paperbook alley

who doesn't love a winner?

2010-12-14T10:49:00.004+08:00

Congratulations to Filipino journalist Criselda Yabes for winning a coveted slot in the longlist of the Man Asian Literary Prize for 2010. Her book, Below the Crying Mountain, is one of the 10 in the list which includes Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe. Too bad Cris's novel doesn't carry the Anvil imprint. Oh, well. But here's to Filipino writing talent!

The shortlist and the wining work will be announced in Hong Kong March next year. Our fingers are crossed, Cris!

Cris is currently working with Anvil on a book about her travels in Mindanao which we're hoping to release during the Taboan festival in February 2011. Watch out for it.

Calling all Lit Lovers!

2010-11-11T15:33:00.001+08:00

Manila International Literary Festival LIT OUT LOUD
Nov. 18-20, 2010 Hotel Intercontinental, Makati City

FESTIVAL PROGRAM

DAY 1 November 18
AM
8:00 Registration 9:00-10:00 (Bahia Room)

Keynote Speech The Novel by Jose Y. Dalisay

10:00-10:30 Coffee Break

10:30-11:30 (Bahia Room) A panel on the novel Panelists: Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, Patricia May Jurilla, Rose Torres-Yu Moderator: Jose Y. Dalisay

12:00-1:30 Lunch Break

PM Breakout Sessions
1:30-3:00
Translating from the Regional Languages (Dasmariñas Room) When translating from the regional languages, do we accept that English is the translation we need, or should we translate to Filipino? Panelists: Marne Kilates, Marjorie Evasco. Moderator: Ricardo de Ungria

Intertextuality and Plagiarism (Bel-Air) Is the novel dead? Is the practice of intertextuality technique a violation of the other artist’s copyright? Panelists: Angelo Suarez, Carljoe Javier, Angelo Lacuesta. Moderator: Isagani Cruz

Literary Journalism (North Forbes) Panelists: Mita Kapur, Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, Kriselda Yabes. Moderator: Susan Lara

3:00-3:30 Coffee Break

3:30-5:00
Writing the Asian Experience in English (Dasmariñas) How writing in English can reflect the Asian experience. Panelists: Vikas Swarup, Alfred Yuson. Moderator: J. Neil Garcia

Roots and Imagination: What do we write about? (Bel-Air) Bringing our own experiences to the world to reach markets, does one need a big theme? Should one write about nation? Panelists: Christopher Cheng, Andy Mulligan, Charlson Ong. Moderator: Gemino Abad

The Importance of Literary Agents and How to Get One (North Forbes) How Philippine writers can break into the international market through a literary agent and how to find one. Panelists: Mita Kapur, Jayapriya Vasudevan. Moderator: Jose Y. Dalisay

6:00-7:00 Cocktails at the Filipinas Heritage Library (by invitation only)

DAY 2 November 19
8:00 Registration

AM Breakout Sessions
9:00-10:30
How to Market Literary Titles (Dasmariñas) Marketing literary titles for different markets. Panelists: Rino Balatbat, Mita Kapur, Jayapriya Vasudevan. Moderator: Karina Bolasco

Genre Fiction (Bel-Air) Panelists: Dean Alfar, Karl de Mesa, Yvette Tan. Moderator: Tara FT Sering

The Children’s Market: What has Changed in 20 Years and What Sells Now (North Forbes) Panelists: Christopher Cheng, Andy Mulligan. Moderator:

10:30-11:00 Coffee break

11:30-12:30

Emerging Forms of Literature (Dasmariñas) The prevalence of new forms/experimental literary works. Panelists: Vim Nadera. Angelo Suarez. Moderator: Erwin Romulo

The Young Adult Novel (Bel-Air) The forms, the topics, the age, and being culturally specific. Panelists: Andy Mulligan, Christopher Cheng. Moderator: Ramon Sunico

Writing Online (North Forbes) The forms, what to write about, and how writers promote themselves online. Panelists: Carljoe Javier, Luis Katigbak, Marne Kilates. Moderator: Tarie Sabido

12:30-1:30 Lunch Break

PM Breakout Sessions
1:30-3:00
From Manuscript to Film (Dasmariñas) Screenwriters and filmmakers on the challenges of writing for film. Panelists: Jerry Gracio, Eric Ramos, Vikas Swarup. Moderator: Jose F. Lacaba

Graphic Literature (Bel-Air) The country’s top graphic lit artists on how to break into the graphic lit scene and the future of the genre in the country. Panelists: Gerry Alanguilan, Elbert Or. Moderator: Carlo Vergara

How to Teach Literature to Young Adults (North Forbes) A lecture for teachers on how to read and teach different genres of literature to young adults . Panelists: Anna Rodriguez. Moderator: Mailin Paterno-Locsin

3:00-3:30 Coffee break

3:30-5:00
Filipino Poetry over the Years (Dasmariñas). Panelists: Rio Alma, Bienvenido Lumbera, Roberto Añonuevo. Moderator: Michael Coroza

How to Make Book Trailers (Bel-Air). Christopher Cheng

Travel Writing (North Forbes) How to turn one’s personal journal into publishable essays. Panelists: Cristina Hidalgo, Tara FT Sering. Moderator: Ralph Galan

DAY 3 November 20
8:00 Registration

AM Breakout Sessions
9:00-10:30

The Man Asian Literary Prize: What Makes an International Prizewinning Book? (Dasmariñas) The latest changes in the Man Asian rules and the importance of winning international awards. Panelists: David Parker, Charlson Ong, Alfred Yuson. Moderator: Jose Y. Dalisay

Literary Appreciation for High School Students (Bel-Air) Reading appreciation for literary pieces. Panelists: Carla Pacis, Cyan Abad-Jugo. Moderator: Carla Pacis A Library that Reaches Out (North Forbes)

How librarians can make libraries more interactive to attract readers. Panelists: Troy Lacsamana (Quezon City Public Library), Maritoni Ortigas (Filipinas Heritage Library)

10:30-11:00 Coffee break

11:00-12:30

Storytelling Workshop for Teachers (Dasmariñas) Facilitator: Tony Yanza

Writing the Diaspora (Bel-Air). Panelists: Oscar Campomanes, Jose Wendell Capili. Moderator: J. Neil Garcia

Making Your Own Center Away from the Center (North Forbes) Non-Manila based writers on how they make literature come alive in their respective regions. Panelists: Merlie Alunan, Resil Mojares, Ambdon M. Balde. Moderator: Ricardo de Ungria

12:30-1:30 Lunch Break

PM Breakout Sessions
1:30-3:00
Launch of The F-Word (Dasmariñas) A cooking demo and book signing with Mita Kapur.

Gender Issues in Writing (Bel-Air). Panelists: J. Neil Garcia, Danton Remoto, Jhoanna Lyn Cruz. Moderator: Jose Wendell Capili

100 Years of Philippine Poetry from English (North Forbes). Panelists: Ricardo de Ungria, Alfred Yuson Moderator: Gemino Abad

3:30-5:00
Reading and boom discussion with Andy Mulligan.

Slumdog Millionaire Screening with Annotations by Vikas Swarup (Filipinas Heritage Library).

**To register for the festival and/or select sessions, call 892-1801. For further details, call the National Book Development Board (NBDB) at 920-9853 or visit their website (http://nbdb.gov.ph/) or FB page.

once more, with (a little) feeling.

2010-11-11T15:24:00.002+08:00

i've been remiss, i know. ensconced in a cubicle in a publishing house is a totally unique way of life. (read: tons of work). anyhoo, i've lots to tell, lots to write. about books, literature, writers, artists, relationships, drama, whatnot. i just need to do much flexing of the writing muscles to do just that. wish me luck.

words

2010-03-09T20:40:00.002+08:00

"borrowed" this from poet marne kilates's facebook status update or whatever you call those things:

"The Quran tells us, 'even if all the trees in the world were made into pens and all the oceans in it made into ink, with seven more oceans to multiply it, still the words of God would not come to end.' It's what poets dream about—that the entire universe is neverending revelation and everyone with their ear to the ground—literally—might luck into prophecy." —Kazim Ali, "Faith & Silence"

am back. well, sort of.

2010-03-09T19:36:00.003+08:00

hhmmm.... quiet.... it's like half the planet who used to blog have migrated to facebook, twitter and google buzz...

anyhoo, i'm (quite) back. will try to update this corner in cyberspace somehow. but right now i'm buried under a mountain of submissions. so much to read! and honestly, i wish they were all worth reading. oh, c'mon. literary gems are quite difficult to find. and like those little old ladies in a Wendy's commercial looking for the beef, i ask: where's the story?!

right now, i'm bombarded with outrageous pitches and over-the-top cover letters every day during evaluations period. i'm being asked to meet with "authors" so they can (plead) their "case". just a bit of good advice, people: that really is a major turn-off, it's best to wait out the results.

like a mantra, i always put in mind a great piece of advice from an american book editor dealing with submissions: when a "writer" says to you that his/her work is the best piece of modern literature on this planet, chances are, it's crap. because when someone has to pitch you his/her work to high heavens, then his/her submission must need all that air (actually useless here) to make it look good.

Anvil wins!

2009-11-15T08:23:00.002+08:00

Major wins at the 28th National Book Awards (for books published in
2008)!

Congrats to Anvil authors:

GRACE NONO (The Shared Voice)

AMANDO DORONILA (Afro-Asia in Upheaval)

ADELAIDA LIM et al (Cafe by the Ruins)

BINO REALUYO (The Gods We Worship Live Next Door)

NICK DEOCAMPO (Sine Gabay)

ANVIL also won Publisher of the Year (9 glorious times now!).

What a shower of blessings! Read full list of winners via Dr. Isagani R. Cruz's blog.

Gwenn's mom

2009-09-12T11:30:00.001+08:00

Anvil's Marketing Manager, Gwenn Jessica Galvez mother, Glora Antonio Bundalian, passed away Sept. 8, 2009. She was 76 years old.

Her remains lie in state at 93 Kanlaon St., Central Park Subd., Bangkal, Davao City.

Interment is on Mon., Sept. 14, 2009, 2:00 p.m. at Davao Memorial Park.

You can send your mass cards to the Anvil office. Thanks!

aling bebang

2009-03-23T16:17:00.004+08:00

i had the privilege to meet in person and hang out with aling bebang years ago. she would drop me a line occasionally just to say "hi" and remind me to write as often as i could or be involved in the art form i preferred. i remember the first time i went to her tiny house in cubao--it was with my former boss, national artist rio alma. rio interviewed her for one of his studies in philippine lit and for an article in a daily.

it was really great being in the same room that day with two philippine literary greats. aling bebang was your gentle, funny "lola" who had tons of stories and "pangaral". but she was different, of course. most of her stories had a literary connection. it was just natural for her.

that first meeting was followed by 2 or 3 more visits and every time she had something new for me. but always, she told me to pick up the pen and write my heart out.

i was still new at anvil when i met her again. we accepted her novel, ang kanilang mga sugat, for publication. i made short visits to her house again in cubao, that time with a little bit of confidence, yet still without the solid resolve to take up writing seriously. and as always, she would tell me to write.

she remembered my name every time she called the office. and she remembered what we always talked about. those calls made me feel a bit special.

about 3-4 years ago when she called the office, i perked up since i answered the call. i said my name as emphatically as i could. by the tone of her voice, she didn't recognize me anymore. or maybe i wasn't too emphatic. or maybe her memories were already only reserved then for those of utmost importance. and who am i to be part of it--one who didn't heed her advice?

i was told earlier today that she died last saturday evening in her sleep. i was probably still out that night, right after a book event earlier and then a very long dinner with friends. it might've been nothing but at one point at dinner, i thought of going to cubao since i haven't been there for weeks to visit book haunts. the thought was like all thoughts in passing: some sort of clue from the cosmos that happens, maybe, for some reason, even just to remember someone who meant well and was never selfish with her stories.

***

from Ian Rosales Casocot's blog:

Genoveva Edroza Matute, or Aling Bebang, died in her sleep Saturday night. She was 94. Fondly read for her award-winning stories and essays, the great writer Genoveva Edroza Matute was born on 3 January 1915. A devoted educator, she spent many years as head of the Philippine Normal University’s Department of Filipino. In 1992, she was conferred the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining (Panitikan) by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She has won the Palanca multiple times for stories written in what critics have called "very accessible" Tagalog. These stories include "Kuwento ni Mabuti," "Paglalayag sa Pusa ng Isang Bata," "Parusa," "Maganda Ang Ninang Ko," and "Pagbabalik." Her books include Mga Piling Maiikling Kuwento, Tinig ng Damdamin, Katipunan ng Kanyang mga Piling: Sanaysay, and Sa Anino ng EDSA. Ang Kanilang Mga Sugat is Matute’s first novel.

2009-02-13T14:39:00.004+08:00

i wish you all a happy valentine's day. be safe. (or should it be "safety first"?) bring protection. have a grand time. and all those things.

Update on Rayvi (29 January 2009)

2009-01-28T19:10:00.001+08:00

Thanks a lot for your messages and gifts for Rayvi. They were sent to Rayvi early this morning. (We received several email messages for him after our suggested deadline, so those will be sent to him tomorrow.)

We were told the operation this afternoon went well. (He's now "Bionic Rayvi" :-) ) He's resting now, but we can already send him text messages by 11 tonight. If you'd rather call/visit him, maybe it's best to text him first if it's okay to do so.

The family is hoping he'll be sent home this weekend.

Salamat and let's pray for his fast recovery.

p.s.
pls. help pass this update on to others. earlier email messages about rayvi never reached some people. thanks!

prayers for rayvi sunico

2009-01-27T09:30:00.003+08:00

Hi everybody,

We got word earlier that our dear friend, Rayvi Sunico, was rushed to Medical City last Saturday after experiencing a slow heart beat. He is now at the hospital's ICU. This coming Wednesday afternoon, he will be "outfitted" with a temporary pacemaker.

Wednesday's also his birthday, so if you want to send him good wishes and prayers, kindly email your messages. We'll print them out and send them to Rayvi. And if you have something to give him, just drop it off at the Anvil office. Tell the security guard on duty to turn over the package/card/whatnot for Rayvi to the Publishing Department c/o me or Jo Pantorillo. Best to send your messages and packages until early Wednesday morning, around 7 a.m. so we can send them to Medical City before his operation. Those will surely cheer him up. For those who can only leave home/office around 6 p.m., you can just leave your packages with our security guard. We'll acknowledge receipt as soon as they're turned over to us.

We were also advised to not visit him at the hospital since, knowing how Rayvi has a lot of friends and fans, we might just create unnecessary excitement and also clog the hospital aisles. The family's hoping that he'll be home by week's end.

Thanks a lot and we'll update you soon about him. Please continue to pray for his fast recovery.

sssslacker....

2009-01-16T16:03:00.008+08:00

i'm still in a december-2008 haze and i know i need to get out of it fast. but it's so haaarrrd! (see? i'm spelling words in multiple letters. that's a huge clue.) there are still christmas food in my fridge: ham and cheese and lots of candy and fruit preserves. christmas gifts are still stuffed in a bag. opened, yes, but not yet exactly put away. and it's so cold in the mornings, i half expect ice cubes raining down the bathroom shower.

***

got a visit earlier from two of my favorite creative people. first was artist panch alcaraz who inspected the proofs of a forthcoming children's book, heaven's butterfly, written by the mom-and-daughter team of cathy and pia guballa. panch suggested to go to a nearby jollibee for lunch, but i launched into an anti-jollibee litany that actually simply said "i'm sick of it". well, who isn't? and i really don't have anything against jollibee; it's just that the "if-everything-fails-let's-order-a-yumburger" rationale to emergency food decisions is a bit, well, tiresome. which is kind of challenging specially now that a branch just opened about 5 minutes from my house. aarrrggh.

anyway, i ended up having a jollibee lunch delivered to the office anyway. panch hankering for chickenjoy was very heartrending. ahem.

about an hour after, writer and publisher rayvi sunico dropped by and as usual we had a lot of kuwento about all things books. asked him to join me in doing small books for anvil. he seems interested (hope so); teaming with rayvi will give my projects some real star power. am praying all those lovely projects in my mind will push through. guess it's about time i have my name somewhere other than the copyright and the thank-you pages.

2009, here we go.

2009-01-07T10:22:00.004+08:00

so it's 2009. happy new year. am praying to the heavens it'll be much, much better this time 'round. i had it quite rough and emotionally draining last year, and i refuse to go through that again. i hope this year i do myself a big favor by being more forgiving and allow a bit of happiness around me.

got a nice little visit yesterday from lorna kalaw-tirol, one of the best filipino female journalists and book editors around, who reminded me to keep all those notes about my life in pinoy publishing so i can write a memoir. naks. my name and "memoir" together have never crossed my mind. or maybe it did but i shrugged it off instantly. i do have some book projects in mind that i want to pitch for this year, one of which i already kind of talked about with a potential co-author just before christmas last year. i just hope i can pull it off because the pitching part might be the least of my worries.

have a good one

2008-12-24T10:35:00.006+08:00

happy christmas and a better, wiser,
more prosperous and peaceful
new year to all!

martial law babies

2008-12-18T09:02:00.002+08:00

arnold arre's new graphic novel is out! martial law babies should already be available in major book stores now--for your last-minute christmas shopping.

but go here if you want to have copies delivered FOR FREE. sweet!

finally, fruitcake

2008-12-11T17:23:00.004+08:00

and i've been remiss (with the updates). but no, not really. didn't want people rushing to the stores when there were only several copies available at select national book store branches last weekend. and then i got sick for about 4 days. uh-oh.

anyhoo, the book's out. it's P295 a copy. and just got word from "da inside" that we're close to reprinting more copies asap. FRUITCAKE's selling like hotcakes!

2008-12-03T13:55:00.004+08:00

just got my copy of Saveur Magazine (December issue), and what do i see? a full feature on Christmas in the Philippines! yay! FINALLY! 'Pinas, for all our diverse and rich food and culture, hasn't been featured lengthily before as in this issue of one of the world's best culinary trade magazines today. hay, sa wakas. it's about time. wala lang, i'm just very pleased.

article is by Robyn Eckhardt, photos by David Hagerman (wonder if billy knows robyn...) and features Robyn's encounter with Luzon fare, particularly Pampanga, with the help of a local family (Mallari). recipes include Pinakbet (although i know this is not the Ilocos vesion), Ensaimada (which i tried to do myself before. they ended up as sugary paperweights to my friends' delight), Adobong Manok, and Ulang sa Gata. there's also a brief Pampanga guide to popular hotels and restaurants.

maybe we should send the editors copies of KULINARYA, FOOD TOUR, and THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S KITCHEN. another feature about the Philippines won't hurt :)

christmas book sale!

2008-12-01T12:47:00.003+08:00

jeez, i forgot to post this! but you still have until december 6, 2008 to get books at incredible discounts at the anvil office*. local and imported children's books, cookbooks, reference titles, fiction and non-fiction for as low as 2 bucks a copy! you have less than a week to avail of the discounts, so see you soon!

*8007-b pioneer st., kapitolyo, pasig city. (from shaw blvd., turn to pioneer st. go past pioneer center where there's a jollibee and a chow king. a few meters from there you will see a maroon gate and an Anvil signage.// from edsa, turn to pioneer st. just go straight ahead. go past RFM and citiland to your right. we're beside the compound that has white grills. same thing: Anvil signage, maroon gate)

2008-11-26T16:24:00.003+08:00

We're launching Benjamin Pimentel's Pareng Barack: Filipinos in Obama's America tonight at NBS Bestsellers in Galleria-Ortigas.

Pimentel grew up in Quezon City and moved to the U.S. in 1990. He was a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle for 14 years and now covers technology for MarketWatch. He is the author of UG: An Underground Tale, about the life of the late activist Edgar Jopson, and Mga Gerilya sa Powell Street, a novel in Tagalog which was adapted for the stage by Tanghalang Pilipino and won the National Book Award Juan C. Laya Prize for fiction.

from the back cover:
This book is about Barack Obama's incredible march to the American presidency, and how Filipinos responded--often with excitement, sometimes with fear and dread--to his stunning campaign and victory. This is also about the Filipino journey in America, how it was intersected, sometimes collided, with those of other communities, and how it has taken a dramatic turn as America enters a new era of anxiety and hope.

know what this is?

2008-11-24T15:48:00.006+08:00

it's a ____ star. and it'll grace the cover of a book we'll be re-issuing by a group of musically inclined dudes* (____ stars themselves). it'll be a great christmas gift, so watch out for my announcement here about its release. *hint: the author-musicians just had quite a controversial concert some time ago.

illustration copyright by cynthia bauzon-arre. pls. don't repro without permission. or you'll be very sorry.

2008-11-21T13:41:00.008+08:00

Anvil Publishing Inc., Manila Broadcasting Company, and Ballet Manila present TATLONG KUWENTO NI LOLA BASYANG (based on the 3 retellings by Christine Bellen, illustrated by Panch Alcaraz for Anvil):

Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon (choreographed by Osias Barros, music by National Artists and arranged by Mon Faustino
Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Maria (choreographed by Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, music by Joey Ayala)
Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin (choreographed by Tony Fabella, music by Ryan Cayabyab)

World premier on November 30, 2008
Regular run on December 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 2008
Aliw Theater, Star City, Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex
Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Manila

Tickets are going fast, so get them now!

