st - 3rd quarter 4th year; the student must have an average of 85 in Filipino and English),

(2) collection of creative works (any of the following: 5-10 poems, 3-5 short stories, 1 novel or novelette, 1 play, 3-5 stories for children, 1 teleplay or screenplay, 3-5 essays; all works should be in Filipino),

(3) Recommendation from a former teacher in literature, Filipino and/or creative writing. Application period is from February 18 up to March 18. Applicants will be oriented on February 22, 5:00 pm. The qualifying exam will be held on March 24. For more information contact Jayson Petras and Elyrah Salanga at 924899.

Tag: NEWS

January 21, 2008

Alitaptap membership application open

Have you attended the ARTIST workshop (Acting ad Reading Techinques in STory Telling) of Alitaptap Storytellers Philippines? Do you have spare time to do volunteer work with Alitaptap Storytellers? Would you like to be an official member of Alitaptap? Are you willing to attend a once a month meeting with the following activities?

a. Storytelling Tip for the month (learn from this)
b. Story Performances (Watch two stories being performed or you perform)
c. Ongoing/Upcoming Projects (Lead or be a part of a project)
d. Booking for Performance (Sign in as a volunteer performer)
e. Bonding activities

Are you willing to be an official member of Alitaptap?

If you say yes to all these, come and join us on February 9 for membership orientation at The National Library from 8:30 am -12:00 nn.

If you have not attended the ARTIST workshop, you may come and attend to orientation too. However you need to attend our next workshop to be officially registered as a member.

Please pass this email to your friends who may be interested. For queries and confirmation, please contact us at 0917-5392630, or email us at alitaptap_storytellers@yahoo.com or log on to www.storytellersphilippines.com.

Tag: NEWS

December 14, 2007

Rene O. villanueva laid to rest
by Arvin Abejo Mangohig

Rene Villanueva's remains were cremated last Sunday, December 9, 2007, at the Sanctuarium in Quezon City . He was 53 years old. He had suffered a stroke on December 2 and fell into a coma at the Philippine Heart Center. He is survived by wife Anna Marie and four daughters.

Renato O. Villanueva became an Associate of the UP Institute of Creative Writing. He also taught at the Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikang Pilipino, where he quickly gained terror-status and a reputation for speaking his own mind. One of the truly literary greats, Villanueva was a Palanca Hall of Famer, with a record number of most wins (29) tucked under his belt. His other awards include the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining (Literatura); Pinakamahusay na Alagad ng Sining sa 2005 Gawad Chanselor sa UP, Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines 1989 and hailed as one of the Outstanding Young Persons of the World in 1992.

Awards aside, Villanueva will forever be known as the creator of Philippine TV classic Batibot. Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing were more popular than Big Bird and Cookie Monster in the 80s and 90s. The gravel-voiced monkey and the eternally benign gigantic turtle were just some of Villanueva's puppet creations; Ging-ging and Manang Bola also entered the popular consciousness of Filipino children. The saliency of having brown-skinned and native characters replace Western characters were noted by local and international thinktanks.

His works value individualism and delve into dark themes like incest and militarization. The classic "Ang Unang Baboy sa Langit" narrates the crusade of Butsiki, a prim and proper pig who opposes social, if not biological, expectations. His essays/memoirs are collected in the twin volumes Personal and (Im)Personal.

At the recent UP Writers Night, poet Romulo Baquiran read Villanueva's "Huling Habilin." With his usual acerbic wit, Villanueva described his ideal wake: one of the nights had to be reserved for videoke tributes. He wanted a closed coffin, to be decked out in powder blue clothes and not much crying. At another tribute, children's story writer Luis Gatmaitan called Villanueva a dear friend and a national treasure.

Playwright, teacher and literary stalwart, Villanueva will be missed by students, colleagues and readers of his unforgettable works.

Tag: NEWS

December 14, 2007

Who are the best young poets in the Philippines?
by Arvin Abejo Mangohig

Philippine PEN recently launched At Home in Unhomeliness: An Anthology of Postcolonial Poetry in English . Edited by Dr. Neil Garcia and published by the UST Publishing House, the volume contains 82 poems by 29 of the Philippines best young poets writing in English.

Says Garcia in his Introduction : "(T)hese poems , like the rest of Philippine literature in English, will in fact be largely incomprehensible when decontextualized from the histories that engendered them- particularly, the violent histories of colonization that the Philippines , as a geopolitical and indeed national reality, has endured."

The poets featured are: Michael Balili, Ronald Baytan, Catherine Candano, Jose Wendell Capili, Jennifer Carino, Mark Cayanan, Mikael de Lara Co, Conchitina Cruz, Carlomar Arcangel Daona, Raymond John de Borja, Cecille La Verne de la Cruz, Lourd Ernest de Veyra, Israfel Fagela, Marc Gaba, Ralph Semino Galan, Ramil Digal Gulle, Sid Gomez Hildawa, Joy Icayan, Mookie Katigbak, Kris Lacaba, Paolo Manalo, Arvin Abejo Mangohig, Allan Pastrana, Dinah Romah-Sianturi, Rafael San Diego, Michelle Sarile, Angelo Suarez, Joel Toledo and Lawrence Lacambra Ypil.

Tag: NEWS

December 14, 2007

Notes from the madhouse: Writers Night 2007
By Arvin Abejo Mangohig

I knew I had made the right decision not to drink at all at any Writers Night when I heard the usually unflappable Cristina Hidalgo, one of my favorite professors, call out to Gemino Abad over the discombobulating din what was to be my quotable quote for the night: It's a madhouse!

Last December 8, the madhouse was the UP Bulwagang Rizal, its patients congregating at the Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan. Tanduay had already set up their booth for free booze, Figaro theirs for free coffee, the UP Writers Club for (not-so-free) beer. It was a great honor to find out that National Artist Virgilio Almario preferred Pales over Lights. Anvil Publishing sold books, Purefoods sold hotdogs, and the friendly neighborhood isaw guys sold innards.

The reputation of many writers, particularly their mental stability, has never been seen in a favorable light. Thus, the terse Hidalgo conceit. Thus, I, being a writer myself, would have to agree with that popular opinion. It was mad crazy to jampack all those activities in one day, (no, more like eight hours): The Read or Die Komiks Exhibit opening, the Madrigal Gonzalez Best First Book Award ceremonies, an informal commemoration of departed literary great Rene O. Villanueva, the UP Institute of Creative Writing's LIKHAAN Journal launching and finally Writers Night 2007. That on top of The Philippine PEN convention somewhere else in the city and the UP Diliman CAL Alumni Homecoming somewhere else in the campus. UP ICW director Vim Nadera instigated the jampacking.

The UP Writers Club, one of the organizers of the event, managed to squeeze in a very loud, aurally and visually, fashion show (Goth and anime won over Pinoy jologdom, to my extreme disappointment) and a raffle draw for an Ipod shuffle, which yours truly won (to my extreme joy).

Performers, poetry readers and UP students attracted by the lights and sounds weaved in and out of the black walls of the Ylagan. Outside, writers reminisced about good and better times, coerced richer acquaintances to buy them books and cookies and belched cigarette smoke into each other's faces.

Fellows from past UP National Writers Workshops and Creative Writing majors have come to see the annual event as a homecoming to the madhouse, taking advantage of the free food from the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award catering ( Pichi-pichi! Puto!! Kutsinta!!!) and ogling at perennial favorites Tanduay girls in white miniskirts.

It was past midnight. Lourd de Veyra was unceasingly shouting Gin Pomelo at the audience. The horn section was jazz mad crazy. Two guys shadowboxed to the beat of Radioactive Sago Project's hits. One actually hit himself. Some of my friends had decided to go to Rene Villanueva's wake. The thought breathed into me a minute of sobriety. We decided to go home, that other inescapable madhouse.

The UP Academic Oval, jeepless and orange, is mad pretty at night.

Tag: NEWS

December 11, 2007

Textbook on stagecraft to be launched soon

Steven Fernandez’s Making Theatre: The Craft of the Stage will be available soon. It narrates experiences pooled from over three decades of production practice creating theatre. The subject fills the need to create productions in inadequate conditions such as ours and treats production as art, science and business.

The book focuses on making use of available resources including physical spaces, artists, organizers, and technology. These resources combine to transform local subjects and aesthetics on the stage. Besides sharing techniques of directing, the book includes parts on how to organize, produce shows in various genres, sell, and appropriately transcreate indigenous materials for theatre.

This test edition will be used by Mr. Fenandez’s Stagecraft classes at the MSU-IIT in Iligan. It starts a series of resources devoted to developing the performing arts outside of the mainstream and empowering our artists in the fringes to be even more productive. Copies are available at the introductory price of P250.00. Making Theatre is published by the Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) Inc.

Steven Fernandez is an award-winning playwright and artistic director.

Tag: NEWS

November 18, 2007

UP ICW and Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Awards announce 2007 shortlist
By Arvin Abejo Mangohig

A brilliant debut for any artist goes a long way. The Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award is probably the only award that recognizes the first published works of Filipino writers. The exclusivity alone that the award confers is much coveted. What more then the weight of acknowledgement from the established writers on its panel of judges. The award is coordinated by the UP Institute of Creative Writing and was established by the family of Gonzalo Gonzalez, former UP President.

Dr. Jose Neil Garcia, Dr. Jaime An Lim and Prof. Vicente Groyon, himself a winner of the award, have come up with the shortlist for 2007 (only works in English were screened, as the award switches between languages every year). The shortlist follows: Salamanca by Dean Francis Alfar and Science Solitaire: Essays on Science, Nature and Becoming Human by Maria Isabel Garcia (ADMU Press), Barefoot in Fire by Barbara-Ann Gamboa Lewis (Tahanan Books), Love, Desire, Children etc by Rica Bolipata-Santos (Milflores), From Inside the Berlin Wall by Helen Yap (UP Press) and Kapwa: The Self in the Other by Katrin de Guia (Anvil).

This year's winner will be announced on Writers Night in UP Diliman. The annual gathering will be held at the Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan, Bulwagang Rizal on December 8, Saturday. The program will start on 6 p.m. Gizela Gonzalez-Montinola herself will be on hand to award the P50,000 check and certificate to the winner. UP ICW director Vim Nadera and the ICW associates will also be present to witness the winner's debut in the literary scene.

Tag: NEWS

November 1, 2007

Dr. Jose Dalisay Shortlisted in 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize

Five authors made the shortlist for the award. Jose Dalisay Jr., Reeti Gadekar, Jiang Rong, Nu Nu Yi Inwa and Xu Xi are the five authors selected for the shortlist by the judging panel for the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize, the first regional prize for a work unpublished in English. The winner of the prize will be announced on Saturday 10 November, 2007 at a ceremony in Hong Kong .

The five shortlisted works were chosen from a long list of 23 are:

• Jose Dalisay Jr., Soledad 's Sister
• Reeti Gadekar, Families at Home
• Nu Nu Yi Inwa, Smile As They Bow
• Jiang Rong, Wolf Totem
• Xu Xi, Habit of a Foreign Sky

Dr. Dalisay is an Associate of the UP Institute of Creative Writing and teaches at the UP Department of English and Comparative Literature.

Tag: NEWS

November 1, 2007

4th Lamiraw Workshop Fellows Named

The 4 th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop is slated on November 8-10, 2007 at TTMIST, Calbayog City , Samar . This year's NCCA fellows from Samar, Leyte and Biliran are Reynaldo Garnace, Lemuel Zaldariaga, Joderic Navarette, Genevieve Tasan, Leonilo Lopido, Cheenee Gahuman, Nica Daguman, Jerry Gracio, Arthur Macabasag, Nimfa Quirante, Luciano Abia, Sunray Balasbas, Hermie Sanchez, Jaime Sagayap, Nemesio Baldesco, Isabel Eman, Joel Monteron, Reah Rosales, Jhoanna Arocha, and Francis Senolos.

Based on the approved MOA, the said NCCA fellows will avail themselves of free registration, accommodation, food, and workshop materials and their works will be critiqued by the following panelists: 1) Prof. Merlie Alunan, grand slam winner of Don Carlos Palanca Awards; 2) Dr. Victor Sugbo, Waray literature scholar and UP Tacloban faculty; 3) Dr. David Genotiva, seasoned literary critic and editor of PAGSUBAY-the Official Publication of the Graduate School of Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU); 4) Mr. Dante Rosales, graphics artist and member of Ibabao Arts Council of Calbayog; and 5) Mr. Voltaire Oyzon, faculty member of Leyte Normal University and Champion of the 2007 Waray Poetry Contest sponsored by Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino

The workshop is a joint project of Tiburcio Tancinco Memorial Institute of Science and Technology (TTMIST) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Tag: NEWS, WORKSHOPS

October 17, 2009

Mannahatta Mahal: poet expat's latest opus from UP Press

The University of the Philippines Press is proud to release award-winning poet Luis Cabalquinto's latest book of poetry.

Entitled Mannahatta Mahal: Collected Expatriate Poems, the collection boasts of 77 poems describing New York life as livid, lucid, lively, sometimes lonely, and, more importantly, larger than life—as seen through the poetic lenses of a Filipino living and working in the Big Apple.

A poem entitled "September Eleven" decidedly marks the start of the poet's latest inner and outer journeys, and eventually goes within and beyond that important event in any New Yorker's life. Here, we see Cabalquinto zoom in on the details of the streets, the people, the stores, the arts, the surroundings, even the birds and bugs that most take for granted on a busy day or active night. But as he points to these things, he pulls out to reveal meditations, ruminations and spirited thoughts about these observations. While there seems to be a default disconnection associated with life in New York, Cabalquinto is quick to point out its opposite, as he tells us of small pleasures one gets from the seemingly simple or mundane that fuels the fires of the soul, such as experiencing an outdoor classical music concert or quick restaurant meetings with dear old friends one has not seen for the longest time.

As another award-winning poet, UP College of Arts and Letters professor emeritus Gemino Abad, says of the collection, "With Cabalquinto, we enter the very heartland of poetry, its revels and revelations—there, a steady hand on the pulse of language, poise and vibrancy of expression, a clear-eyed venture into the heart's secret wagers, a maturity of insight touched at times with humor and tenderness."

Born in Magarao, Camarines Sur on January 31, 1935, Cabalquinto earned his BA in Communication at UP Diliman. He pursued further communication studies in Cornell University at Ithaca, New York under a Fulbright-Hays grant in 1968. It was in Cornell where he immersed himself fully in the world of poetry and fiction writing under the tutelage of notable literary writers. Cabalquinto was encouraged to focus on poetry when small press journals in the US began publishing his work. He also received multiple writing fellowships and awards such as the New York University Academy of American Poets poetry prize and the New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship award in poetry.

Since then, Cabalquinto's works have appeared in local and international publications such as Caracoa, Philippines Free Press, Philippine Graphic, Manoa, Asiaweek, and American Poetry Review, to name a few. He has been published in the U.S., Australia, Hong Kong, France and even in the Czech Republic.

Mannahatta Mahal adds to Cabalquinto's already impressive list of books which include The Dog-eater and Other Poems (1989), The Ibalon Collection (1990), Dreamwanderer (1991), Bridgeable Shores (2001) and Moon Over Magarao (2003).

In 2006, Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) awarded Cabalquinto the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for poetry. According to UMPIL, the award is given to "living Filipino writers who have contributed outstanding works in any language currently used in the Philippines and who have dedicated their lives and talents to the development, propagation and promotion of any Philippine literature."

Indeed, with Mannahatta Mahal, the UP Press continues to support outstanding works by writers like Cabalquinto in its mandate of championing talented Filipino artists.

Manahatta Mahal is available in the Philippines at the University of the Philippines Press Book Stores in Diliman, Baguio, Cebu, and Davao; Fully Booked; Solidaridad; Popular Bookstore; select Powerbooks and National Bookstore branches; and other distributors in Metro Manila and the provinces. In the USA, University of the Philippines Press books are distributed by the University of Hawaii Press and Philippine Expressions Bookshop. For more information on our titles, please visit http://press.up.edu.ph.

Tag: NEWS, BOOK LAUNCH

October 9, 2007

UPV-CWP alumni reap Gawad Komisyon honors

Two of the alumni of the UPV Creative Writing Program, Voltaire Oyzon and Dominador Pagliawan, won first prize and third prize, respectively, for this year's Gawad Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino Patimpalak sa Panulat, Waray poetry category.

With the theme, “Maraming Wika, Matatag na Bansa,” Mr. Oyzon's entry was An Maupay ha mga Waray ug Iba pa nga Siday while Mr. Pagliawan's was Pamasyada ha Cebu.

For decades, Filipinos have become used to the idea of "Isang Bansa, Isang Wika," but recent studies have emerged, pointing to its political incorrectness. Acknowledging the significance of other languages, the contest opportunely opens writing about the diversity of language, culture and ethnic identity.

“I chose to write in my beloved Waray language because I simply cannot afford to forget,” Mr. Oyzon said. “Forgetting is a form of death. I cannot afford my language to die. If the Waray language dies, it is tantamount to saying that the Waray people never existed at all.”

In line with the Buwan ng Wika celebration, the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) laid down its project, the Gawad Komisyon 2007, which supports the state policy of promoting the right of citizens to affordable quality education and the enrichment of country's historical and cultural heritage based on Republic Act 7722 or the "Higher Education Act of 1994."

Meanwhile, Prof. Merlie Alunan, the program director of the UPV-CWP and a six-time Palanca awardee, placed second in the Gawad Komisyon 2007 for poetry in Cebuano with her entry Witik-witik sa Hangin ug Ubang Balak.

Established as a grand proposal by Prof. Alunan in 2000 during UPV Chancellor Ida Siason's term, the UPV Creative Writing Center has for seven years now spurred the growth of literature in the Visayan languages, pushing these languages from the margins into the mainstream consciousness of the Filipinos.

The creative writing workshops provide a venue for Visayan literary artists to write in the local language and encourage study on the southern literary tradition, hence making UPV a center of excellence in the area of culture and the languages, and ultimately contributing to national cultural development.

In his speech at the September awarding, Mr. Oyzon asserted, “I will continue writing in my beloved Waray because it is my only connection with the past and the future. Waray identity, or any cultural identity for that matter, is a summation of all its people's memory. For language is a repository of a people's memory. And it is only through memory that the past, the present and the future can be together. Forgetting in the form of neglect fragments the national memory. Loss of our national memory is fragmentation of our country. A lost memory lasts forever. I chose to write in my beloved Waray and will continue writing in my beloved Waray for I cannot afford to forget.”

The awarding ceremony was held last August 31 at the Bayview Park Hotel, Manila.

Tag: NEWS, CONTESTS

October 8, 2007

Bikol literary awardees named

In a simple yet formal ceremonies on Wednesday, September 19, 2007, at the St. Vincent de Paul Auditorium of the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary in Naga City , six writers were honored as this years awardees of the prestigious literary award for Bikol, the Premio Tomas Arejola para sa Literaturang Bikolnon (PTALB).

Distinguished fictionist Abdon M. Balde Jr. and Bikol cultural promoter and scholar Leonor R. Dy-Liacco were conferred Lifetime Achievement Award for their respective contribution to Bikol culture and arts. Balde, a native of Oas, Albay, is known for his novels that portray life in his native region. His works, which include Mayong, Hunyagong Bato, and Calvary Road among others, have won for him the Don Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature and the National Book Award. Dy-Liacco, on the other hand, is known for her extensive collection of treatises and research works on Bikol culture and history. These works can be found in several anthologies of her works.

In the poetry category, Victor Dennis T. Nierva's "Antisipasyon asin iba pang rawitdawit (Anticipation and other poems)" together with Jaime Jesus Borlagdan's "Ini, an mga buhay ta (These, our lives)" came out tied as grand prize winners, besting among ten finalists. The poems of Nierva and Borlagdan are quiet and serene observations of things and images that are found in Bikol.

The board of judges declared no grand prize winner in the fiction category. However, Marissa Reorizo-Casillan's "Abaniko" was declared as honorable mention. There were only two finalists in the fiction category.

This year's grand prize winner for the essay category is Judith Balares-Salamat's "Ringgaw nin Imahinasyon, Kawat sa Pagtukdo (Creativity of Imagination, Fun in Teaching)" which also won for the writer the prestigious Parasurat kan Taon (Writer of the Year). Salamat's essay was a discourse on the imaginative efforts of a public school teacher in order to provide the best possible instruction for her students.

The ceremony was graced by Naga City Mayor Jesse M. Robredo and some members of the city council. Representatives from various academic institutions, students and professors alike, were also present in the occasion.

PTALB is sponsored by the Arejola Foundation for Social Responsibility which also spearheads the annual Juliana Arejola-Fajardo Workshop sa Pagsurat-Bikol.

Tag: NEWS, CONTESTS

October 7, 2007

Four writers and a great mentor honored in UMPIL Congress

Living Filipino writers who have contributed outstanding works in any language currently used in the Philippines can win UMPIL's Gawad Balagtas. In 1988, among its first recipients were Francisco Arcellana, Teo S. Baylen, Godofredo S. Reyes, and Edith L. Tiempo.

This year's winners are Charlson L. Ong (fiction in English), Joaquin Sy (essay and translation in Filipino and Chinese), Jose R. Munsayac (fiction in Filipino), and Prescillano Nisperos Bermudez (fiction in Iluko).

They were conferred the title in the 33 rd National Congress on August 25, 2007 at the Pulungang Recto, Bulwagang Rizal, University of the Philippines, Dioiman, Quezon City.

The Gawad Paz Marquez Benitez-the award for outstanding literature mentors-is given to the renowned Ateneo philosophy professor Roque Angel Ferriols, S.J. because his teaching "shaped the consciousness and soul of countless students, many of whom have become leading lights in Philippine literature."

Charlson L. Ong received his AB Psychology degree from the University of the Philippines in 1977 and currently teaches at the UP's Department of English and Comparative Literature. He is conferred the award for "his eminently distinctive novels and stories edged with satire and mordant humor,.piquant in their examination of the Filipino and Chinese cultures merging in the Filipino ethos."

Joaquin Sy acquired his AB Pilipino degree from the University of the Philippines . His books include Tamad nga ba si Juan? (1991 & 1997) and Lagalag sa Nanyang (translation of Bai Ren's novel, 2007). His works "continue to tear down the wall between the Filipino and the Chinese, while presenting a caring and nationalist view of race and economic life."

Jose R. Munsayac hails from San Miguel, Bulacan. He won the Centennial Award for Literature for his novel Ang Aso at Ang Pulgas, Ang Bonsai at Ang Kolorum (1999, UP Press). His novels "plumb the wellsprings of the Tagalog language and ply with surgical precision the writer's tool in scrutinizing politics, history, and life."

Born in Burgos , Isabela province, Prescillano Nisperos Bermudez was a former employee of the National Media Production Center and the Philippine Information Agency. His novels include Dagiti Billit Tuleng (The Sparrows) and Dagiti Pundador (The Founders) which are "remarkable in their search for meaning in the world and human love, while being magical in their evocation and imagery."

Guest of Honor, Copyright Talk

The Congress' guest of honor was the Honorable Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan who talked about "Literature and Writers' Welfare." He committed himself to raise the national political discourse, with help from the writers' sector, and promised to develop a legislative plan that will benefit Filipino authors.

The lecture on copyright by Atty. Louie Calvario from the Intellectual Property Office was most enlightening for everybody. Ms. Debbie Gaite's sharing about the experience of FILSCAP (Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) in collecting music royalties inspired the writers to chart a similar economic copyright windfall.

New set of UMPIL officers

As finale of the Congress, UMPIL members elected its new set of officers. V.E. Carmelo D. Nadera Jr. was voted as Chairman. The other members of the Executive Board are Jun Balde, Vice Chairman; Celina S. Cristobal, Secretary-General, Rebecca T. Añonuevo, Treasurer; and Ruby Gamboa Alcantara, Auditor .

The Board of Directors are Romulo P. Baquiran Jr., Karina Africa Bolasco, Wendell Capili, Michael M. Coroza, Juan S.P. Hidalgo, Marne Kilates, Mario I. Miclat, Fidel Rillo, Frank Rivera, Beverly W. Siy, and Joaquin Sy.

Chairman Nadera says he will gear the organization in the next three years toward things close to the author's heart, like mutual support in the creative production and life issues.

- Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr.

Tag: NEWS

September 8, 2007

The 2nd Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards

Calling all Filipino writers, artists, and just about anyone with a wild imagination! Neil Gaiman invites you to join this nationwide writing competition to seek out excellent work in two categories: comics and prose fiction.

The deadline for submission of entries is on October 31, 2007.

Over P300,000 in prizes, including P100,000 grand prize for the first place winners!

COMIC BOOK:
1st Prize - P100,000
2nd Prize - P30,000
3rd Prize - P15,000

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/HORROR:
1st Prize - P100,000
2nd Prize - P30,000
3rd Prize - P15,000

Downloads: Contest guidelines and official application form

Tags: CONTESTS

September 8, 2007

Writers, Senator Mar Roxas, and Palanca family join hands for Philippine literature

On its 57th year, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the country’s premier literary awards, honored this year’s winners in 18 categories in the awards ceremony held at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City with Senator Mar Roxas as the guest speaker.

Senator Mar Roxas who has been described as “one of the young leaders in politics and business who will bring Asia and the Pacific to the forefront of world affairs” is known for his advocacies on quality education, livelihood programs, information technology, consumer welfare, and good governance.

Sen. Roxas was conferred with the Palanca Awards’ Gawad Dangal ng Lahi during the event.

Multi-awarded playwright and poet, Nicholas B. Pichay, became the 20th Palanca Hall of Fame awardee after winning his fifth first prize with his Filipino full-length play entry, Tres Ataques de Corazon.

The list of winners for this year’s Palanca Awards, half of which are first-time winners, include:

Filipino Division

Dulang Pampelikula

1st – Miguel G. Alcarazen (Prisoner Alpha)
2nd – Marlon G. Manuel (Kolono)
3rd – Renei Patricia E. Dimla (Katay)
Dulang Ganap Ang Haba
1st – Nicolas B. Pichay (Tres Ataques De Corazon)
2nd – Edward P. Perez (Apuntador)
3rd – Rodolfo C. Vera (Ang Mga Huwad)

Dulaang May Isang Yugto
1st – Christopher D. Martinez (Our Lady of Arlegui)
2nd – Jose Dennis C. Teodosio (Baka Sakali)
3rd – Lateya P. Bucoy (Ellas Inocentes)

Sanaysay
1st – Annalyn L. Leyesa (Bahay-Bahayan)
2nd – Ma. Jovita E. Zarate (Sa Hulo't Libis Ng Aking Bayan)
3rd – Maribel Bagabaldo-Frasure (Stet)

Kabataaan Sanaysay
1st – Anna Larisa Victoria U. Vega (Ang Huling Ngiti Ng Pagkalinga)
2nd – Mary Anne Jelli E. Gaza (Isang Siglo, Isang Dekada't Isang Taon)
3rd – Kathleen Teresa M. Ramos (Tatawa Na 'Yan)

Tula
1st – Carlos M. Piocos III (Corpus)
2nd – Rebecca T. Añonuevo (Paglingon Sa Pag-Asa At Iba Pang Tula)
3rd – Renato L. Santos (Sosy, Atbp....)

Maikling Kuwentong Pambata
1st – Sheila Gonzales-Dela Cuesta (Junior)
2nd – Joachim Emilio B. Antonio (Ang Ampalaya Sa Pinggan Ni Peepo)
3rd – Michael M. Coroza (Imibisibol Man Ang Tatay)

Maikling Kuwento
1st – Allan Alberto N. Derain (Paputian Ng Laba)
2nd – Jerome B. Gomez (Desperately, Susan)
3rd – Dana Batnag (D Bampyr Chronicles...O Kwento Ng Mga Tao Sa Bayang Walang Hope)

Regional Division
Maikling Kuwento - Cebuano
1st – Merlie M. Alunan (Pamato)
2nd – Ferdinand L. Balino (Absent, Ma'am)
3rd – Noel P. Tuazon (Kundat Sa Unang Gugma)

Maikling Kuwento - Hiligaynon
1st – Peter Solis Nery (Candido)
2nd – Felino Salem Garcia, Jr. (Sa Hingapusan)
3rd – No Winner

Maikling Kuwento - Iluko
1st – Noli S. Dumlao (Dadapilan)
2nd – Bernardo D. Tabbada (Ti Danapidip Nga Addang Ni Manong Rod)
3rd – Aurelio S. Agcaoili (Alimpapatok Iti Panawen Ti Ariangga)

English Division

Full-Length Play
1st – Jorshinelle Taleon-Sonza (Pure)
2nd – Glenn Sevilla Mas (Games People Play)
3rd – Cynthia Lapeña-Amador (The Piano)

One-Act Play
1st – Debbie Ann Tan (Time Waits)
2nd – Joshua L. Lim So (Portraits)
3rd – Allan Lopez (Battery Park)
Poetry
1st – Mikael de Lara Co (Hands For A Fistful Of Sand)
2nd – José Edmundo Ocampo Reyes (Imaginary Numbers)
3rd – Dinah Roma-Sianturi (Geographies Of Light)

Short Story
1st – Angelo R. Lacuesta (Flames)
2nd – Douglas James Limpe Candano (Dreaming Valhalla)
3rd – Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo (Benito Salazar's Last Creation)

Short Story For Children
1st – Lakambini A. Sitoy (The Elusive Banana Dog)
2nd – Dean Francis Alfar (Poor, Poor Luisa)
3rd – Ian Fermin R. Casocot (The Last Days of Magic)

Essay
1st – Wilfredo O. Pascual, Jr. (Lost In Childrensville)
2nd – Rosalinda Lejano-Massebieau (Culture Shocked: A Story of Recovery)
3rd – Allan J. Pastrana (The Lady's Train)

Kabataan Essay
1st – Cristina Gratia T. Tantengco (Humor, Faith, Bayanihan and Kayod: Survival Tools For The 21st Century Filipino)
2nd – Juan Emmanuel P. Batuhan (Sterling Pinoy)
3rd – Hannah L. Co (Adaptability)

Established in 1950 to honor Don Carlos Palanca Sr., the Palanca Awards aims to serve as an incentive for Filipino writers to craft their outstanding literary works; to serve as a repository of Filipino literary masterpieces, and its dissemination to the public especially students.

Tags: NEWS, CONTESTS

September 8, 2007

National Book Awards Winners

Best Book in Cultural Studies: (2 winners)

• Kasaysayan at Pag-unlad ng Dulaang Pambata sa Pilipinas, by Arthur P. Casanova. UST Publishing House.
• Treading Through: 45 Years of Philippine Dance, by Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz. University of the Philippines Press and Philippine Folklife Museum Foundation. ( Isagani R. Cruz)

Best Book in Theology/Religion:

• God Was Not in the Wind: An Evolutionary Understanding of Popular Religion in the Philippines, by Jimmy A. Belita, C.M. Adamson University Press. (Isagani R. Cruz)

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Prize for Best Book on Business/Economics/Finance:

• Coconut: The Philippines’ Money Tree , by Renato M. Labadan. RM Labadan and Associates and University Research and Resource Development. (Isagani R. Cruz and Amado T. Tetangco, Jr.)

Best Book on Sports:

• Pacific Storm: Dispatches on Pacquiao of the Philippines, by Recah Trinidad. Anvil / Inquirer. (Juaniyo Arcellana)

Best Book on Plays:

• Mga Premyadong Dula, by Lito Casaje. De La Salle University Press. (Juaniyo Arcellana)

Best Cookbook/Best Book on Food: (both nominees win)

• The Governor-General’s Kitchen: Philippine Culinary Vignettes and Period Recipes, 1521-1935 , by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria. Anvil.
• Potluck, Hidalgo Bonding: A Family Heritage Cookbook, edited by Jaime C. Laya and Adelaida Lim. Anvil. (Juaniyo Arcellana)

Best Book of Essays:

• Science Solitaire: Essays on Science, Nature, and Becoming Human, by Maria Isabel Garcia. Ateneo de Manila University Press. (Alfred A. Yuson)

Best Anthology:

• The Manila We Knew, edited by Linda Panlilio

Best Book in the Social Sciences:

• Adios, Patria Adorada: The Filipino as Ilustrado, the Ilustrado as Filipino, by Alfredo Roces. De La Salle University Press. (Alfred A. Yuson)

Alfonso T. Ongpin Prize for Best Book on Art/Architecture: (2 winners)

• Ani: The Life and Art of Hermogena Borja Lungay, Boholano Painter, by Marjorie Evasco. UST Publishing House.
• Brushstrokes from the Heart: ArtPetron, The First Five Years, by Alice G. Guillermo. Petron Corporation. (Alfred A. Yuson & Maribel Ongpin)

Best Children’s Book:

• Bad Kings, by Gilda Cordero Fernando. Anvil. (Danton R. Remoto)

Best Biography/Autobiography: (3 winners)

• Beyond the Great Wall: A Family Journal, by Mario I. Miclat. Anvil.
• Kapitan: Geny Lopez and the Making of ABS-CBN, by Raul Rodrigo. ABS-CBN Publishing.
• Myself, Elsewhere, by Carmen Guerrero Nakpil. Nakpil Publishing. (Ruel de Vera)

Juan C. Laya Prize for Best Book of Fiction in a Foreign Language: (2 winners)

• Banyaga: A Song of War, by Charlson Ong. Anvil.
• The Jupiter Effect, by Katrina Tuvera. Anvil. (Danton R. Remoto & Ma. Regina L. DeGracia)

Best Anthology:

• The Manila We Knew, edited by Erlinda Enriquez Panlilio. Anvil. (Ruel de Vera)

Best Book in the Sciences: (2 winners)

• A Guide to Families of Common Flowering Plants in the Philippines, by Irma Remo Castro. University of the Philippines Press.
• Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( C.A.M.), by Victoriano Y. Lim. University of Santo Tomas Publishing House. (Ruel de Vera)

Best Edited Book:

• Great Scott!: The New Day William Henry Scott Reader, edited by Bezalie Bautista Uc-Kung. New Day. (Ophelia A. Dimalanta, Chair)

Best Book on Education:

• Daughters True: 100 Years of Scholastican Education, 1906-2006, edited by Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz, Paulynn Paredes Sicam, Karina Africa Bolasco, and Ma. Ceres P. Doyo. St. Scholastica’s College. (Ophelia A. Dimalanta, Chair)

Best Book on Film/Film Criticism:

• Postmodern Filming of Literature: Sources, Contexts and Adaptations, by Joyce L. Arriola. University of Santo Tomas Publishing House. (Ophelia A. Dimalanta, Chair)

Best Book of Short Fiction: (2 winners)

• Maligayang Pagdating sa Sitio Catacutan: Mga Kuwentong Kasisindakan, Aklat 1 / Malagim ang Gabi sa Sitio Catacutan: Mga Kuwentong Kasisindakan, Aklat 2, by Tony Perez. Anvil.
• Pagluwas, by Zosimo Quibilan Jr. University of the Philippines Press. (Virgilio S. Almario, National Artist)

Best Book of Poems: (2 winners)

• Gagamba sa Uhay: Kalipunan ng mga Haiku, by Rogelio G. Mangahas. C&E Publishing.
• Apokripos, by Jerry B. Gracio. University of the Philippines Press. (Virgilio S. Almario, National Artist)

Best Translation: (2 winners)

• The Colonial Odyssey of Leyte, 1521-1914, by Manuel Artigas y Cuerva, translated by Rolando O. Borrinaga and Cantius J. Kobak. New Day.
• Gagamba sa Uhay: Kalipunan ng mga Haiku, by Rogelio G. Mangahas, translated by Marne L. Kilates. C&E Publishing. (Virgilio S. Almario, National Artist)

Juan C. Laya Prize for Best Book of a Fiction in a Vernacular Language:

• (H)istoryador(a), by Victor Emmanuel Carmelo D. Nadera Jr. University of the Philippines Press.

Best Book Design:

• The Governor-General’s Kitchen: Philippine Culinary Vignettes and Period Recipes, 1521-1935, by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, designed by Guillermo Ramos. Anvil.

Publisher of the Year:

• Anvil Publishing

Tag: NEWS, CONTESTS

September 8, 2007

Finalists for 4th Premio Tomas Arejola Named

Two essays, two short stories and ten collections of poetry are in contention for top honors in the Region’s most coveted literary prize.

This was announced recently by Carlos Arejola, chairman of the Bicol-wide Premio Tomas Arejola para sa Literaturang Bikolnon. The literature award is named in honor of the Bicolano nationalist writer and patriot, and a leading member of the Propaganda Movement and the Malolos Congress.

Cited in the essay category are: “Ringgaw nin Imahinasyon, Kawat sa Pagtukdo” by Judith Balares-Salamat of Pili, Camarines Sur” and “An Dalan nin Pakikisumaro” by Adrian V. Remodo of Lagonoy, Camarines Sur.

The finalists for the fiction category are: “Abaniko” by Marissa Reorizo-Casillan of Naga City and “An Kris” by Irene L. Taniegra of Pili, Camarines Sur.

The ten poetry collections cited this year are as follows: “Ini, an mga buhay ta” by Jaime Jesus Borlagdan of Tabaco City; “Tinalbong ko su Tibabong” by Ryan B. de los Reyes of Baao, Camarines Sur; “Mga Tigsik” by Aida B. Cirujales of Naga City; “Agbay a Oras Sana” by Eurely P. Arroyo of Buhi, Camarines Sur; “Paradakop kan Pangiturugan” by Marissa Reorizo-Casillan of Naga City; “Hapiyap kan Kalangitan” by Jerico Rebadeo of Calabanga, Camarines Sur; “Rawitdawit Haleng Camaligan” by Jhonald A. Caballero of Camaligan, Camarines Sur; “Sa Banal asin sa Mga Tampalasan” by Adrian V. Remodo of Lagonoy, Camarines Sur: “Lagatak sa Riles kan Tren”by Christine P. Cordez of Milaor, Camarines Sur; and “Antisipasyon asin iba pang mga rawitdawit” by Victor Dennis T. Nierva of San Fernando, Camarines Sur.

The said finalists will receive the PTALB Diploma of Merit on September 19, this year at the St. Vincent de Paul Auditorium of the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary in Naga City. The best entries, to be named in said occasion, will receive P2,500 and the PTALB gold medallion. A grand prize winner shall then be chosen from the among the category winners and will be conferred the title Parasurat nin Taon (Writer of the Year) and receive P10,000 cash. The public is invited to the awarding ceremonies.

The Arejola Foundation for Social Responsibility, the prime mover of the annual literary tilt, also spearheads the Juliana Arejola-Fajardo Workshop sa Pagsurat-Bikol and the Aldaw ni Ludovico outreach program. The latter commemorates the 1900 ascension of Gen. Ludovico Arejola as over-all commander of Ambos Camarines during the Filipino-American War.

Tag: NEWS, CONTESTS

September 8, 2007

UMPIL elects new Board Members

The Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) elects new set of officers during its 33rd National Writers Congress on 25 August 2007 at the Pulungang Recto, College of Arts and Letters Building , University of the Philippines Diliman.

Prof. Victor Emmanuel Carmelo D. Nadera Jr., the director of Likhaan: U.P. Institute of Creative Writing, succeeds poet Roberto Añonuevo as the new Chair of the Board that include Engr. Abdon Balde Jr. (Vice Chairman); Ms. Celina Cristobal (Secretary General); Dr. Rebecca Añonuevo (Treasurer); and Dr.Ruby Gamboa Alcantara (Auditor). Other members are Prof. Romulo Baquiran, Ms. Karina Bolasco, Prof. Wendell Capili, Prof. Mike Coroza, Mr. Marne Kilates, Dr. Mario Miclat, Prof. Charlson Ong, Mr. Fidel Rillo, Mr. Frank Rivera, Prof. Beverly Siy, and Mr. Joaquin Sy.

UMPIL held its first meeting in 1974 at the Social Security System Building in Quezon City. Organized to unite Filipino writers and promote Philippine literature, UMPIL's first set of officers were Adrian E. Cristobal, chairperson, J.V. Cruz, vice-chairperson, and Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil, secretary-general. Its first major project was hosting the Afro-Asian Writer's Symposium held on 3 Jan-3 Feb 1975 in Manila.

Tag: NEWS

September 8, 2007

2007 Pinoy Haiku Contest Winners

English Category

Filipino Category

(c) Embassy of Japan in the Philippines

Tag: NEWS, CONTESTS

August 11, 2007

"Miskol" is 2006 word of the year

"Miskol" is word of the year, besting eleven other entries to the 2007 Sawikaan: Salita ng Taon conference held in UP Diliman last August 2-3, 2007. Filipino language scholars, teacher delegates, and students chose the three winning words that include "roro" and "friendster."

Ateneo de Naga professor Adrian Remodo, miskol paper presenter, said the missed call practice among Filipinos is a world away from the New York usage. While the latter is nothing more than a missed business talk, miskol is enmeshed in the paramdam psychology of Filipinos. That split second ring on one's phone connotes "Buhay pa ako. Magparamdam ka naman." (I am still alive. Please get in touch soon.)

Akin to last year's "lobat", miskol is borne out of the Filipinos' going gaga over cell phone communication. But we claimed the technology and put it to uses peculiar to us. Language plays an important role in this cultural hijacking. We also say "Miskulin mo ako" to register a new cell number, find a misplaced phone, or simply to brag about a newly downloaded ringtone.

The runner up words, roro and friendster are almost as significant as the number one term. Roro is short for roll on-roll off or the inter-island, cross country transport system designed to spur national progress. Kristian Cordero, the Bikolano writer/presenter, said it is a relevant term as it implicates the archipelagic and waterworld transhistory of the Philippines. A political meaning also adheres to this word as the Macapagal administration highlights it as part of its developmental campaign. "Will we take the roro boat trick seriously?," Cordero asked.

Another phenomenon that gripped Filipinos in recent years is Friendster, the cyberspace personal site that connects friends and would be friends. Originally a date search program, more than five million Filipinos appropriated it as substitute to eyeballing and as a kind of conquest of the space/time barrier. Ateneo de Manila's Boom Enriquez said, Friendster and other cyperspace interlinks create a "third space" for the stressed-out yuppies. It is a place where one can present one's true or invented identity and forget the vulgarity of real life.

Other words that played important roles in contemporary Filipino life include sutukil (short Visayan sugba-tula-kilaw), videoke, make over, telenobela, extra judicial killing, party list, abrodista, oragon, and safety.

Equally productive were the panel discussions on Filipino as global language by professors Florentino Hornedo and Ruth Elynia Mabanglo and the lectures on Mexican and French language development by Ambassador Erendira Araceli Paz Campos and First Secretary Georges-Gaston Feydeau. The participants learned insights relevant to the Filipino language advocacy.

Last year's conference papers are now available in book form, Sawikaan 2006 (Roberto T. Añonuevo and Galileo Zafra, editors. Quezon City:University of the Philippines Press, 2007) which was launched during the conference. National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario, UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao and book illustrator Pandi Aviado attended the event. They also opened the illustration exhibit held at the venue's adjoining gallery.

Sawikaan underscores the primary role of language in how we Filipinos perceive and make sense of the world. The roster of entries to this year's conference patently proves this. Sawikaan 2007 is funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Blas Ople Foundation, and spearheaded by the Filipinas Institute of Translation (FIT). The UP President's Office, UP Diliman Chancellor's Office, and the UP College of Arts and Letters were also important sponsors. Visit http://www.sawikaan.net for more information.

Tag: NEWS

August 5, 2007

The 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize - Longlist Announced
Adrienne Clarkson named Chair of the panel of judges

Hong Kong, 20 July 2007 – The Administrative Committee for the 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize has today announced the longlist of works for this inaugural prize

Tulsi Badrinath, The Living God
Sanjay Bahadur, The Sound Of Water
Kankana Basu, Cappuccino Dusk
Sanjiv Bhatla, Injustice
Shahbano Bilgrami, Without Dreams
Saikat Chakraborty, The Amnesiac
Jose Dalisay Jr., Soledad's Sister
Reeti Gadekar, Families at Home
Xiaolu Guo, 20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth
Ameena Hussein, The Moon in the Water
Nu Nu Yi Inwa, Smile As They Bow
Jiang Rong, Wolf Totem
Hitomi Kanehara, Autofiction
N S Madhavan, Litanies of Dutch Battery
Laxmi Narayan Mishra, The Little God
Mo Yan, Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out
Nalini Rajan, The Pangolin's Tale
Chiew-Siah Tei, Little Hut of Leaping Fishes
Shreekumar Varma, Maria's Room
Anuradha Vijayakrishnan, Seeing The Girl
Sujatha Vijayaraghavan, Pichaikuppan
Xu Xi, Habit of a Foreign Sky
Egoyan Zheng, Fleeting Light

This longlist of 23 unpublished works of Asian fiction in English will be reviewed and evaluated by the 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize judges, who will announce a shortlist of works in October 2007. The winner will be announced on Saturday, 10 November at an awards ceremony in Hong Kong.

The judging panel for the 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize is: Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General of Canada (Chair); André Aciman, New York-based author and scholar, and Nicholas Jose, writer, scholar and former Cultural Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in China.

The 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize longlist was chosen from among 243 submissions received from all over Asia. Approximately two-thirds of the submissions came from South Asia; the largest single group of submissions was from India. The rest came from throughout East Asia. The Prize received submissions from well-established as well as first-time authors, and entries included translated works as well as works originally in English.

The longlist was produced by a joint committee of senior faculty from the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, overseen by Professors Christopher Hutton and David Parker, Chairs of the respective English Departments.

Peter Gordon, Chairman of the Man Asian Literary Prize, said: “This first year's submissions exceed our expectations both in quantity and breadth. We are very pleased at the reception this inaugural Prize has received throughout the region and to see submissions from almost every country in Asia. Submitting a new work to a new Prize can be a courageous act, especially for unpublished authors, and we are grateful to all the au thors who took part.”

Man Group plc is the sponsor of the Man Asian Literary Prize. Man Group also sponsors the annual Man Booker Prize and the bi-annual Man Booker International Prize.

Tag: NEWS

February 12, 2007

Panitikan.com.ph, 1,000,000 hits and counting
By Arvin Abejo Mangohig

The Internet is the temple of the temporal. What you’re staring at your computer right now isn’t real, a solid object, an actual physical thing. It is ethereal. A website is here today, gone tomorrow. Blogs, pages, entire portals disappear into the netherworld of servers, databases, connectors and mainframes. Megabytes of data pour into homes The Matrix-like but awaken no Neos and Trinitys. Only a few sites survive; those who have built up their brand names, those who have amassed regular visitors, those which earn money.

Just a few days shy of its birthdate (February 11), panitikan.com.ph notched up its 1,000,000 hit on February 5, 2007. The visitor may have been from the Philippines. Or he or she could have been from China, Japan, the United States of America or Qatar. The mega-hit passed unbeknownst to him. It was actually history in the making.

Panitikan.com.ph began in the last few months of 2005 but had been envisioned by Vim Nadera long before he was UP ICW director. Proposals and website designs were hewn and crafted by its hopeful staff even without the guarantee of the project actually pushing through. Finally, in December of that year, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts gave the nod.

More than three hundred author profiles, five hundred literary works, and countless news articles later, panitikan.com.ph got its millionth visitor on a Monday, the weekday which has the largest percentage of visitors. It was only a matter of time. Just this year, the website’s record high reached over 8,000 hits a day, up by 2,000 from last year’s record.

Up for project renewal this year, the website plans to expand to Visayas and Mindanao even as it attempts to record the comings and goings of Filipino literati and more anthologize literary works and. This push to augment and expand bodes well for Philippine literature as panitikan.com.ph strives to be its face in the chaos and ephemera of the Internet. Posterity and certainty are values, in the realm of the Internet, which are all the more sought after.

Tag: News

February 12, 2007

First two legs of Pagpupugay successful
by Arvin Abejo Mangohig

National Artists for Literature Edith Tiempo and Alejandro Roces recently wrapped up their Pagpupugay hometown legs last February 2 and 3 respectively.

Tiempo was honored at the Luce Auditorium in Silliman University. The Silliman University Kahayag Dance Troupe interpreted Tiempo’s works. Poets Cesar Ruiz Aquino, Ian Casocot and Matilde Hescock read their favorite poems of hers. Tiempo also delivered the keynote speech “Sharpening the Two Poetry Basic.” Over eight hundred people were there to witness the tribute to the well-loved poet and critic.

Alejandro Roces was honored at the Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro. “Of Cocks and Roces,” by the Integrated Performing Arts Guild as directed by Steven Patrick Fernandez, was presented, an obvious nod to Roces’ more popular work. The SRO crowd also enjoyed Roces’ lecture on Philippine Short Stories. NCCA Executive Director Cecile Guidote Alvarez was on hand to deliver a special message.

The Pagpupugay sa Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan is a project of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, the UP Institute of Creative Writing and Pambansang Samahan sa Wika Inc. Virgilio Almario, Bienvenido Lumbera and F. Sionil Jose are set to deliver their own lectures in their hometowns.

(Click here for the Pagpupugay schedule)

Tags: News

January 25, 2007

Filipino poets wins again

Luisa A. Igloria has just won first prize in the 2007 James Hearst Poetry Prize with poet-essayist Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate2004-2006, as judge. Her poem "Venom" won USd 1,000 and will be published along with the finalists in the North American Reviews's "National Poetry Month" March-April issue.

Patrick Rosal’s poem “The Blue Room” meanwhile, was also selected as one of the “Best of the Net 2006."

Rosal has come out with poetry collections published by Persea Books: Uprock Headspin Scramble and Dive, winner of the 2003 Asian American Writers' Workshop Members' Choice Award, and My American Kundiman.

His poem appeared in Boxcar Poetry Review, and was chosen for 2006 Best of the Net Anthology of Sundress Publications. Paul Guest was judge.

Meanwhile, Joel Toledo continues his winning streak. He won first and third prizes in the 2006 Meritage Press Holiday Poetry contest. His "Atonement" and "Contact" gained him the gold and bronze finish. Last year, he also won the NCCA Writers Prize for Poetry and garnered an Honorable Mention in the 2005 Meritage Press Poetry Prize.

Michelle Bautista, a Filipino-American poet, selected the winning poems. They will be published in Meritage Press' online magazine next month.

Source: The Philippine Star

Tag: NEWS

January 12, 2007

Marc Gaba wins Boston Review contest

Boston Review (http://bostonreview.net/), a political and literary forum, has announced Marc Gaba as the winner of its ninth annual poetry contest. His winning works appeared in the Review’s November/December 2006 issue. C.D. Wright will introduce Gaba.

Marc Gaba attended the University of Iowa for his Masters of Fine Arts degree. He is a Palanca award winner and is a member of the High Chair group. Gaba currently teaches creative writing at the UP Diliman.

Click here for his enlightening interview with Conchitina Cruz. Click here for his review of Allan Popa’s book Samsara.

Tag: NEWS | CONTESTS

January 12, 2007

Adarna Books promo

Adarna House has launched a great promo for its faithful patrons. One can win giveaways or digital reproductions of Adarna’s bestsellers in its Stamp Card Promo. Here’s how:

Mechanics of Stamp Card Promo:

1. Any purchase entitles a walk-in showroom client to a stamp card with one stamp mark for his/her initial purchase.

2. Showroom visits shall give the card holder a chance to take home these Adarna freebies:

3rd visit-Adarna pencil, small notebook, stickers
6th visit-Adarna tote bag
9th visit-Adarna corporate notebook
12th visit-Adarna shirt

3. Cardholders who have accumulated P5,000 worth of purchase for the year will get a chance to win one of 5 digital reproductions of Adarna storybook artworks. Draw date: Dec. 15,2007.

4. Promo runs until supplies last.

Tag: NEWS

November 30, 2006

Free gift and christmas sale at Books for Less

Calling all BFL Privilege Cardholders! Claim your free gift at all BFL outlets this Christmas season!

Still ongoing is the BFL sale with many books gift-worthy! You can also give a BFL Gift Certificate for that booklover friend! Only P500 each.

You may now visit us at Mall of Asia and Pasig Supercenter! Stop by your nearest BFL branch today!

It's easy to find the book you need at Books for Less! Just e-mail bookrequest@booksforless.ph or contact the TEXT Hotline at 630-9999 (no format needed). For other BFL inquiries, please e-mail info@booksforless.ph or call 371-4539 for details. For branches and other information visit their updated website at www.booksforless.ph

November 22, 2006

RodCon 2007

RodCon 2007 is a two-day literary convention organized by Read or Die. The convention seeks to bring together readers, writers, publishers, government and school organizations and book dealers to highlight the importance of reading and literacy in building an open world for every Filipino through books. All proceeds of the event will be donated to AHON Foundation in conjunction with UNICEF.

The event will take place on February 3 and February 4, 2007 at the Hotel Intercontinental (Ayala Avenue, Makati City). The convention will be open from 9AM to 8PM daily.

For more information about the convention, please visit our website at: http://read-or-die.org/rodcon/

For more information about Read or Die, please visit the club website at: http://read-or-die.org

Convention weblog: http://rodcon2007.blogspot.com

November 20, 2006

Writers Night 2006
by Arvin Abejo Mangohig

Aside from the Lantern parade and Christmas day itself, one of the biggest events of December is Writers Night. Sponsored by the UP Institute of Creative Writing and co-organized by the UP College of Arts and Letters and the UP Writers Club, Writers Night brings together writers, artists and musicians in a night of literary revelry, reuniting and re-bonding.

December 8 will once again be a red letter day and night for literature lovers. The Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award will be holding its sixth annual ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Claro M. Recto Hall. A book forum featuring all the nominated authors will be held before the announcement of the winner. The Best First Book Award is sponsored by the family of Gonzalo Gonzalez. This year’s board of judges are Rene Villanueva, Malou Jacob and Luna Sicat-Cleto.

After the awarding, Writer’s Night will start at the Hardin ng mga Diwata, Bulwagang Rizal grounds at 6 p.m. The venue may be quite novel to those who were not present last year and to those who are used to going to the Balay Tsanselor. But the open air atmosphere and the nervous anticipation of getting rained out made for quite different dynamics. One had to shout over the musical numbers and sit on either grass or cement.

Last year’s Night benefited the family of the late National Artist N.V.M. Gonzalez. This year, the ICW will also be charging a minimal entrance fee for its projects.

For more details, call 922-1830.

November 15, 2006

Author wins PBBY-Salanga Prize the second time

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People awards the 2007 PBBY-Salanga Prize to Jeanette Patindol, for her story entitled "Tight Times." The winning story is about a child who learns about dealing with changes in the family as her father loses his job.

This year’s honorable mention winners are Mae Astrid Tobias for "Tatay's Photographs," Emerson Bengco for "Ang Makulay na Mahika ni Tito Mona," and Lorna Billanes "The Goodbye Balloon."