Pasko ng Komiks 2007 Updates
Orvy Jundis has confirmed along with Ofelia Concepcion and Elizabeth Chionglo of the long-running Inquirer comic strip “Love Knots.” CUE SPAZZING. We’re still waiting for about four more speakers to confirm (or not) so we should post the final guest list by early next week.
The Pasko ng Komiks exhibit curated by Komikera will open on December 8, 2007. More details to follow c/o Prof. Joey Baquiran’s press release.
Thanks again to Dennis Villegas, Randy Valiente and Guhit Pinoy, and Gerry Alanguilan for coursing donated prints through Read or Die.
We’ve really liked working on this event though we’re unsure about how it will be received by the komiks community since we’re not in the industry. I’ve read some blog posts and forum messages expressing some reservations about hosting this symposium in the academe, citing the historical? distaste of literary critics for supposedly low-brow entertainment like komiks. Quite frankly I’m not sure we can do anything about changing perceptions, if perceptions do need to be changed, but we can assure everyone that the ICW staff headed by Dr. Vim Nadera has been very supportive.
Wala naman sigurong magliliparang kamatis. Tsaka pagkakataon na ng mga writers at artists at critics na magtagpo at–katulad nga ng sinabi ni Randy–magbalitaktakan.
Just to clarify things: The idea of the symposium came from our group. We asked the UP College of Arts and Letters to sponsor it and they agreed. The ICW and Komikera took an active hand in revising our submitted program flow so the final structure of the event is really a group effort. Hopefully this symposium will be a more or less regular occurrence and we can involve more groups in its planning next time. Wala pa kasi kaming masyadong kilala — sina Gerry, Randy, Carlo, Vivian, Andrew, Teta, Garro, Glady at Dennis lang talaga. Sa symposium sana marami kaming ma-meet na komiks artists at writers.
Ano bang pakialam ng Read or Die sa komiks? Parte kasi ito ng isang serye ng mga events na pinaplano namin na magspospotlight, kumbaga, ng iba’t ibang klase ng panitikang Filipino para sa publiko. Nagkataon lang na ito ang nauna pero marami pang susunod — sa Marso naman ang matagal na nabiting Filipino Fantastic na sa wakas ay hindi na lamang pantasya. At sa di inaasahang lugar. Dakilang kaladkarin lang talaga kami.
Not-so-incidentally, I should note that I attended the presentation of the 2007 Filipino readership survey results last November 28. The survey was conducted by the Social Weather Station and commissioned by the National Book Development Board. I’ll save a fuller report for another entry (including the details of the survey) but it might interest people to learn that komiks readership jumped to a record 23%. The Bible still tops the list followed by romance novels but komiks is now a significant presence in the literary marketplace.
November 2007 reading list: Retellings
It’s… still November. I apologize for the extreme delay in posting this — real life got in the way. This month’s theme is (was?) stories retold, reinvented, reimagined. (Mostly myths…!) All descriptions are taken from the book blurbs unless otherwise noted.
The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie. In this brilliant remaking of the myth of Orpheus, Salman Rushdie tells the love story of Vina Apsara, a beloved pop star, and Ormus Cama, an extraordinary songwriter and musician, who captivate and change the world through their music and their romance. Beginning in Bombay in the fifties, moving to vibrant London in the sixties, and frenzied New York for the last quarter century, the novel pulsates with a half century of music and celebrates the awesome power of rock ‘n’ roll.
Mia’s notes: Rushdie’s writing is always a lavish feast for the senses, and the way he layers symbols upon symbols, stories upon stories, is nothing short of magnificent. This is a fascinating remix of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth; if you have time, try contrasting it with Rainer Maria Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus. Available in a lot of local bookstores, in assorted covers (all gorgeous, by the way) and reprintings.
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis., In this timeless tale of two mortal princesses–one beautiful and one unattractive–C.S. Lewis reworks the classical myth of Cupid and Psyche into an enduring piece of contemporary fiction. This is the story of Orual, Psyche’s embittered and ugly older sister, who possessively and harmfully loves Psyche. Much to Orual’s frustration, Psyche is loved by Cupid, the god of love himself, setting the troubled Orual on a path of moral development.
Mia’s notes: Lewis’s most beautiful book. It is written with great sensitivity and tenderness; rather than use the overt symbolism of the Narnia chronicles and the Space Trilogy, Lewis paints a subtle picture of love, longing, vision, and truth. It’s much better than the book blurb makes it sound, I promise 
It’s not one of Lewis’s most popular books, but it might be available locally — try A Different Bookstore.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Joining the rich literature of runaways, Kafka On The Shore follows the solitary, self-disciplined schoolboy Kafka Tamura as he hops a bus from Tokyo to the randomly chosen town of Takamatsu, reminding himself at each step that he has to be “the world’s toughest fifteen-year-old.” He finds a secluded private library in which to spend his days–continuing his impressive self-education–and is befriended by a clerk and the mysteriously remote head librarian, Miss Saeki, whom he fantasizes may be his long-lost mother. Meanwhile, in a second, wilder narrative spiral, an elderly Tokyo man named Nakata veers from his calm routine by murdering a stranger. An unforgettable character, beautifully delineated by Murakami, Nakata can speak with cats but cannot read or write, nor explain the forces drawing him toward Takamatsu and the other characters. (from Amazon.com)
Mia’s notes: Sophocles would love this. Assuming he’d survive the apoplectic fit. Out of all the books in the list, this is perhaps the easiest book to find; Murakami is pretty widely-read here, after all. Try Powerbooks or National Bookstore.
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Mikhail Bulgakov’s masterpiece is an ironic parable on power and its corruption, on good and evil, and on human frailty and the strength of love. Featuring Satan, accompanied by a retinue that includes the largge, fast-talking, vodka-drinking black tom cat Behemoth, the beautiful Margarita, her beloved–a distraught writer known only as the Master–Pontius Pilate, and Jesus Christ, The Master and Margarita combines fable, fantasy, political satire, and slapstick comedy into a wildly entertaining and unforgettable tale that is commonly considered one of the greatest novels ever to come out of the Soviet Union.
Mia’s notes: Brilliant, crazy, strange, surprising. One can get drunk on this book — it’s an addictive, intense read. I have heard this book called “shocking” several times, and I can definitely see why; Bulgakov turns convention on its head with reckless abandon (the way he deals with the Jesus/Pontius Pilate storyline, for instance, is guaranteed to raise some eyebrows). Up until recently I saw this book only in used-book stalls and shops, but a few weeks ago I saw several copies at a National Bookstore branch.
The Once and Future King by T.H. White. The whole world knows and loves this book. It is the magical epic of King Arthur and his shining Camelot; of Merlyn and Owl and Guinevere; of beasts who talk and men who fly; of wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad. It is the fantasy masterpiece by which all others are judged.
Mia’s notes: While I believe the book blurb is suffering from a bad case of hyperbole — for one thing, this book is not so much a magical epic as it is a tapestry of lives — I do agree that this is a powerful retelling of the Arthurian legend. The characters are so painfully human that when Camelot fell (as, of course, it must) I felt something in my heart, well, wrench. It even made me sympathize with Guinevere. Guinevere, of all people…! Like Kafka, this should be easy to find — look in the fantasy&science fiction aisles.
Bonus:
Not exactly re-tellings, but two fairy tale collections I should mention are The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye by A.S. Byatt and A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories by Robin McKinley. Byatt’s writing is very beautiful, and I loved the title story. As for Knot… it’s marketed as young adult literature, but I think you could easily do away with the “young adult” label because the stories are wonderful, bringing together well-rounded characters and fresh twists on the traditional fairy tale.
Write Or Die Presents Charlson Ong
To those still not in the know: Amelia Bonifacio’s talk for Writers Write has been moved to December 15, 2007. Professor Bonifacio will be speaking at the PEN Anniversary on December 8 hence the postponement.
Charlson Ong’s talk will, however, push through as planned tomorrow December 1, 2007 (Saturday) at Powerbooks Trinoma. His talk will start at 2PM and will end at around 4PM. Dr. Vim Nadera of the UP ICW will also be present to represent the Gawad Likhaan commission. Professor Ong will be talking about novel writing as well as critiquing a couple of manuscripts submitted to him via email. Thanks again to Charlson Ong for being kind enough to do this extra service for young writers.
Once again Writers Write is free and open to the public. Please come!
Charlson Ong’s profile:
Charlson L. Ong , resident fellow of the Institute of Creative Writing and fictionist/scriptwriter/singer extraordinaire, was born on July 6, 1960. He obtained an A.B. in Psychology from the University of the Philippines in 1977, and currently teaches literature and creative writing under UP’s Department of English and Comparative Literature. He has joined several writers’ workshops here and abroad, and has acquired numerous grants and awards for his fiction, including the Palanca, Free Press, Graphic, Asiaweek, National Book Award, and the Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award for Excellence. His novel, Embarrassment of Riches published by UP Press in 2002, won the Centennial Literary Prize. In addition to this, Ong has served as co-editor of the Likhaan Book of Poetry and Fiction. His latest novel “Banyaga” won the National Book Award for Fiction (Source: Panitikan).
Postscript of doom
Charles Tan and Dean Alfar have fairly extensive reports of Neil Gaiman’s visit to the Philippines for the Philippine Ad Congress and the 2nd Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards.
As for me, I am ashamed to admit that while I was peripherally aware of Mr. Gaiman’s visit, I never got round to actually finding out the exact details of when he would be here. I believe that Fully Booked sent us an invitation. It’s all very vague. These things take time to sink in for me since my brain can’t seem to process anything which does not remotely resemble an article for editing or letters affixed with “Yes, we are delighted to accept your proposal” asdfjkgls;;;;. Never got the chance to personally thank him for plugging RodCon 2007 in his blog, if only because I received a few hilarious emails from American anime fans asking how they might get to the Philippines to attend the Read or Die convention and if there would be sexy Miss Deep cosplayers hanging about.
… As I was saying, for a book club, we made a rather pathetic showing this time around though a few members were present. They sent me SMS messages? I didn’t imagine them? Everyone else has been horrifically busy. We should be getting some breathing space this week now that the content updates we’ve been planning are ready to go, but the pace will pick up again.
In any case, congratulations to everyone who placed in the awards, especially to Joseph Nacino and Andrew Drilon. I’m very happy for Celestine Trinidad–whom I’ve known for a long time–for making it to the shortlist.
The complete list of winners can be found in Charles Tan’s blog.
PS: Speaking of Celestine Trinidad, you can check out her serial “Alternate Futures” in the Conundrum Magazine (which is more like an ongoing writing challenge than a zine, but everyone is welcome to submit their multi-chapter stories for serialization).
We have also finally updated Maybe Sparrows with a short issue on the books of Diana Wynne Jones. The next issue will focus on reviews of ghost stories. To check out the reading list, please go here.
Updates
We are postponing the opening of Ang Bagong Libro to April 2008 to coincide with the formal opening of the ground floor showroom of the Goethe Institut. This basically means that the exhibit opening will inaugurate the Institut’s new gallery. We will have more floor space for artists and perhaps can accommodate a more diverse range of art forms based on the exhibit theme. Mia will be contacting people about this. In the meantime, if you are interested in participating in the exhibit, please visit the exhibit website. Thank you.
Pasko ng Komiks draws near. We’ll put up bionotes of our confirmed guests and speakers on November 30, 2007. In addition to the guest list posted currently in our website, other confirmed guests include Jonas Diego, Andrew Villar and Jhoanna Tinio.
UP Writers’ Night and the 50th PEN Anniversary are coming up. We’ll put up the schedules of both events later.
Libro.ph will also be updated with new content.
Write Or Die #3 Postponed
Due to the expected onslaught of typhoon Mina tomorrow, Amelia Bonifacio’s session in Powerbooks Trinoma for Write or Die has been postponed to December 8, 2007 (2PM - 4PM).
Charlson Ong’s session will push through as planned on December 1, 2007. Once again he’s accepting manuscripts for critique, just in case you might want to try your luck. We only have two stories submitted so far so there’s room for a couple more. Send your stuff to readordie.ph@gmail.com. Thanks!
PS: We’re all very busy hence the protracted radio silence. Lots of events coming up–notably the short list and mechanics for the 2008 Pinoy Readers’ Choice Awards (now with actual bling!)–plus we’re cooking something for Libro.ph.
Pasko ng Komiks 2007
Official website: http://read-or-die.org/komiks/
Read Or Die, the UP Institute of Creative Writing and the UP College of Arts and Letters in partnership with Komikera and the New Worlds Alliance invite you to attend Pasko ng Komiks, a symposium on Filipino komiks. The event is the culminating activity of the 2007 College of Arts and Letters Week. The symposium will bring together komiks writers and artists from different groups and backgrounds along with respected critics.
The event is sponsored by the UP College of Arts and Letters, the National Book Development Board and WikiPilipinas.
There will also be an exhibit of komiks prints from select collections and artists in FC Gallery 2 as well as an open cosplay event featuring characters from comics–whether Filipino komiks, Western comics and graphic novels, or manga and manwha. We would like to invite everyone to participate in the cosplay.
The exhibit will be curated by Ms. Teta Tulay of the innovative female artists collective Komikera. For inquiries about donating prints or your own for exhibit, please contact her at komikera@gmail.com.
If you are a komiks publisher or artist and would like to sell your work during the symposium, please see our selling guidelines.
“Pasko ng Komiks” will take place on December 11 (Tuesday) from 8AM to 6PM at the Claro M. Recto Hall, Faculty Center, UP Diliman. Registration starts at 8AM.
Anybody who’s got questions regarding the symposium may contact Read Or Die at readordie.ph@gmail.com.
Much thanks to Randy Valiente of Guhit Pinoy and Antonio Garrovillo of Komiks.ph for their help in brainstorming the contact list. Emailing you guys. Salamat ulit.
Pasko ng Komiks Presents KOSTRIP
The UP College of Arts and Letters and Read or Die would like to invite all dedicated cosplayers as well as casual cosplay fans to KOSTRIP — an afternoon of food at fun at the University of the Philippines Diliman Faculty Center on December 11, 2007
Everyone is invited to come in their best cosplay ensembles for a special merienda buffet, games and contests, and special prizes for participation — absolutely for free! Plus, cosplayers who come in their favorite Filipino literature or Pinoy komiks characters get special privileges!
For more information, please contact the event staff at readordie.ph@gmail.com. See you guys there!
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Event Guidelines:
1) All participants must register with the secretariat booth to receive their badges. Only participants wearing the official badges will be given access to their privileges, including and not limited to: the event grounds, the buffet table, and the goodie bags.
2) Read or Die reserves the right to bar entry to or eject from event premises individuals who do not comply with written or verbal security or safety reminders or other guidelines as given by the staff.
3) Read or Die reserves the right to modify event programme without prior notice.
Leaving on a Monday
The first session of Write Or Die featuring Dean Alfar was apparently a roaring success. Dean Alfar posted about the event here. Charles Tan has a downloadable audio recording here and a partial transcript here. Kenneth Yu also sent us his photos of the event. (Our archives are getting bigger–need to sort the gallery as soon as possible. Like, right now).
Kudos once again to Dean Alfar for coming and generously sharing his time and talent. I’ve been getting comments about his talk, all very enthusiastic and complimentary.
On our part, well, we really can’t take any credit, but we’re glad that people enjoyed the event. UP ICW is also very pleased. Hopefully you guys will keep attending the workshops. We’ll be taking a break in December after Charlson Ong’s talk on December 1 since people will probably have things in mind other than writing (not to mention parties to go to) during the holiday rush but we’ll resume on January 5, which will kickstart the Non-Fiction series. I’ll keep the guest list a secret for now (since a couple of people still have to confirm) but we’re looking at a really good lineup.
Once again, Write Or Die is free. We’ve been emailing schools about this so that students interested in writing can attend. Please help us spread the word. Write Or Die is a complementary initiative of RoD since we do believe that writing and reading are inextricably bound with each other. Good readers are usually good writers and vice-versa. This is not always true, of course, but it is true most of the time.
We’d also like to thank Anvil Publishing and Ateneo Press, Dean’s publishers. Powerbooks, of course, for being an accommodating host, and WikiPilipinas for their sponsorship.
We’re also very privileged to have the UP Institute of Creative Writing and the UP Centennial Commission/Gawad Likhaan supporting this program. (We also love Ateneo, DLSU, UST, PUP, so baka pwede rin po kayong magpahiram ng writers pagdating ng panahon ohohoho).
Finally, special mention goes to the Pinoywrimos who came in force, and Tina, the incredibly active and resourceful municipal liason. Good luck on that word count~ Let’s have a party when it’s all over and done with.
Kristel and Karen masterminded the entire thing, wandering power adapters and all. Great job, d00ds, and there are… twelve more workshops to go. Hehe.
Reader’s Quirks (Sorta)
I like hardbound books more than paperback books. I can’t help it – hardbound books are easier to carry around because you don’t ever have to worry about their covers getting bent at every slight movement, and you don’t have to fear them splitting at the spines like with paperbacks. Course, they’re heavier, thrice as bulky, and more difficult to stuff in your bag, but they’re hardy enough that you don’t need to.
By this time, you can tell that I’m the kind of person who’d rather endure pain than damage her books. It’s mostly true, though I’ve also been known to dog-ear a few favorites here and there. It’s more like: I want my books to live a long life, so I want to preserve them in their best condition as much as possible. You should see my old shelf – I had my books covered with a towel plus the glass just to keep the dust out. On that same note, it’s also obvious that I’m not the type to eat while reading, or the type to read outdoors unless desperate. I don’t use bulky bookmarks, either; instead I use plain paper (I don’t fold it, goodness, no).
The thing is, I don’t really particularly mind if my books get damaged. I think I may have an obsession for trying to keep them looking new, but when I damage them, I get over it fairly quickly (two minutes). It might be because I used to lend books to classmates as a kid, and they always returned to me all bent and ratty, and they always told me that I gave the books to them in that condition. Excuse me? No way! Hence, the obsession.
I think if I had a reader’s quirk, this would be it, the manic obsession for trying to protect my books. You probably have some, too, like reading your books upside down or something. Share and explain!
If you have articles to submit, please to be e-mailing me at yukitsuyk@yahoo.com .
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