Ballet Manila images above provided by Panch Alcaraz

writers day at UP diliman

2008-11-21T08:56:00.002+08:00

be hands on! launch

2008-11-07T14:49:00.008+08:00

we launched a new book last night, Be Hands On! Inspiring Volunteer Stories, at Powerbooks Greenbelt. it was well attended and not just because Chris Tiu and Marc Nelson were there, signing away copies of books and posing for photos, but well, it was a nice cozy party celebrating the experiences of several pinoy volunteers who are doing their part in helping change the country into a better place.

photos: 1. front cover of Be Hands On! designed by Ige Ramos; 2. Satur Ocampo and Bobby Malay check out the books on display; 3. civic volunteers and contributors to the book, Popi Laudico, Carlos Celdran, John Silva, Margie Moran and Lorelei de la Cruz sign books; 4. college ball heartthrob, tv host and civic volunteer Chris Tiu reads his essay; 5. amazing race asia third-placer, model and civic volunteer Marc Nelson signs books for Hands On Manila co-founder Gianna Montinola (in white)

2008-10-30T11:36:00.004+08:00

last night, i attended the book launch of one of our latest essay anthologies, belonging, stories of relationships, edited by linda panlilio. fifteen of the twenty-four contributors were there in a sort of assembly line signing away copies of the book. it was fun, chaotic, a sort of literary reunion of familiar faces and meeting of new ones. rina jimenez-david, alya honasan and mike tan (who came with his adorable adopted son) read excerpts from their essays and jimmy abad capped the short program by reading his poem that prologues the essays. cover designer ariel dalisay dropped by and gave alya a printout of one of the first cover studies inspired by her yellow labrador, banana. we spotted jun lozada in the crowd after the program, carefully surrounded by the religious and bodyguards.

photos:

1. jimmy abad, dean alfar, linda panlilio, danton remoto signing books
2. rina jimenez-david, alya honasan (holding ariel’s “gift”. see above) and mari cris olbes
3. libay cantor and danton hamming it up in “japanese” poses. mike is on libay’s right, alya on danton’s left. jaime laya is having his copy signed by alya
4. former phil. forest corp. president jun lozada with sr. mary john mananzan to his right

greg once more

2008-10-29T14:09:00.004+08:00

award-winning fictionist greg brillantes dropped by yesterday, carrying his usual pasalubong of old books he’s done reading and would want little me to read them likewise. besides the books, he brought along his ten-year-old apo, rebecca, who got a bit embarrassed when lolo asked if there were nancy drews lying around in my cluttered cubicle for her. (none, unfortunately.)

greg, like i wrote briefly about before, is one of my literary “ninongs” and he gives or lends me part of his library whenever he has a chance. just too bad that we really can’t talk much because he’s usually with a hearing aid. but we curiously communicate like two foreigners who speak the one wonderful language of books. above is my book loot from him yesterday. the box of chocolates also tucked in the bag is already in my fridge.

that twilight (book)

2008-10-28T07:42:00.004+08:00

...
i finished the book in 2 sittings, while reading gaiman’s the graveyard book in between. (i just realized i’m theme-reading now since halloween’s just a few days away.) while gaiman is witty and marvelously literary, meyer (this is the first time i’ve read her work) is all gush and knowing (of teenage life). i understand why the book series is a hit among female preteens and teens. the way she describes edward cullen (bella’s object of affection) is like me and my female friends discussing brad pitt or piolo pascual among ourselves—almost vulgar but teetering toward politeness, effusive of the physical and optimistic of “quality” that goes with it. even the first kiss between bella and edward couldn’t have been more delightful and explosive. only females and those sympathetic to our kind will be attentive to this kind of treatment of a simple but important event in our coming-of-age.

read the sort-of-review here. if you feel like it.

2008-09-12T10:53:00.009+08:00

The book fair opens today, Sept. 12, 2008 at the SMX Convention Center in the Mall of Asia complex, Manila—the first time after years of holding it at the SM Megamall and Phil. Trade Center. So if you’re a book lover, you’ve lots of dough to spend, adventurous (and patient) enough to travel to that side of town, by all means, go. Lots of books, literary personalities, book-related activities and whatnot. if you’re going there saturday, you might want to check out the fireworks at the bay (around 7pm)—before/after you’ve checked out tons of local literature at the fair. The fair ends on the 16th, so take advantage of those 5 days to sample (and BUY) local literary fare.

Anvil’s booth this year features portraits of bestselling authors and artists. It was an adventurous project to be involved in. Boy, do I have stories to tell! Anyway, that could be part of my future memoirs. As if. But, hey, it was still fun overall. Wendy Basilio, who shot most of the photos for the gallery has her own interesting stories to tell. She should write them in her own memoirs. Hahaha…. But real great work by Wendy and Tito (who assisted her in most of the sessions)! Learned a lot from our conversations and seeing them in action, so thanks a lot, especially to Wendy for all that :) Plus, thanks to the valuable advice from Rayvi Sunico (who tagged along Wendy and Tito when they shot the Lola Basyang team in UP Diliman—on a stormy afternoon!) and the folks at Studio 58.

Pictures above show Wendy and Tito at work, photographing Dr. Nemah Hermosa surrounded by colorful PBBY posters and Jo’s cluttered cubicle and Msgr. Manuel Gabriel gamely posing in the Anvil garage on a humid afternoon. Rayvi generously lent me the image of the Lola Basyang team in this sort of ’60s/’70s dissidents’ underground meeting-inspired shot--except that the subjects are smiling and don't really look like dissidents comfortable with the underground. just the same, it's a great shot. Black-and-white rules!

so, okay, go to the book fair. go to anvil's booth and see more mugshots ;) of people who enrich our lives with their words and art. they'll most probably be there themselves, too. go get their autographs while you're at it. it'll be worth it, guaranteed.

2008-08-12T09:26:00.003+08:00

got this from Vim Nadera, Writers Union of the Philippines' Chair:

MAHAL NAMING KAPUWA-MANUNULAT:

Kumusta?

Inaasahan namin kayo sa ika-34 na Kumbensiyon ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas sa G.S.I.S. Museum of Art sa Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, malapit sa kanto ng Roxas Boulevard at Buendia Avenue sa Maynila.

Panauhing pandangal natin para talakayin ang paksang Trading Words, Tracing Worlds ay si Bang Hyun-seok na isang mahusay na nobelista mulang Timog Korea na magsasaita sa 10 n.u.

Makaraang mananghalian magkakaroon tayo ng pulong ukol sa Writers Welfare Act at iba pang bagay ng 1 n.u. sa susundan ng pagkakaloob ng Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas na lahat ay tatanggap ng tropeong nililok ni Manuel Baldemor.

Kalakip nito ang programa sa buong maghapon ng ating pagkikitang muli.

Nawa, makadaupang-palad namin kayo sa bukod-tanging panahon at pagkakataong ito.

PROGRAM:

UMPIL National Convention 2008
"Trading Words, Tracing Worlds"
30 August (8:00am – 5:00pm), GSIS Museum , CCP Complex, Manila

8:00 Registration
9:00 National Anthem (Mike M. Coroza)
Welcome Remarks (Ryan V.Palad, GSIS Museum Curator)

9:15 Chairman’s Report (Vim D. Nadera, UMPIL Chair)
9:30 Introduction of the Guest Speaker (Karina Africa Bolasco)
9:45 Keynote Speech (Bang Hyun-seok, South Korea)
11:00 Open Forum

12:00 LUNCH

1:00 UMPIL Committee Meetings
3:00 Pananalig sa Panitik (Teo T. Antonio)
3:15 Natatanging Bilang (Neil de Mesa, Alegria Ferrer, George Yang)

3:30 Gawad Pambansang sa Alagad ni Balagtas 2008

Ruperta VR. Asuncion (Iluko poetry)
Edgardo B. Maranan (Filipino/English poetry)
James Teng Choon Na (Chinese poetry)
Armando Y. Lao (Filipino screenplay)
Delfin L. Tolentino (English essay)

Gawad Paz Marquez Benitez: Prof. Ligaya Tiamson Rubin
Gawad Pedro Bucaneg: The Arejola Foundation for Social Responsibility, Inc.

Dr. Mario I. Miclat & Dr. Ruby G. Alcantara, emcees

2008 NCCA Writers Prize

2008-07-25T08:16:00.002+08:00

Five Filipino writers will be awarded cash to be able to finish their projects in fiction, essay, biography and poetry by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), led by its chairman Dr. Vilma Labrador and executive director Cecile Guidote Alvarez, through its 2008 NCCA Writers' Prize, one of the country's top literary awards.

Ed Maranan, Elyrah Loyola Salanga, Telesforo Sungkit, Jr., Kristian Sendon Cordero and Rosario Cruz-Lucero will be honored with a trophy, a certificate and the first tranche of P50,000 each at the awarding ceremony on July 25, 2008, at the lobby of the NCCA Building in Intramuros at 6 p.m.

In the essay in English category, Maranan's The Country in the Heart: A Writer's Times and Travels is chosen. He is a veteran fictionist, poet, activist and teacher.

A professor at the University of the Philippines, 28-year-old Elyrah Loyola Salanga wins in the literary biography category. Her project, Alfrredo Navarro Salanga: Sa Mga Pahina at Ibang Salaysay, will tell about his father, the great late writer Alfrredo Navarro Salanga. Elyrah has already won a Carlos Palanca Award for essay in 2006.

In the novel in Cebuano category, the prize goes to Telesforo Sungkit, Jr., who is now based in Laguna but hails from Bukidnon, for his project Mga Gapnod sa Kamad-an.

Kristian S. Cordero wins in the poetry in Bicolano category for his project Segunda Mano. Hailing from Iriga City, Cordero teaches at the Ateneo de Naga University, is author of two collections of poetry and has won several awards including a Palanca Award for short story and the Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award in 2006.

Rosario Cruz-Lucero, prominent writer, critic, professor at the University of the Philippines and Palanca awardee, wins in the short story in English category for her Papa's Field and Other Stories of the Disappeared.

There are no winners in the drama category in any of the Panay languages.

The winners will be given a grant of P250,000.00 gross each to assist them during the writing stage of the project and will be given in four tranches. The grant is good for one year, after which a manuscript of the writing project will be submitted to the NCCA for possible publication.

The biennial award was spearheaded by National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario when he was executive director of the NCCA. This is in line with NCCA's mission to "encourage the continuing development of a pluralistic culture by the people themselves." With this grant, the NCCA Writers' Prize, writers will be freed from the demands of their work and shall be able to focus on the writing of the project for one year.

For the awarding ceremony on July 25, Dr. Ricardo de Ungria, commissioner of the Subcommission on the Arts and head of the Committee on Literary Arts, will be the guest speaker. The NCCA is at the 635 General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila.

For details, contact the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office at 527-5529 / 527-2192 loc. 612-615.

desaparesidos by lualhati bautista

2008-07-23T08:49:00.006+08:00

Read excerpts from LUALHATI BAUTISTA's latest novel, DESAPARESIDOS in this blog site. The site also has information about Ms. Bautista, author of Dekada '70, Bata, Bata, Pa’ano Ka Ginawa?, and 'Gapo, "novels being read by Filipino youth all over the country and which have made her the Philippines’s bestselling writer in contemporary Filipino today." Published by Cacho Publishing House and distributed by Anvil. Already available in National Book Store.

2008 manila book fair

2008-07-10T16:50:00.002+08:00

The world comes to Manila this September for the sharing of stories and the meeting of minds.

The 29th Manila International Book Fair
Sept. 12-16, 2008
SMX Convention Center (Mall of Asia Complex)
Bay Area, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines

see you there!

wanted: proofreaders!

2008-06-26T09:22:00.002+08:00

we need eagle-eyed freelance proofreaders! you must be

1) eagle-eyed (not physically, of course, but will assure me somehow if you actually have eagle eyes... i think.)
2) preferably with proofreading experience
3) basically a book lover
4) amenable to a per-page payment scheme
5) a fast worker who delivers on time
6) can work on physical proofs as well as electronic files (since you'll be picking up the proofs from the Anvil office)
7) preferably has a basic working knowledge of the Chicago Manual of Style rules

for first-time applicants, we will give you test projects (actual book projects, but "test" volumes) to see if you make the proofreading "grade". if you've tried working with us before, found yourselves not receiving follow-up phone calls from us (then i guess you know why), and are willing to give it another chance, make sure to impress us this time.

pls. email asap your resumes to pubdept.employment@yahoo.com. or fax to 637-6084 and address to the Managing Editor, Publishing Department, Anvil Publishing.

christine too!

2008-06-24T08:15:00.004+08:00

children's lit author christine bellen, reteller of anvil's lola basyang books, will fly this week to stockholm, sweden to attend and present a paper at the 2008 writers' and literary translators' congress. great, huh?! she'll be rubbing elbows with philip pullman, bharati mukherjee, shaun tan (!), yoko tawada, among others. we're jealous!

well, good luck, christine, and have a great time :)

25 Best-Loved Children's Book Characters in the Philippines

2008-06-23T09:41:00.002+08:00

Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK) and the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) will open an exhibit in celebration of the 25th National Children's Book Day on July 15, 2008, 11:30 a.m. at the fourth floor lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The exhibit will feature life-sized figures of the top 25 children's book characters from a survey conducted among hundreds of Filipino schoolchildren, including Anvil's Rosamistica, Pandakotyong, and Duwende.

Teng going to Iowa

2008-06-23T09:24:00.005+08:00

Award-winning filmmaker and editor of Anvil's Children of the Ever-Changing Moon, TENG MANGANSAKAN, was chosen as this year's Philippine fellow to the International Writing Program in Iowa, USA.

Congrats, Teng!

sarsuwela writing contest

2008-06-16T08:37:00.002+08:00

U.P. SARSUWELA WRITING CONTEST

Rules:

1. The Contest is open to all Filipino citizens of all ages (including Filipinos holding dual citizenship) from June to August 2008.

2. The theme of the contest is "Amor, Vida, Patria" (Love, Life, Nation). The story maybe historical or contemporary in subject matter. The work must follow the three-act structure of the sarsuwela and must be written in Filipino.

3. The author must submit the entry to the Board of Judges. The deadline for submission is 29 August 2008 Friday, 5 p.m. The office of the UP-CAL closes at 5 p.m. Entries sent by mail or courier should be postmarked no later than the same date of the deadline.

4. All entries are to be submitted to the Board of Judges, U.P. College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. The said College is in the Faculty Center (FC), UP Diliman campus.

5. All entries shall consist of a soft copy (CD in Word or Text Format) and three (3) hard copies (Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Arial Narrow fonts, 12 points, double spaced in 81/2 x 11 inches coupon bond). The recorded score (CD in MP3 or other PC compatble format) shall also be included. The author's and the composer's real names and addresses must not appear on the entry; rather, they should seal in a letter envelope both the prescribed Official Entry Form and Authorization Form, together with their bio-notes or brief résumé; and this envelope should be submitted together with the entry. On this sealed envelope should be written or typed the title of the entry and the authors' pen name.

6. In submitting the entry, the author warrants that the work is his/her own and that he/she has absolute ownership of all intellectual property rights thereto. Together with the entry, the author should submit the Official Entry Form and the Authorization Form for the Contest.

7. The submission of the entry must be accompanied by the author's written consent to abide by the rules of the Contest, duly signed by the author.

8. Authors may submit only one (1) entry.

9. The judges shall choose one (1) winner to be announced on September 30, 2008. The author and the composer shall equally divide between them the contest cash prize.

10. Winning entries shall remain with, and become the property of, the U.P. College of Arts and Letters which shall have prior right to its production and publication.

11. In order that the winning entries may be accessible to the public, the authors grant, assign and transfer to the U.P. College of Arts and Letters the following rights without any necessity of any payment other than the prize already awarded: (a) to publish from time to time the winning entry or selection or portion thereof as it may at its discretion determine; (b) to designate or appoint editors to edit the work or any portion thereof to suit the demands of publication; (c) to furnish a reasonable number of copies of the work to the National Library or other libraries; (d) to make the work available for downloading on the Internet or other electronic medium; and/or (e) allow scholars and students to make copies for their research.

In making the works accessible to scholars, students, and lovers of literature, the College only intends to promote a wider literary appreciation of the works.

12. The prize for the winning entry is P200,000.00.

13. The U.P. College of Arts and Letters has the sole right to designate the persons who shall constitute the Board of Judges for each contest category.

14. The decision of the majority of the Board of Judges for the contest is final.

15. All parties submitting entries to the UP Sarsuwela Writing Contest are deemed to have accepted all the rules of the contest, and agree to abide by them.

to cut and paste entry form, go to: http://www.filipinowriter.com/up-sarsuwela-writing-contest

writing contest

2008-05-29T09:23:00.002+08:00

CANVAS, as part of its mission, strives to open new opportunities for Filipino writers in the global market.

CANVAS is therefore very proud to announce that we have tied up with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, one of the top agencies in the United States to launch the CANVAS Story Writing for Young Children Competition (target readership: 4-6 years old).

We will be putting up a modest cash prize for the winner, but what should pique the interest of writers here is that Kelly Sonnack, Literary Agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency will review and provide feedback on the top five stories selected by CANVAS.

While there is no guarantee of anything beyond their look and review, it is notoriously difficult to even get stories considered for representation, much less publication, in the US.

We regard this as a huge, difficult-to-overstate, no-lose, possible-foot-in-the-door opportunity for writers to be introduced and hopefully represented by a literary agency that can help bring Filipino stories not just in the US, but to the worldwide market. We therefore highly encourage all Filipino writers to participate.

Read the rest: http://lookingforjuan.blogspot.com/2008/05/new-canvas-contest-for-writers-were.html

margin note: margaret atwood

2008-04-08T08:17:00.001+08:00

Wanting to meet an author because you like his work is like wanting to meet a duck because you like pâté. –quoted by Margaret Atwood in Negotiating with the Dead

First-quarter lot, 2

2008-03-06T16:20:00.006+08:00

Feb. 2 at Powerbooks Greenbelt: launching of Ronald Baytan's first book of poems, The Queen Sings the Blues: Poems 1992-2002. the events area at powerbooks was completely packed with well-wishers, ronald's students, and fellow lit writers and lovers. ronald personally authored the launch program including speeches and readings and song numbers. saw in the crowd Wendell Capili, Dr. Buenaventura S. Medina, Jr., Danton Remoto, and Prof. Doods Santos, among others. Ronald was so busy autographing copies, he wasn't able to eat at the launch! Someone said he wrote different dedications on the copies--no wonder. but great for us who lined up for his autograph.

next, on feb. 7, at NBS-rockwell, was the launch of royal tru-orange '80s poster boy, RJ Ledesma's collection of essays, Lies my Yaya Should Have Told Me: RJ Ledesma's Guide to Whine and Women. missed this one, but i heard it was sort of a who's who in, well, everything--from entertainment, fashion to business and politics. RJ unleashed his PR powers to the full when the turnout of guests was a clear marketing department's paradise.

spotted were Mayor Jejomar Binay, Senator Loren Legarda, National Book Store matriarch and RJ's fellow Philippine Star columnist Socorro Ramos, Jaime Laya, as well as Gary Lising, Tim Tayag, Mo Twister, Nancy Castiglione, Sam Oh, and Jojo Alejar. Of course, RJ's yaya was there who gamely posed for pictures.

Feb. 9 at St. Paul's University in Gilmore, Quezon City: book launching of Father James Reuter's Mama Mary and Her Children. it was an intimate launch that started with a mass at the chapel and then a short program at the James B. Reuter auditorium. The original Ateneo Glee Club did three song numbers, conducted by Fr. Reuter himself, no less! Watch the performances here and here.

there was a salu-salo at the courtyard right after, underneath a somewhat overcast sky, but definitely a lovely twilight.

First-quarter lot, 1

2008-02-19T11:32:00.010+08:00

Well, not exactly, as it’s just February. But we’ve been quite busy since last month with the launching of several new books including the hugely popular cookbook, Pulutan, by Elmer Cruz and Emerson Rosales, young Phil. Military Academy grads, and more known as two of the Oakwood, ahem, “mutineers.” With the help of their fellow soldiers and friends, they collected recipes, kitchen- and inuman-tested dishes that comforted stomachs and souls while incarcerated at a detention center, not to mention journalists Ellen Tordesillas and Yvonne Chua’s enthusiasm and encouragement, Pulutan: From the Soldier’s Kitchen was born. Pulutan is on its third printing already, and we’re currently working on a Filipino version. At the formal press launch last January 31 at Powerbooks Greenbelt, we were treated to several dishes from the book. My personal favorite: the Pato Tim. Ang sarap! Met familiar foodies and feature writers there including Claude Tayag, Ige Ramos, Dolly Ty. Well, of course I’ve forgotten the others! I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t. Anyway, senatorial hopeful and anak-ng-sundalo (his own words) Danton Remoto was also there, as well as writer-beauty queen Gemma Cruz-Araneta (who, I must say, is still a stunner. And of course I was star-struck. Who wouldn’t be?). And speaking of star-struck, swimmer and tv host Akiko Thomson for Probe was also there to whom I immediately gave my business card while saying I’m a fan. Pathetic, I know. It was a quiet and interesting press lunch/launch, with intelligent and funny questions and remarks—especially from Ige and Claude (whose shirt had its supposed interior label—that had his full name on it!—was re-sawn outside. It was so funny because he’s a big guy and he looked like he was afraid he’d get lost).

Authors Elmer and Emerson had a great time, too I suppose, and enjoyed the adulation from fans. They arrived late at the lunch because they’d just taped a segment at ABS-CBN’s Umagang Kay Ganda (?) earlier. They gamely signed copies and posed for photos before going to another tv program taping.

Before Pulutan, however, we launched Profiles Encourage: Ordinary Filipinos Making an Extraordinary Difference. Again, this project was thought of by a bunch of young friends—most of them based abroad—and made sure it was realized. Tirelessly (and I mean tirelessly) spearheaded by Quintin Pastrana, the book features quite unknown Filipinos actually doing important things to make this world a better place. After months and months of exchanging PDFs, emails, overseas calls, and testing our patience, we finally released the book in time for Christmas sales last year. Before flying home to Manila for the January 25 launch at Powerbooks, Quintin, who’s currently based in Washington, helped organize the US promo leg of the book. Masipag! One of the hero-subjects in the book, Bukidnon rep. and a “darling” of the local NGO circuit Neric Acosta, went straight to the event from the airport and delivered a brief and inspiring speech that made everybody stay put and listen. That’s what everybody did, too, when tv host and pundit Manolo Quezon spoke about the book.

Actor and activist Bart Guingona, who represents Pagbabago@Pilipinas and who is helping Quintin and his team and Anvil with the book’s distribution, had to leave early because he had a show, but note before he talked about Pagbabago’s efforts and pose for photos with the book’s authors. Spotted, too, were Prof. Randy David, whose children CP and Jika are featured in the book, Tony and Jing Hidalgo, whose daughter Anna, co-edited the anthology, and journalist Rina Jimenez-David. By the way, singer and activist Lea Navarro led the crowd in singing the national anthem before the program started. Walang kakupas-kupas (si Lea at ang national anthem natin!)

We had the Manila-based authors (Edi Sian, Jay Liwanag, Marco Rodriguez, and Jay Ongsiako) sign more copies of the book—shortly after Bart left for his show and Quintin left for the airport to fly to Bangkok—and I got myself sort of “trapped” (no, not “strapped”) into a chair alongside the four guys, finding myself signing a book for someone. Yikes, I don’t even know what I wrote on the guy’s copy. Poor thing. I hope it was something smart like “Long live Filipino heroes!” ...or something much smarter than what I just wrote. grumble, grumble.

By the way, Ricky Carandang of ANC interviewed Quintin, Edi and Marco earlier about the book. Watch the clips here and here.

first (finished) audiobook, yay!

2008-01-11T16:02:00.000+08:00

dav, if you’re reading this, don’t kill me. you were the inspiration in my re-reading jon krakauer’s into the wild and listening to the audiobook edition (crisply read by philip franklin) on my ipod. i thought i was going to give up (as in previous numerous attempts) listening to the audio after ten minutes, but the story’s so engaging that i successfully finished it several hours ago. yay! now i’m ready to watch the film. (migs, any news? wink, wink?!) want to see how sean penn directed it and if emile hirsch was “perfect” for the part. i hate being disappointed, guys. especially with films based on books. penn said he waited 10 years to make the film AND for chris “alexander supertramp” mccandless’s family's permission to release it.

mas mahabang kuwento dito.

happy christmas, y'all!

2007-12-21T09:44:00.000+08:00

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. --Charles Dickens

off the press: LIES MY YAYA SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME

2007-12-20T10:55:00.000+08:00

LIES MY YAYA SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME RJ Ledesma's Imaginary Guide to Whine and Women 116 pages, 5 x 8 in. bookpaper, softcover SRP: P295.00

Yes, he was the boy in the old Royal Tru-Orange ad

RJ LEDESMA has been living many parallel lives, all of which converge into one universe. It’s either that or he’s schizophrenic. Still unsure if he has ADHD, RJ used to hawk an orange soft drink in the late eighties, was a one-time college professor in Public Speaking and Economics at his alma mater, De La Salle University-Manila, worked as a brand manager for a multinational company, and was a frenetic television host for ABS-CBN’s Magandang Umaga Bayan Weekends.

In a move that made him popular among MTRCB censors, RJ co-conceptualized and developed, with stand-up comedian Tim Tayag, a late-night comedy show called The Men’s Room (Studio 23, Wednesday nights, 11:30 p.m.). He also hosts ABC-5’s Tahanang Pinoy on Sundays, 11:00 a. m.

A fellow in the National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City (1994), RJ loves to write, but obstacles like work often get in the way. Aside from working in the family property development firm, he is the editor in chief of Manual magazine, a television and events host, a comic book geek, an eclectic book collector, an Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practitioner and erstwhile teacher, an ovo-lacto vegetarian, and manservant to his fiancée. Sleep is something he used to do. RJ also lives in constant fear that he and his hair will soon part ways.

The hilarious essays in this book are his way of coping with the hazards of dating in the twenty-first century. His baffling theories about the opposite sex were born in his previous column in the Manila Times called “Playing With My Tools,” and in his current column for the Philippine Star called “Pogi from a Parallel Universe.”

off the press: PROFILES ENCOURAGE

2007-12-13T13:56:00.000+08:00

PROFILES ENCOURAGE: Ordinary Filipinos Making
an Extraordinary Difference

12.7 x 20.32 cm., 128 pages
Soft cover bookpaper and newsprint editions

Featuring profiles on
Jaime Aristotle Alip
Al Asuncion
Josette Biyo
John Burtkenley Ong
India and Javier Legaspi
Jika David
CP David
Nereus Acosta
Onofre Pagsanghan
Milwida “Nene” Guevarra

With this initial stab, we endeavored to find (the) deep reservoir of heroism that quietly thrives around us. Just like the idealism one tries to nurture, the criteria we forged was unstintingly simple: we chose to write about people who were living lives of concrete action, meaningful results, and enduring integrity... (a)ll of them defining democracy and citizenship through their own lives, their own reach toward others.

We live vicariously, and then by our own hand—word and deed. Where we think our leaders have failed us, the lives of these individuals point out another way and humbly invite us to do our share. Unlike the Kennedy book whose title we drew inspiration from, these profiles are about ordinary people making an extraordinary difference by their lives and actions. Because these range from a lifetime of random acts of kindness, to programs that are showing the way to eradicate poverty and uplift our sense of nationhood, many of us will find companions in each of these living stories.

...These kababayans are but a fraction of the heroes in our midst. We can find so many more to embrace and emulate, if only we have the sense to seek out and recognize them––over and above what society tells us is popular, great, and possible in this age of mistrust and misplaced values. And maybe these examples can help rekindle that spark of heroism within ourselves so we can all come together, and in our own little way help our nation really get on its feet again.

-- From the Preface

Read the complete Preface here or visit the Anvil website

Available next week at book stores in Metro Manila in time for your last-minute Christmas and New Year gift-shopping

lamay para kay rene villanueva

2007-12-06T08:18:00.000+08:00

the remains of award-winning writer rene o. villanueva lie in state at room 306 of the sanctuarium, araneta avenue cor. quezon avenue in quezon city.

he will be taken to the hardin ng mga diwata in the university of the philippines, diliman, quezon city on saturday morning (december 8, 2007).

if you're going to see him, bring only good memories and maybe a few songs to sing. rene somehow told family and friends that there should be videoke singing at his wake.

we really miss you, rene.

photo shows rene autographing a copy of his book. in background is friend and fellow writer joey baquiran, 2006.

rene o. villanueva, 53

2007-12-05T17:14:00.000+08:00

rene o. villanueva, palanca hall of fame awardee, toym awardee, well-loved children's book author and playwright and head writer of the pioneering children's tv show batibot passed away this afternoon, december 5, 2007.

please pray for the repose of his soul and for comfort for the loved ones left behind.

details of the wake/ tribute will be posted soon--it should be near the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, as that was his "bilin" to colleagues ( i was told).

pls. email me if you know of the family's plans, too.

thanks.

rene villanueva in icu

2007-12-03T10:56:00.000+08:00

award-winning children's book author, playwright, fictionist and beloved teacher rene o. villanueva is currently at the philippine heart center's ICU.

dr. ligaya rubin of UP (via dr. luis gatmaitan's text) says he was brought to the hospital suffering from a regular seizure and was quickly revived by doctors. he's breathing through a respirator and is unconscious.

please pray that he'll get through this like he did several times before.

thanks. pls. ask friends for prayers.

anvil book sale

2007-11-28T13:09:00.000+08:00

Anvil Publishing
brings Christmas early to you!

Join us on our early Christmas book sale
from November 29 to December 9, 2007,
12 nn-6 pm (Mondays-Fridays), 9 am-5 pm (weekends & holidays).

Book finds for as low as P5.00 on selected children's books, cookbooks,
essay collections, fiction and non-fiction, humor, inspirational books,
references, self-help books, bestselling paperbacks and many more!

Visit us at our head office, 8007-B Pioneer St., Bgy Kapitolyo, Pasig City.

For inquiries call 637-3621, 637-5141 or 747-1624.

covering the classics

2007-11-15T08:20:00.000+08:00

since last week i was talking with fellow bookheads about the classics and constantly gushed over the penguin reissues with the cool covers. got myself a copy of little women and had to leave a copy of lady chatterly's lover behind in a book store one saturday because it was very "well read" already. what a clever way to reintroduce the classics. now to the drawing board for the classics in my own backyard...

that mcavoy boy

2007-10-23T19:08:00.000+08:00

i saw most of joe wright's film adaptation of ian mcewan's brilliant novel, atonement (but don't ask me where i got a copy. of the film, i mean. the book, i already have. 3 copies, in fact). i can say it's faithful to the novel and i can't get enough of it. i spend the remainders of my lunch breaks these days re-reading the book and watch snippets of the film before i go to bed. yes, i'm that obsessed.

and in another parallel universe (i have dozens of them), i am so married to james mcavoy.

a sort of review here.

sob (short) story

2007-10-02T13:47:00.000+08:00

(W)riters write for whatever audience is left...

What Ails the (American) Short Story by STEPHEN KING

The American short story is alive and well.

Do you like the sound of that? Me too. I only wish it were actually true. More

if i were a book, i'd be...

2007-09-28T13:36:00.000+08:00

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Incredibly witty and funny, you have a taste for irony in all that you see. It seems that life has put you in perpetually untenable situations, and your sense of humor is all that gets you through them. These experiences have also made you an ardent pacifist, though you present your message with tongue sewn into cheek. You could coin a phrase that replaces the word "paradox" for millions of people.

Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

great, i'm an "ardent pacifist." sounds important enough.

things that make me smile

2007-09-28T12:53:00.000+08:00

went to the drugstore last night.

what's on my desk today

2007-09-11T11:53:00.000+08:00

glorious clutter

winners

2007-08-31T19:07:00.000+08:00

while i have to admit i got two tips earlier today about tony perez's win, plus the major award--publisher of the year--i still got giddy when gwenn texted me several times a few minutes ago to report on anvil's wins at the book awards.

kimi tuvera's jupiter effect and charlson ong's banyaga both won for best novel, ige ramos won best design for the governor-general's kitchen. emailed ige right away and told him that his talent fee will be expected to increase with this win.

best philippine books of '06

2007-08-31T09:25:00.000+08:00

the manila critics circle will be handing out the awards for the best philippine books from last year's crop. anvil's got several nominations:

anthology:
The Manila We Knew (Erlinda Panlilio, editor)

biography/autobiography:
Beyond the Great Wall (Mario, Alma, Maningning and Banaue Miclat)
Trailblazing (Geronimo Z. Velasco)

children's book:
Bad Kings (Gilda Cordero-Fernando)
Inang Bayan's New Clothes (Tony Perez & Agnes Caballa, illustrated by Frances Alcaraz)

cookbook:
Potluck: Hidalgo Bonding (Jaime Laya & Adelaida Lim, editors)
The Governor-General's Kitchen (Felice Sta. Maria)

novel:
Banyaga, A Song of War (Charlson Ong)
The Jupiter Effect (Katrina Tuvera)

sports:
Pacific Storm (Recah Trinidad)

short fiction:
Maligayang Pagdating sa Sitio Catacutan (Tony Perez)
Malagim and Gabi sa Sitio Catacutan (Tony Perez)

book design:
The Governor-General's Kitchen (Sta. Maria/ designed by Guillermo Ramos)

got word that one of tony perez's books won (he has 3 nominations), plus another major award for anvil. will have to wait for this afternoon's official announcement, then. it'll be held at the makati skyline restaurant at 4 p.m. at the world trade center. that's the restaurant on the 2nd floor, overlooking the bookfair area.

well, i used to diligently go to the awards ceremonies years back, but since about 2003, i kind of stopped attending because 1) i find myself still swamped at the office, prepping for the busiest quarter of the year, and 2) i'm avoiding seeing someone i'd rather not see and breathe the same air with, even for just a few seconds.

there ya go.

was told earlier by my boss, no less, to attend but had to sheepishly tell her secretary that i'm in a sort of beach-themed outfit (don't ask) and will definitely melt into a puddle when stared at by a crowd for five seconds. her secretary says that the boss suggested i could buy me some long pants so i won't have to melt away later.

anybody know carson kressley's email address?

manila bookfair '07 opens today

2007-08-29T09:54:00.000+08:00

The 28th Manila International Bookfair

Inspire. Aspire. Read.

August 29 — September 2, 2007
10:00 A.M — 8:00 P.M., Daily

World Trade Center Metro Manila
Financial Center Area, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue cor. Diosdado Macapagal Blvd., Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines

EVENTS

DAY 1 August 29, 2007 - Wednesday
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Function Room A		Marketing Strategies for School Librarians by UP Library Science Alumni Association (UPLSAA)
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Function Room B		“User Education and Information Literacy: Current Practices and Innovative Strategies” by Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians (PAARL)
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Function Room C		The Twenty-First Century Classroom: Making Use of Technology to Develop a Balance Literacy Program by Scholastic, Inc
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M Function Room A		Shaping the Library of the Future ce-Logic Grand Launching by C & E Publishing, Inc.
1:00 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. Function Room B		“Dianetics Introductory Lecture” by Church of Scientology Mission of the Philippines
1:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M WTC Seminar Room 1		ABPA Forum by Asean Book Publishers Association (ABPA)
2:30 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. Function Room B		Philippine Speculative Fiction - Speaker: Dean Alfar by Powerbooks Inc. and Read or Die
6:00 P.M. - onwards Lobby Area		The 28th Manila International Book Fair Opening Ceremonies

DAY 2 August 30, 2007 - Thursday
9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. Makati Skyline Restaurant		Let's Simplify the Teaching-Learning Experience for Higher Student Achievement Seminar – Part II” by IBC Infotech, Inc.
9:30 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Function Room C		Preparing Your Libraries for Emergencies and Disasters Speaker: Healther Mansell by Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI), National Book Store and Anvil Publishing, Inc.
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Function Room A		Catholic Digest Magazine from U.S.A., Publisher: Bayard, Inc. Soft Launch by A-Z Direct Marketing, Inc.
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Function Room B		Intellectual Property Rights: Issues and Concerns in Health Sciences Libraries by Medical & Health Librarians Association of the Philippines (MAHLAP)
11:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Activity Area		Art Workshop by Read or Die and Guhit Pinoy
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Function Room A		“Araw ni Virgilio Almario” Mga Panauhin: Rogelio Mangahas at Roberto Añonuevo (Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo) by Pistang Panitik
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Function Room B		Seminar on Singapore Education by Edcrisch International, Inc.
2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. Function Room C		Lego Early Childhood Competition by Felta Multi-Media, Inc.
2:30 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. Activity Area		Storytelling by Read or Die and Tahanan Books
3:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Makati Skyline Restaurant		Book Launching (by invitation) by UST Publishing House
3:30 P.M. - 4:30 P.M. Function Room A		Children, Teens and Reading in the Time of IT Guest Speaker: Zarah Grace Gagatiga by Powerbooks Inc.
4:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. Function Room B		“Dianetics Introductory Lecture” by Church of Scientology Mission of the Philippines
6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Function Room B		Seminar on Singapore’s Elementary Education Curriculum, Textbooks and Teaching Methodologies by Edcrisch International Inc.
6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Activity Area		Sudoku Challenge by Read or Die and and PSICOM
6:30 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Function Room A		“If a Filipino Writer Reads on Don Quijote” Booklaunch by Instituto Cervantes

DAY 3 August 31, 2007 - Friday
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Function Room B		Webliography: On-line Access to Information Sources by Association of Special Libraries of the Philippines (ASLP)
11:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Activity Area		Art Workshop by Read or Die and Guhit Pinoy
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Function Room A		“Araw ni Francisco Sionil Jose” -- Panauhin: Dr. Cirilo Bautista at Dr. Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta (Thomasian Writers Guild) by Pistang Panitik
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M Function Room B		Book Launching by New Day Publishers
2:30 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. Activity Area		Storytelling by Read or Die and OMF Literature
3:30 P.M. - 4:30 P.M. Function Room A		Part I: Bookgrove Reading Centre: Alifetime of Learning Through Books -- Guest Speaker: Teacher Carmen Sanchez, Reading Coach Part II: Bookgrove's Play Attention Workshop -- Guest Speaker: Juariza Aparis, Co-Founder by Powerbooks Inc. and Bookgrove Reading Centre
4:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M Function Room B		“Dianetics Introductory Lecture” by Church of Scientology Mission of the Philippines
4:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Makati Skyline Restaurant		National Book Awards (by invitation) by Manila Critics Circle
6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Function Room A		CSM Grand Book Launch by Church Strengthening Ministry
6:30 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Function Room B		Publish on Demand Books Launching by Central Book Supply

DAY 4 September 1, 2007 - Saturday
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Function Room B		Meeting the Challenges of Early Literacy Learning in a Global Community by Scholastic, Inc.
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Activity Area		Philippine Robotics Olympiad by Felta Multi-Media, Inc.
12:30 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. Activity Area		Fun with Art Angel by Sterling
1:00 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. Function Room A		“Dianetics Introductory Lecture” by Church of Scientology Mission of the Philippines
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Function Room B		“Araw ni Bienvenido Lumbera” Panauhin: Malou Jacob at Rosario Torres Yu (Dulaang UP) by Pistang Panitik
2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Activity Area		Storytelling by Read or Die and Talecraft
2:30 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. Function Room A		Educating Kids through Quality Magazines: A Philippine Launch of Bayard Presse’s Children’s Titles by Asia/Pacific Circulation Exponents, Inc. (APCEI)
3:30 P.M. - 4:30 P.M. Activity Area		"Bookgrove's Storytelling and Activity Hour" Storyteller: Ma. Cristina M. Atayde Story 1: The Old Woman who Swallowed a Fly Story 2: Froggy goes to Bed Story 3: The Napping House Story 4: A Color of His Own by Powerbooks Inc. and Bookgrove Reading Centre
4:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Function Room A		Book Launching by Vibal Publishing House
4:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Function Room B		“Fired from Within” Book Launching -- Author Tom Danenberg by Institute of Spirituality in Asia, Inc. by Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc.
5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Activity Area		Storytelling by National Book Development Board (NBDB)
6:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. Function Room B		Anticipated Mass by Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc.
6:30 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Function Room A		“Mula Tore Patungong Palengke” Book Launching by IBON Foundation, Inc.

DAY 5 September 2, 2007 - Sunday
10:30 AM. - 11:30 A.M. Function Room B		Intellectual Property Rights of Artists, Writers, Publishers by Read or Die and Intellectual Property Office
11:00 A.M. - 12:00 NN Activity Area		Quiz Show by Read or Die
11:45 A.M. - 12:45 P.M Function Room B		Ang Bagong Libro - New Publisher (National Book Development Board, Precious Hearts, Psicom, Adarna, Central Books, Philippine Genre Stories) by Read or Die
1:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M Function Room A		“Araw ni Alejandro Roces" Panauhin: Dr. Isagani Cruz at Alitaptap Storyteller Philippines by Pistang Panitik “Araw ni Edith Tiempo” Panauhin: Alfred Yuson at Benilda Santos (Tagapagtanghal - Ony Carcamo)
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Function Room B		Ang Bagong Panitikan - Flash Fiction, Performance Poetry, Komiks, Children’s Literature, Fabulist Novels, Romance Novels (Vince Groyon, Angelo Suarez, Eugene by Read or Die
2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Activity Area		Quiz Show by Read or Die
3:15 P.M. - 5:15 P.M Function Room B		Ang Bagong Manunulat - New Writers and New Writing (Katrina Tuvera, Charlson Ong, Romina Gonzalez, Alvin Yapan, Conchitina Cruz, Sarge Lacuesta - Writers Groups) by Read or Die
3:30 P.M. - 4:30 P.M Activity Area		Fun with Art Angel by Sterling
5:30 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. Function Room B		Ang Bagong Mambabasa - New Readings and New Readers (Von Totanes, Dino Manrique, Alitaptap Storytellers, Read or Die, Komiks.ph) by Read or Die
6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Activity Area		TNL 2007 Inter-College Book Based Storytelling Competition by Alitaptap
6:45 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Function Room B		Read or Die / Literary Death Match; Ang Bagong Filipino; Literary Cosplay (Judging) by Read or Die

book fair na naman!

2007-08-23T11:01:00.000+08:00

buried in a mountain of book (projects) that i need to release in time for the annual manila international book fair. i am about to literally pull my hair out (because i keep wanting to go to the hair salon to have my hair clipped. which i last did only a month ago). will be going to the press again to check on the ramon magsaysay awardees books that will be formally released next week. was told that a few copies of dean alfar's first collection of short stories under our fantasy line (entitled The Kite of Stars and Other Stories) will be delivered this afternoon. am thrilled to see this one; dean's excitement about it is very contagious.

literature & writers' welfare

2007-08-09T08:07:00.000+08:00

The Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (Umpil) would like to invite writers and lovers of literature in its 33^rd National Writers Congress to be held at the Pulungang Recto, College of Arts and Letters Building, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City on Saturday, August 25, 2007. The session will start at exactly 9:00 am and will last until 5 pm .

The Congress theme is “Literature and Writers’ Welfare.” Four noted writers will receive the prestigious trophy Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, sculpted by renowned international artist Manuel Baldemor.

Senator Francisco Pangilinan III will be the guest of honor, and will speak about his legislative vision for writers and Philippine literature in general. Atty. Louie Calvario of Intellectual Property Office will expound recent developments in intellectual property rights agenda, while Ms. Debbie P. Gaite of Filscap (Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, Inc.) will discuss the model of a collective management that collects royalties for its members.

A general election of the new set of Umpil board of directors will be held afterwards.

Contact:

Vim Nadera or Joey Baquiran

UP-ICW, College of Arts and Letters

Diliman, Quezon City

Tel: 922-1830/ email: vimnadera@yahoo.com

must be the hair

2007-08-02T09:44:00.000+08:00

one of our suki book designers arnold r. dropped by yesterday and as usual, conversation progressed to things our-generation. arnold’s one of my kindred spirits and we both share this weird love for well, the weird, and the unabashedly hilarious. what got me screeching with laughter was his story about a trip to a record bar about a decade or more ago.

he rushes in to look for his beloved van halen’s album and unfortunately couldn’t find a copy. he asks a salesperson, who was more than willing to help the eager music fan in front of him.

Arnold: Meron kayong Van Halen?

More-than-willing salesperson: bmangheylyn mmhhggg?!? (or something like that. and starts to look for the album on the shelves. arnold at this point is excitedly fidgeting, i bet.)

MTWS: Eto po, ser. (triumphantly, maybe like johnny drama as a viking shouting, “victory!” at a comic-con)

Arnold grabs the album and his world collapses. the album said: Manilyn Reynes--complete with the ’80s hair and the fugging foot-high shoulder pads.

MTWS is still smiling, and most probably very proud of himself.

i have no idea how exactly MTWS connected rock star eddie to pinoy horror-film princess manilyn. because they're both musicians? they're retro icons? quintessential fashion victims? hhhmm... maybe because of their names. malamang. ma-ni-lyn. van-hey-lin. (and yes, that's how i assume MTWS pronounced it) aba, puwede! it's that and/or the marge simpson-aquanet-big hair.

i didn’t hear what happened to arnold next because i was already laughing my pants off.

eyeglass(es) blues

2007-07-27T15:29:00.000+08:00

i was pretty excited last week when a relative finally handed me one of the pasalubong i was bugging her about: a new pair of eyeglasses. they look great; and might i say, greater on me. ahem. so i hurried to my suki optical shop to have them fitted with my prescription lenses. alas (and unsurprisingly), i was told the guys who'll be doing my lenses won't come in until the afternoon that day.

well, i couldn't wait. i wanted feel astig with the new pair as soon as possible. so i went to another shop and realized, of course, stupidly belatedly, that it was one bad fugging idea.

i should've picked up on the bland reception of the resident optician who had impeccably polished nails that made me think she should've been employed by the beauty salon next door.

but i was already there and i couldn't really go back to the first shop because i kind of did a mild tantrum in front of the staff. so in the spirit of trying out new things, i decided to give this shop some business.

well, never again. they did a sloppy job and they had a million excuses about the lens not getting there on time. what got my goat was nobody smiled and made me feel welcome. which is at the end of the day, all my fault. for sticking with them. jeez.

guess i need more than corrective glasses to see clearly where the undeserving lie. so i can walk all over them and not apologize.

east eats

2007-07-25T09:50:00.000+08:00

just off the press:
Going East: A Merging of Asian Culinary Styles by Gene Gonzalez

pinoy fusion food pioneer gene gonzalez collects in this book more than 60 asian recipes tweaked and spiked with his signature twists to showcase the many and rich flavors of east-meets-east cuisine.

book blurbs

2007-07-20T15:24:00.000+08:00

so we’re in the final stages of completing dean francis alfar’s collection of stories—his first ever—and this i have to say: this guy’s got a pretty impressive local fan base and a lot of great friends. am particularly “jealous” of the blurbs we were able to get from top-notch writers here and abroad for his book, including anna tambour and chris barzak, plus sarge lacuesta and luis katigbak, among others (yes, there are a few more). i was bit desperate when i emailed sarge to write me blurbs for my non-existent books, one of which i’ve entitled “Vanishing Twin” (after watching, in the utmost nerdily fashion, a national geographic show about twins and triplets. jeez, i really need to get out more.

kids' books day

2007-07-17T07:43:00.000+08:00

i'm sure a lot of people don't really know that today, july 17, 2007, is the (philippine) national children's book day (ncbd). ncbd is usually celebrated every third tuesday of july to commemorate the publication of national hero jose rizal's rendition of the folk tale, "the monkey and the turtle" in the july 1889 issue of trubner's oriental record in london.

i was fortunate enough more than a decade ago to be part of earlier celebrations via the event's lead agency: the phil. board on books for young people (pbby), a non-stock, non-profit organization patterned after the international board. i got to help organize the event and met childhood idols like mang larry alcala and national artist tita king kasilag. we put up art exhibits and mini book fairs at the national library and we all trooped to the cultural center of the philippines for a special luncheon to honor lifetime achievement awardees and also winners in the annual writing and illustration contests.

the celebration during recent years offered much more since i left adarna and pbby, owing to the fact that there is a growing interest in philippine children's literature.

sickbay cinema

2007-07-16T07:52:00.000+08:00

was sick most of last week and still feeling a bit woozy today. i'm probably going through cold- tablet turkey or cable tv withdrawal. lying in bed for several days was more pain than pleasure. god, i miss the times when back in school, sick days were labeled amazing. even being sick then was something to look forward to: everyone fussing over you, you get to watch more tv than usual, you avoid homework, etc. it was some sort of heaven.

as an adult, it more of sucks than gratifies.

i have tons of books, sure, but i couldn't read 'em because, well, it's too much of an effort especially when you're wheezing every minute or so. holding the tv clicker, however, was much of a lesser burden. well, actually, i had two clickers, one for the tv and one for the dvd player. since most of the shows on tv were reruns and overall crappy, i got to catch up on the good movies and shows i've missed.

so it was sickbay cinema for me last week. i watched the entire season 1 of heroes, c.s.i. and ugly betty, episodes 1-10 of friday night lights, flushed away, crash, the paper, the red violin and a few more that i probably slept through. not to mention a few that i gave up on because they had subtitles and having a fever can't really make you a very functional viewer.

for someone who's sick, you can say i did get quite busy.

greg

2007-07-07T10:16:00.000+08:00

well, at least after that horrible person left me something to be upset about yesterday, the cosmos was nice enough to make me feel better. award-winning writer and favorite mentor to a lot of old and young lit heads greg brillantes dropped by with a friend (and was at least glad to see me), toting a bag of goodies (!) from singapore where apparently he ended up going to instead of his planned trip to the u.s.

and as usual he got books for me to "borrow" for a year (his provision) and a few for my own keeping.

funny how we're swapping and talking books now like old friends, because i remember the first time i met/worked with him, he actually made me cry and curse pinoy writers. (more on that later.)

stabbed

2007-07-06T14:30:00.001+08:00

well, i just got a couple of emails from someone i work with and i feel back-stabbed somehow. or i might just be paranoid. well, either way, it left a bad taste in my mouth and i can't spit it out entirely yet. want to tell him that we always clean up the mess(y materials) he turns over to us and how he could be a little irresponsible in spite of his grandiose aspirations. jerkoid. hope he gets straightened up like overstarched laundry. the world doesn't need more of his kind around.

dem dashes

2007-07-06T09:19:00.000+08:00

mark called early in the morning, distraught (and i want to believe teary-eyed and on the verge of a nervous breakdown) over hyphens and dashes in his paper due this afternoon. so this is for you, just in case you jumbled it up when we talked (which is far from impossible):

hyphen: the shortest of the bunch. used in compound words/word divisions. it’s also used to separate numbers that aren’t inclusive, like phone numbers, or letters, when being spelled out, like s-c-r-a-m-! (exclamation point mine)

en dash: the middle child. Used mainly to connect numbers; short for “up to and including”. Like: “You have 20–30 minutes to get your act together.”

em dash: the longer (and popular) one. nickname: “dash”. its main roles are to set off an explanatory element, to indicate a sudden break, and to separate a subject from a pronoun.

forget the cousins for now. they have a propensity to linger in ancient or sloppy writing (2-em dash) and in the sidelines (3-em dash).

see, easy as pie. and by the way, prep your paper way ahead. gawd, at least a day before deadline, dude, if you seriously want a gig––especially one that takes punctuation in papers seriously.

be your own boss

2007-07-05T11:51:00.000+08:00

just off the press:
Introduction to Entrepreneurship by the association of filipino franchisers, inc. (affi)

read the enlightening, sometimes funny, but truly inspiring stories about how these successful all-pinoy ventures started out and grew: aquabest, binalot, bugong roast chicken, chicharific, figaro coffee company, fiorgelato, gmb franchisers, goto king, k.i.s.s. king of balls, lotsa' pizza, pick and mix, plato wraps, royal caribbean jamaican patties, sacred heart school, and vintel logistics.

write at own risk

2007-07-03T11:10:00.000+08:00

gwenn met with the read or die people and i made the mistake of glancing at their direction. so gwenn casually introduced me to them as a group and i do hope they didn’t recognize me as one of those jaded people who thought their first book convention sucked—and complained about it online. but i stand by my complaints, though i think i should get a new hairdo and wardrobe. just in case.

anvil author for july

2007-06-30T14:48:00.000+08:00

we're featuring young writer christine s. bellen as our author of the month this july. check out why she likes 'dem stories by a certain grandmother so much and find out who her ultimate crush is.

billboard

2007-06-30T09:13:00.000+08:00

gwenn went to my cubicle yesterday to drop off comments on a proposal and asked if i saw the lyn ching billboard along edsa. er, what billboard? she pointed at the get-caught-reading poster plastered on the wall. i think my face still looked riddled with question marks. she said that she spotted the huge billboard looming in the guadalupe area. (yeah, that area, where all those other fugly billboards are.) thing is, she explained, the anvil logo was deleted from the layout. well, that was kind of expected, but did they use my exact design and campaign line? gwenn didn't need to hear that next question from me. turns out the whole thing was kept intact--except the anvil logo.

i should've put my name somewhere there. but then again it could've been spotted easily by the re-design police and plunked it into the trash just the same.

well, there goes my fifteen minutes of fame. again.

rayvi

2007-06-27T16:25:00.000+08:00

publisher and award-winning author rayvi sunico dropped by today with winnie wong of singapore. they both worked with us on a collaborative project called love gathers all, an anthology of poems and illustrations by filipino and singaporean writers/artists published in 2002.

really nice to see rayvi again and to be working with him soon on a children's picture book. yay! before leaving the office, he postscripts to me to check out his short article about cellphone texting entitled bad ba mag-txt?

dressing up pinoy

2007-06-22T13:17:00.000+08:00

image shows one of the earlier cover studies by ige ramos

just off the press:
pinoy dressing: weaving culture into fashion by fashion designer and journalist barge ramos

a collection of barge's important malaya newspaper columns about the history and culture of philippine fashion. fellow fashion designer loretto's pen-and-inks grace the pages of this important publication. with a foreword by angie blardony-ureta.

red hair in the house

2007-06-22T10:36:00.000+08:00

am excited about our forthcoming children’s books and YA titles this year. we’re already doing corrections to batch 3 of the lola basyang picture books retold by basyang babe (hehehe) christine bellen who’s one of the busiest persons in this side of the planet. one of the artists joining this batch is hubert fucio, a lanky unassuming guy who smiles a lot and is one hell of a talent. i quickly hired him to do the illustrations for lara saguisag’s exciting collection of poems for kids. he didn’t disappoint with the stuff he submitted the other day.

yesterday, panch alcaraz dropped by to check the proofs of her third basyang book with us. of course, everyone in the office was shocked (and amused) by her shockingly red-highlighted shock of hair. hmm, that's a lot of "shock"... she said she wanted to have all of it in red, but figured quickly that putting on a store-bought wig was the most painless (but most boring) alternative. that’s one thing about artists, they can almost always get away with it. and for panch, the red was a piece of cake. (although she vehemently refused my suggestion to use the above image as her author's photo in her book.) i just hope she doesn’t think of green dye the next time. or maybe a huge multicolored tattoo covering her right leg.

margin note: henry miller

2007-06-21T08:14:00.001+08:00

We should read to give our souls a chance to luxuriate. ~Henry Miller

the journey’s got road signs

2007-06-20T16:53:00.000+08:00

twisted travels by jessica zafra

“if i lived in new york i would have quadriceps of steel. after just thirty-six hours in the city, my shapeless, flabby thighs were beginning to show signs of muscular definition from all the walking. new york is like that kingdom in alice in wonderland where you have to move very fast just to stay in place." (–jessica zafra, “new york, 1999”)

highlights: popular columnist and author jessica zafra collects some of her best essays about her trips around the world. includes her encounters with the baduy people (indonesia); touring with a rock band (los angeles and las vegas); checking out ’dem waterfalls (toronto); posing for photos while shivering from the cold (utah); breathing invisible air and getting exact change from cab drivers (singapore); walking on batman avenue and going to a casino (australia); getting lost and witnessing racial drama on the train (new york); meeting italian cats––“the variety that meows” (venice); soaking up on history and culture (prague); learning about the secret society of cabbies (manila), among others.

released: march 2007

inside track:
i asked to design this project personally because a) it’s jessica’s––i've seen/helped usher most of her books with anvil from infancy to adulthood, and i'm also a fan, of course, and b) i’m a quasi-quintessential armchair traveler. i have guidebooks to japan and ireland (mostly), and different maps of the philippines and europe, phrasebooks and travel memoirs and essays. my personal library has its own travel section.

jessica lent me photos she and her sister cookie took in venice and prague (a lot of castles and cookie and cats) plus lots of fliers announcing concerts and plays much like fliers we normally get here in manila for the new jollibee budget combo meals and fat-burning, skin-whitening herbal medicines.

i designed the whole thing and am mighty proud of the outcome. road signs were the perfect visual for the cover (although i also played with weather vanes and airplane barf bags prior). i chose jessica’s photo in venice for the back panel where she looks like she’s trying to reason with a smug black-and-white tabby who chooses to totally ignore her anyway.

jessica dropped by a few weeks ago and i had my copy autographed. thrilled to know from her personally that the book’s receiving great feedback not only for the content but also for the design (me: beaming).

we’re starting to work on her next project with us, a collection of the best pieces from the defunct flip magazine she used to edit. design for this one’s already awarded to pinoy uber-book designer ige ramos (he’ll kill me for saying that. or not.)

kumain ka na ba?

2007-06-08T12:39:00.000+08:00

a la carte: food & fiction
collected and edited by cecilia manguerra brainard & marily ysip orosa

what does food evoke, besides hunger? memories––dark like slow-cooked adobo and light like warm buttered puto––that are brought forth through the rich, frothy, exhilarating stories in this book.

highlights: includes short stories by award-winning authors romina gonzalez, alfred yuson, carlos cortes, linda ty-casper, dean francis alfar, jose dalisay jr., ian rosales casocot, reine arcache melvin, among others.

each story is introduced by a related recipe (including the pinoy staples tokwa’t baboy, rellenong bangus, manok inasal, pork adobo, and halo-halo). the editors admit, however, that the recipes have not been “taste-tested” (kitchen-tested?) and that only in the spirit of “experimentation and adventure” should anyone try to cook them.

inside track:
i’ve always liked working with baby brainard even if it’s almost always via the internet. she’s always organized and meticulous and springs to action every time we have questions and concerns. this helped us a lot, especially when in the middle of pre-press work, her co-editor and likewise hardworking woman, marily orosa, had to fly to the u.s. to take care of a family emergency. it also helped that marily had a dependable assistant, jay, with whom i had to work with all the way till the printing stage.

the book was finally launched feb. 12, 2007 at the podium, in front of the nbs bestsellers store there. we had a good crowd there, thanks to the authors who made time to read excerpts from their stories and sign copies for fans.

met old friends who checked out the event: margie holmes (who was in a bright yellow-green, summery ensemble) with her hubby jeremy; former new day bosswoman gloria rodriguez with her hubby who were there to support daughter nadine surreal. author and book editor linda panlilio also checked out the event, as well as fictionist charlson ong who came with butch dalisay.

it was really nice to finally personally meet dean alfar whose collection of short stories called the kite of stars and other stories we’re set to release later this year. he came with his wife and fellow fictionist nikki, plus their colleagues of the graphic novel-speculative fiction discipline (i bet i’m going to be shot by the way i said that).

food on the buffet table reflected some of the recipes (well not exactly followed to the letter by the caterer) and was quite well-received, particularly by the usual freeloaders our newbie marketing assistant joyce b., unfortunately failed to recognize and shoo away.

get caught reading

2007-06-07T14:11:00.000+08:00

anvil is helping the national book development board in their GET CAUGHT READING campaign (based on the association of american publishers' literacy campaign). this is one of the versions of the poster that we'll be distributing all over the country this year. it features tv personality lyn ching-pascual reading award-winning chinese-filipino fictionist charlson ong's latest novel, banyaga: a song of war.

how to make a cup of kape

2007-06-01T14:55:00.000+08:00

an introduction to coffee
by pacita u. juan and ma. regina s. francisco

a small and reader-friendly textbook featuring information and instruction on how to make the perfect cup of coffee. it’s the very first philippine textbook on the subject and penned by two of the foremost authorities in philippine coffee.

highlights: the phases of producing specialty coffee; an easy-to-follow manual on how to make coffee; a do-it-yourself guide to setting up a coffee shop in the philippines; coffee drink and accompaniment recipes; plus chapter exercises.

inside track:
authors and figaro coffee company execs chit and reena went up to baguio city and locked themselves up to write up a storm. voila! the first ever textbook on coffee.

gwenn galvez (anvil’s marketing manager) and i suggested to make the book smaller (5.5 x 8 inches) than the usual textbook (7 x 10 inches or bigger), to make it look buyer-friendly, too.

i initially took on the book design and layout assignment but had to call an s.o.s. to anvil's "suki" artist arnold ramos to carry on with it. i just concentrated on refining the text and educating myself on the side about one of my favorite brews. now i know that course grind is best for my coffee press and that decaffeinated coffee won’t keep me up. ever. (but i already knew that.)

the book was launched in manila feb. 17, '07 at the figaro in shang. i went there, to the surprise of everybody (i don’t usual attend our own launchings. and only because i’m still working during the events), and drank (drowned?) in cup after cup of fresh brewed barako coffee. yum.

chit demonstrated to us anvil folks how to operate those darn handsome coffeemakers and gadgets. a teacher piped in that most of chit’s lectures are well-attended and received. no surprise there.

and it was no surprise that i was still up at 5 the next morning.

not enough books

2007-06-01T14:28:00.000+08:00

i went to powerbooks at the shang last week to check if they already got brian selznick's the invention of hugo cabret (well, since a friend who dangled a carrot about scoring one has gone to some wonderland in andalucia and forgot about it). of course, they don't have it on the shelves yet, so i asked them to order for me and was told i had to wait a max. of 5 weeks (!) for it. i paid 800 pesos to secure the advance order (a copy costs 1,700+ pesos total at the current exchange rate) and made my way to the shelves for my fix. i got myself a copy (finally!) of stephen king's anthology of short stories, different seasons, had to return an expensive copy of elizabeth kolbert's field notes from a catastrophe, and was a bit disappointed when someone beat me to the lone copy of frankenstein makes a sandwich by adam rex.

bumped into tanya and her brother mik, who both teased me no end about not getting enough of books at work. well, guess i’m still honestly giddy about looking at and reading books made by somebody else. still amazes me what a wonderful and genius invention books are.

and to be part of that precious “assembly line” of producing an actual book still gives me goose bumps, despite my jaded nerves.

but the nerves are real, and my patience (or what’s left of it) is constantly challenged. sometimes it does make me seethe, if not actually cry.

welcome

2007-06-01T14:19:00.000+08:00

when i was still in school, at least three people other than my family “predicted” i’ll be writing books someday.

they were right. sort of.

it didn’t surprise a lot of them when i ended up a girl friday at adarna house, the leading publisher of philippine children’s books, after college, right after i ditched a career in journalism. at adarna, i was catapulted into a dizzying wonderland of children’s literature. i met literary and artistic icons and wanna-bes. i had dibs on manuscripts, and hands-on experience in bookmaking, pinoy-style. it was a difficult, but still educational eye-opener to something i’m passionate about. and i loved it.

after several years at adarna, i joined anvil publishing, multiple publisher-of-the-year winner and respected commercial publisher. if my stay at adarna was an initiation, my first few years at anvil was boot camp. it was a tougher class and i made a lot of hilarious and heart-wrenching screwups.

i went through different lifetimes at anvil––as editorial assistant, part-time marketing coordinator, production rat, etc. in short, a skilled multi-tasker. i am now its publishing department’s managing editor.

now, hold on to your horses because while the job (sounds) cool, it ain’t all that cushy. let’s just say the lessons are in postgrad level––they’re much more difficult and daunting. but of course there are a lot of plusses––more literary/artistic icons who eventually become friends; hordes more of wanna-bes; dibs––plus a chance to critique––more manuscripts (both exciting and crappy); extensive hands-on bookmaking experience; book events and socials. oh yeah, plus lots and lots of books.

contrary to popular belief, we publishing people don’t just sit on our asses and read until our eyes bleed. being here in this business is like being in a circus, going on a road trip, doing a freefall, attempting a steep climb. sitting still to read doesn’t spell it completely.

that’s why these notes.

so, whoever you are who’s patiently reading this, out of curiosity or pity, welcome to the world of philippine publishing—straight from one of its cubicles.

margin note: william styron

2007-05-29T16:30:00.000+08:00

A good book should leave you . . . slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it. –William Styron, interview, