LIRA poetry workshop now accepting applicants

The Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA) is now accepting applicants for its annual poetry workshop, to be held from June to August 2008. From the LIRA website:

Bukas na pong muli ang LIRA sa mga nais magpatalâ upang lumahok sa taunang klinikang pampanulaan. Ang klinika po ay gaganapin mula 9:00 n.u hanggang 5:00 n.h. tuwing Sabado at Linggo, at magtatagal nang tatlong buwan, mula Hunyo hanggang Agosto.

Tulad po ng mga nakaraang taon, magpadala po ng isang pahinang bio-data na may 1×1 ID picture, kasama ang limang tula sa Filipino, sa liraworkshop@gmail.com, o ilagay ito sa pigeon hole ni Prof. Vim Nadera sa UP Institute of Creative Writing, 2/F Faculty Center, College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman. Ang huling araw po ng pagpapatalâ ay ang ika-30 ng Abril, 2008.

Panibagong Paraan 2008 Showcases Innovative Ideas

Taking a break from your regular literary postings (that have not been so regular lately–which will change this April! we promise!):

Panibagong Paraan 2008 Showcases Innovative Ideas

Chief Justice (Ret.) Artemio Panganiban will open the Panibagong Paraan 2008 Philippine Development Innovation Marketplace on Wednesday, April 9 at 11 A.M., at the Megatrade Halls of SM Megamall.

He will deliver the keynote speech for the event where project proposals from 99 finalists in a nationwide search for innovative ideas will be judged and presented to the public. The theme of the competition is: “Building Partnerships for Effective Local Governance”.

The project proposals cover a wide range of activities from environmental protection to women’s rights, youth empowerment, livelihood generation, governance and administration. At least 30 winners of the project grant competition will receive up to P1 million each to implement their projects within one year.

The awarding ceremonies will be keynoted by Dr. Milwida Guevara, the 2008 Gawad Haydee Yorac awardee for outstanding public service, CEO of Synergeia Foundation, and a proponent of local good governance through the Galing Pook Foundation. Emceeing the award ceremony is TV host, Edu Manzano.

Four simultaneous round table discussions on the issue of building partnerships for effective local governance will be held on April 9, from 2 to 4 p.m., hosted by the Caucus for Development NGOs (CODE-NGO), Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), the Local Government Academy (LGA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The topics lined up are: “Are Political Dynasties a Threat to Democratic Governance?”; “Does Community Participation Ensure Transparency and Social Accountability in Local Governance?”, Youth Participation in Governance: A Harbinger of Change in Leadership Style or an Opportunity to Corrupt or Exploit Young Leaders?” and “The Business Case for Cutting Red Tape at the Local Level”.

An on-the-spot poster making contest will also be held on Thursday afternoon (from 2 to 4:30) for children 7 to 12 years of age, facilitated by the Ilustrador ng Kabataan (INK), an organization of artists who illustrate children’s books.

Speaking at a workshop on skills sharing on April 10 at 10 a.m., is fundraiser John Silva who gives grant-writing seminars to NGOs, non-profits, universities, religious organizations, foundations and individuals. Silva will make presentations about project development, advocacy and lobbying techniques and effective strategies for resource mobilization.

A Winners’ Forum on April 10 (from 1 to 5 p.m.) will feature presentations by selected past winners of Panibagong Paraan and Galing Pook

Musical and cultural numbers will be performed throughout the two days by LGU groups such as the Marikina Rondalla, Teatro Marikeno, Bungkos Palay Performing Arts Foundation of the Science City of Munoz, and others. Admission is free.

Panibagong Paraan is a joint undertaking of the World Bank, the Department of Interior and Local Government – Local Government Academy, AusAID-PACAP, Peace and Equity Foundation, Canadian International Development Agency, the Philippine Center for Population and Development, the British Embassy, Team Energy Foundation, The Asia Foundation, USAID, ADB, CODE-NGO, the League of Corporate Foundations, and the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement.

For more information, please go to www.panibagongparaan.com

Announcements

Vibal Foundation opens internship program for online writing

Vibal Foundation is opening an internship program for college students interested in writing using digital platforms starting April 7, 2008. This is in line with the Foundation’s mission of encouraging young people to harness the potential of the Internet as a communication tool.

The internship program will involve writing articles for the Foundation’s flagship projects: WikiPilipinas.org, a free and collaboratively written encyclopedia of Philippine content; POC, a news website; and creating metadata information for Filipiniana.net, a digital library containing Philippine books, documents, and multimedia resources.

Interns will be requested to render at least 100 hours of on-site work. They will be provided with a stipend throughout the internship and a certificate of completion once they have finished the program.

Interested parties are requested to email their CVs to Christian Pangilinan (Program Coordinator) at chris@wikipilipinas.org.ph. They may also contact the Vibal Foundation office at 7129156 to 59 loc. 343.

Vibal Foundation is a non-profit organization whose aim is to foster information literacy through the creative use of digital technology and new media.

Katext Mo Sa Katotohanan Poetry Contest>The Filipinas Institute of Translation, Inc. (FIT) launches “Katext Mo Sa Katotohanan” (Your Text Mate For Truth), a dalit poetry writing contest through the popular SMS/text messaging. FIT has sponsored similar contests in the past using other indigenous literary forms like the tanaga and diona.

Dalit is a traditional poetic form consisting of four mono-rhyming lines of eight syllables each. It is highly metaphorical and conveys an insight on human life and experience. Here is an example:

Ang sugat ay kung tinanggap
Di daramdamin ang antak
Ang aayaw at di mayag
Galos lamang magnanaknak.
(When one submits himself to wounding,
The intensest pain is bearable;
When one is unwilling,
Even the merest scratch can fester)

Writers and poetry enthusiasts can join the contest which has a very contemporary theme—the value of telling the truth. Writing poems is an effective way of expressing communal feelings and at this time in our national life, communal action.

Ang tunay na Filipino
Nagsasabi ng totoo
Naglilingkod sa totoo
Ilalaban ang totoo.
- Rio Alma

Contestants can text their poems at 0915-7832810. Or email them at dalitext@yahoo.com. Poems must strictly follow the dalit rhyme and meter. Cut-off time is at 5pm every Friday. Weekly winners gets a prize of P2,000.00 Consolation prize winners will receive certificates. For details, call 9221830 or email at mentioned address.

NBDB Book Club Meeting: Sudden Fiction Anthologies

The NBDB Book Club will be reading two volumes of the country’s best collection of sudden fiction stories.

Written by the finest writers of this generation, Mga Kuwentong Paspasan and Very Short Stories for Harried Readers (both volumes published by Milflores Publishing) contain 30 stories in Filipino and 41 short stories in English. Both volumes are edited by Vicente Garcia Groyon.

The book club meeting will be held on March 15,Saturday, 10 a.m. at the Ortigas Foundation Library. Award-winning writer Tara FT Sering will moderate the discussion.

Mga Kuwentong Paspasan and Very Short Stories for Harried Readers are available at National Bookstore branches for P290 each.

For more details about the NBDB Book Club, please call 926-8238 or 631-1231 local 222 and 228.

Everyone who has read the featured books is invited to come. Admission is free.

Write Or Die Features Isagani Cruz

The UP Institute of Creative Writing in cooperation with Powerbooks and Read Or Die present the second series of Write Or Die: Writers Write lecture-workshops. The discussions will be held every weekend from November 2007 to February 2008 in different Powerbooks branches and will be moderated by some of the best writers in the country. The purpose of the workshops is to promote the Gawad Likhaan: The University of the Philippines Centennial Literary Prize.

The workshops will have four areas: Fiction (November 2007-December 2007), Non-Fiction (January 2008), and Poetry (February 2008).

Isagani Cruz will be speaking on literary criticism on January 20 (Sunday), 2008 (Saturday) in Powerbooks Greenbelt from 2PM to 4PM. The talk is free and open to the public.

Isagani Cruz is an award-winning writer, educator, playwright and critic. He is also a co-founder and chairman of the Manila Critics Circle which gives out the annual National Book Awards.

For more information please contact us at readordie.ph@gmail.com.

Write Or Die: Non Fiction Series (January 2008)

FYI the complete schedule (will update website in a bit):

January 12 (Saturday): Maribel Garcia
Science Writing
Powerbooks Greenbelt, 2-4PM

January 20 (Sunday): Isagani Cruz
Writing Literary Criticism
Powerbooks Greenbelt, 2-4PM

January 26 (Saturday): Butch Dalisay
Creative Non-Fiction
Powerbooks Megamall, 2-4PM

Write Or Die: Writing Non-Fiction feat. Maria Isabel Garcia of “Science Solitaire”

Just in case you’re new to this weblog:

Where Read Or Die promotes reading and a greater awareness of literature–especially Filipino literature–in the Philippines, Write Or Die initiates and supports on projects designed to foster good writing skills in English and in the Philippine languages among both young people and adults. Write Or Die is an advocacy. We believe that writing is an essential aspect of literacy and that writing can transform lives, build communities, and enable individuals to express and find themselves.

The Write Or Die website can be found at http://write-or-die.org.

As for the name – well, we had obviously run out of original ideas. Think Or Die, anyone?

Write Or Die’s launching event is a series of workshops organized with the UP Institute of Creative Writing and Powerbooks to promote the UP Gawad Likhaan (the UP Centennial Literary Awards). The competition is part of the official celebrations of UP’s centennial. There are six awards, each one worth P200,000, for original, book-length works in 3 genres in either English or Filipino: the novel or short story, poetry, and creative nonfiction or sanaysay. Only one prize per genre in either language will be awarded.

There are six awards, each one worth P200,000, for original, book-length works in 3 genres in either English or Filipino: the novel or short story, poetry, and creative nonfiction or sanaysay. Only one prize per genre in either language will be awarded.

The complete rules are available at the UP-ICW office in UP Diliman. They are also available on the UP-ICW website at http://www.upd.edu.ph/~icw and on http://www.panitikan.com.ph, the literary portal hosted by the UP-ICW. Again, more on the prize later.

The workshops—called Writers Write—kicked off with a series on novel writing on November 2007 in Powerbooks and will continue every Saturday until February 2008. Writers Write features some of the best writers in the country. The Fiction series was conducted by award-winning novelists Dean Alfar, Jun Cruz Reyes and Charlson Ong.

We would like to encourage people who are not professional or academe-based writers to attend the workshops and submit their works for consideration to the Gawad Likhaan. Teachers are welcome bring their class members to talks. No reservations are needed.

Writers Write has four areas: Fiction (November 2007-December 2007), Non-Fiction (January 2008), and Poetry (February 2008).

Maria Isabel Garcia, winner of the 2007 National Book Awards for Essay for her groundbreaking book “Science Solitaire” (Ateneo Press) and noted science columnist for the Philippine Star, will kickstart the Non-Fiction series on January 12, 2008 (Saturday) in Powerbooks Greenbelt from 2PM to 4PM.

Please come! Ms. Garcia is one of the most fluent writers I’ve had the pleasure of reading. She’ll be talking about science writing, an interesting and—in the Philippines—a fairly novel genre of creative non-fiction. Science teachers are especially invited to attend and to invite their students along. There’s more to writing about science than dry equations and abstruse observations about the world around you.

Much thanks to Dr. Vim Nadera, Dr. Gemino Abad, Professor Joey Baquiran and Ms. Amy Colanta of the UP Institute of Creative Writing for supporting this endeavor. We’d also like to acknowledge our sponsors Powerbooks and WikiPilipinas for their generous help. Watch out for Writers Write updates in this space!

Read Or Die and Repertory Philippines Read Tuesdays With Morrie

Premiere theater group Repertory Philippines will be staging a theatrical adaptation of Mitch Albom’s best-selling novel “Tuesdays With Morrie” from January 1 to January 27 2008 at OnStage, Greenbelt 1, Ayala Center, Makati City. Starring Jose Mari Avellana and Rem Zamora, “Tuesdays With Morrie” is a heart-warming play that perfectly combines comedy, drama and poignancy. In a challenging commitment of time and expense, busy sportswriter Mitch Albom makes weekly treks from Detroit to Boston so he could spend Tuesday mornings with his former professor Morrie Schwartz, who is dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease. It unfolds the story of how these visits changed Mitch’s outlook on life. The play is directed by Baby Barredo.

Cast actors Jose Mari Avellana and Rem Zamora will be reading excerpts from “Tuesdays With Morrie” in a special appearance in Powerbooks Greenbelt on December 15, 2007 (Saturday). The event will kick off with a discussion of the novel which will conducted by Read Or Die at 4:30 PM followed by the theatrical reading. There will be an open forum with the audience afterwards. Free tickets to the premiere will also be raffled off to bookstore attendees.

The event is sponsored by Powerbooks and is part of Read Or Die’s Books On Stage program which aims to promote literature appreciation through the medium of theater. For more information please visit http://read-or-die.org/booksonstage/ or email us at readordie.ph@gmail.com. Thank you.

Pasko ng Komiks Exhibit, Cosplay, Selling Information

As mentioned in the press release: Aside from the symposium, Pasko ng Komiks will also feature an exhibit of select komiks artwork and prints in FC Gallery 1, Faculty Center, UP Diliman. The exhibit is curated by Vivian Limpin and Teta Tulay of Komikera and will open formally on December 8, 2007 at 4PM. Please come. The exhibit opening will be followed by the awarding ceremonies of the Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award at the Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan. Once the awards wrap up, the annual Writers Night will follow. Tuloy-tuloy ang saya kaya sana magpunta po kayo.

We’ll also be hosting a fairly informal Kostrip on December 11, which will be headlined by the New Worlds Alliance. Dress up as your favorite character from komiks/manga/comics and get some extra perks

PS:

Notice to sellers: If you want to sell your komiks or artwork during the event, just drop in whenever on December 11 (preferably in the morning–the early bird catches the worm and all that). You’ll have to bring your own table, I’m afraid. No selling fee or commission though Read Or Die will welcome donations hehe. If you have further questions or concerns email Tin at readordie.ph@gmail.com. Thanks and see you there.

Please pimp: Pasko Ng Komiks Press Release

As part of the U.P. College of Arts and Letters “Linggo ng KAL” event on December 6-14, the U.P . Likhaan: Institute of Creative Writing (UP-ICW) and Read or Die sponsor Pasko ng Komiks or PASKOM symposium on December 11 (Tues), 9am at the Pulungang Claro M. Recto, College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

PASKOM will discuss the relevance of comics arts in contemporary Filipino life. Four related topics, which foreground new perpectives on a growing popular arts tradition, will be discussed, namely “Komiks in Philippine Culture and History,” “The Study and Collection of Komiks,” “Women in Komiks,” and “Creating Komiks.”

In the morning , Pablo Gomez, Patrick Flores, Gerry Alanguilan, Glady Gimena, Dennis Villegas, and Orvy Jundis will talk on the two first topics. Then in the afternoon, the women artists—Sherry Baet, Ofelia Concepcion, Vivian Limpin, Elizabeth Chionglo, Joannah Tinio-Calingo, and Gilda Olvidado—will talk about how the feminine and comics arts intertwine toward a liberative cause.

Still later in the day, comics creators Carlo Vergara, Andrew Drilon, Andrew Villar, Carlo Pagulayan, Randy Valiente, Jonas Diego, Melvin Calingo, Lea Lim, Rey Tiempo, KC Cordero and Victor Balanon will unravel the energy and inspiration behind their works.

The day long discussion will be synthesized and commented upon by Bobby Yonzon (Mango Comics), Emil Flores, Joey Baquiran, and Lawrence Mijares.
Prior to the symposium, a comics exhibit, featuring the actual works of contemporary and past comics artists will be on show beginning December 8. It will be set at the Galleries 1 & 2 of Bulwagang Rizal, College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman.

PASKOM is made possible through the support of the National Book Development Board, Powerbooks, Mango Comics, WikiPilipinas, New Worlds Alliance, Read or Die, Komikera, and the U.P. College of Arts and Letters. We would also like to thank Komiks.ph and Guhit Pinoy for their support.

Comics fans, students, and teachers are welcome to attend the symposium and see the exhibit which will run until December 14. For details, call Ms. Eva Cadiz at 9221830 or visit our website at http://read-or-die.org/komiks/.

December 8: Literally Fully Booked

I haven’t done a Books Around Town/events roundup in a while, and there were a lot of events which I received notice about and somehow never got round to actually posting here c/o deaths in the family, website overhaul (again), events planning, jobs, etc.

We’ll be resuming regular programming here and in Libro.ph by December (er, the middle thereof).

Anyway:

If–like yours truly–you’ve missed attending the more interesting book launches and conferences of the last few weeks, you can make up for it by swinging by any (or all!) of these events:

Writers Night

Writers Night on December 8 at the Bulwagang Rizal in U.P. Diliman promises to be more than a chance to meet the idols of Philippine literature. If one stays on long enough, one will actually see many of them do poetry performances. Or sing. Yes, many writers are singers. And band members too. So expect this December affair to be a party experience that will be just as fun and memorable as the previous writers night.

The event starts off at 5:30 pm with the awarding ceremony of the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award at the Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan. This award honors authors whose maiden publications merit an auspicious introduction to modern day readers. Among the sterling nominees are Dean Francis Alfar’s Salamanca (novel); Barbara-Ann Gamboa Lewis’s Barefoot in Fire (creative non-fiction); Maria Isabel Garcia’s Science Solitaire: Essays on Science, Nature and Becoming Human (essays); Rica Bolipata-Santos’s Love, Desire, Children, Etc (essay); Helen Yap’s From Inside the Berlin Wall (essay); and Katrin De Guia’s Kapwa: The Self In The Other (essay). (Source: Panitikan.com.ph)

Guest list to follow.

50th PEN Anniversary

The Philippine chapter of PEN International celebrates its 50th year with a two-day literary conference called “Literature, Nation, and Globalization” from December 8 to December 9 at the National Museum, Ermita, Manila. For the complete schedule of activities and conference topics please visit http://libro.ph/pen/ (will spruce it up with more bling by ah later this morning).

The PEN fiction anthology–especially printed for the anniversary–will be launched on December 8. PEN is also hosting a Writers Night in Barbara’s Garden, Intramuros, at 6PM (also on December 8).

NBDB Book Club Discusses Gilda Cordero Fernando’s “The Last Full Moon: Lessons on my Life”

Please join the NBDB Book Club as we peruse the pages of Gilda Cordero Fernado’s award-winning autobiography “The Last Full Moon: Lessons on my Life” in our 7th book club meeting on December 8, 2007, 4PM, at the Circle Cafe in Timog Avenue. Ms. Gilda Cordero Fernando herself will be joining in the discussion.

The discussion is free and open to the public so please drop by if you’re in the area.

For more information about the book club, please visit http://libro.ph/nbdb/.

Philippine Speculative Fiction Volume 3 Launch

The third volume of the anthology of Philippine Speculative Fiction will be launched on December 8, 2007 (Saturday) at 4PM in Fully Booked Serendra.

From Dean Alfar’s blog:

The anthology, third in an annual series, showcases the literature of the imagination from Filipino writers living in the Philippines and abroad. We made sure to select wonderful pieces of fantasy, science fiction, horror and other things in between, and are certain you will find something to your taste.

PSF III’s roster of writers includes first time authors as well as more established ones - and we had the toughest time determining the final table of contents (and had to pass on a number of excellent pieces which we are sure will have no problem finding a home in a magazine or another anthology).

Pedro Diyego’s Homecoming *Apol Lejano-Massebieau
Keeping Time *FH Batacan
Facester *Dominique Cimafranca
Reclamation *Angelo A. Lacuesta
The Datu’s Daughters *Raymond G. Falgui
The Ascension of Our Lady Boy *Mia Tijam
Peekli *Andrew Drilon
The Hand *Marianne Villanueva
Brigada *Joseph F. Nacino
The Singer’s Man *MRR Arcega
Hamog *Joanna Paula L. Cailas
Visitors *Luis Katigbak
Sidhi *Yvette Natalie U. Tan
The Death and Rebirth of Nathaniel Alan Sempio *Alexander Marcos Osias
In Earthen Vessels *Rodello Santos
Carmen and Josephine *Elyss G. Punsalan
Sky Gypsies *Timothy James M. Dimacali
The Flicker *Ian Rosales Casocot
Urban Legends *Charles Tan
The Music Child *Alfred A. Yuson
Frozen Delight *Marguerite Alcazaren de Leon

Next Page →

• Support

  

• Libro.ph

  Libro.ph is a Filipino literary portal. Libro.ph hosts blogs, sub-sites on different literary genres, reading guides and reading lists, and news of events on literacy and literature.

• Recently Written

  • Column: Nabokov’s Last Novel Almost Burned and Thoughts on Lost Books
  • Column: Who’s Preying on Whom?: Two Experiences
  • Column: The need for more libraries, or for better bookstores
  • LIRA poetry workshop now accepting applicants
  • Two Poems: Kenneth Koch and Louise Gluck
  • Updates
  • Panibagong Paraan 2008 Showcases Innovative Ideas
  • Announcements
  • Coming soon (or sooner)
  • Column: Reading Dangerously

• Recent Comments

  • jon

    It’s really hard to set aside time to read these days. Sometimes people are too busy that they only scan...

  • bhex

    @ jon - hahah you and your friends rocked! my dad always used to brag that he used up more UP diliman library...

  • Mia

    I used to go to my elementary/high school library a lot. :D Didn’t go to the library that often in college,...

  • jon

    I love the UST Elementary/High School Library. I was always there when i was studying there. There were so many...

  • gus reininger

    Good to mention Corso, pure poet. Would you consider linking to the film about him. www.corsothefilm.com

• Bloggers

  • giyenah
  • innocentlyjaded
  • jessi
  • Kae
  • Khursten
  • Lauren
  • lethologica
  • magnetic_rose
  • Mia
  • obakesan
  • sid
  • tin
  • Yukitsu

• Categories

  • Books
  • Caturday
  • Events
  • Latest
  • Magazines
  • Miscellany
  • News
  • PCIJ:Special Series
  • Philippine Book Development Month
  • Read or Die
  • Reading
  • Reviews

• Mailing List

  Subscribe to readordie

  Email:

  Visit this group

• Donate

  Please consider making a donation to Read Or Die to support our programs. Your help will make a difference. Salamat po.
  

• 
  

• About

  Read or Die is a group of readers who wish to promote reading and literature in the Philippines. Join us.

• Projects

  • Propaganda
  • Write Or Die
  • Libro.ph

• Publications

  • Maybe Sparrow
  • The New Manila Review

• Events

  • Read or Die Convention
  • Filipino Fantastic
  • Komiks Komiks Komiks
  • Ang Bagong Libro
  • Ang Bagong Libro: The Exhibit
  • Aklat at Galak
  • Pinoy Readers' Choice Awards 2008

• Now Reading

  • Current Reading

    • 

      Automated Alice by Jeff Noon

    • 

      The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

    To Read

    • Invisible Cities (A Harvest/Hbj Book) by Italo Calvino

    • The Secret History by Donna Tartt

    • The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson

    • Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake

    • Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) (Penguin Classics) by Jose Rizal

    Library

    View full library

• Blogroll

  • Ahon Foundation
  • Banzai Cat
  • Carlo Vergara
  • Charlestan
  • Dean Alfar
  • Filipino Librarian
  • Filipino Writer
  • Finnegans Web & Wiki
  • Gerry Alanguilan
  • Ian Casocot
  • Komiks.ph
  • Panitikan
  • Philippine Center Of Investigative Journalism
  • Philippine Genre Stories
  • Philippine Speculative Fiction
  • Randy Valiente
  • Star Trek Book Reviews
  • Zarah Gagatiga

• del.icio.us
• Digg
• Furl
• Netscape
• Yahoo! My Web
• StumbleUpon
• Google Bookmarks
• Technorati
• BlinkList
• Newsvine
• ma.gnolia
• reddit
• Windows Live
• Tailrank

E-mail It

• To Address:
• Your Name:
• Your Address: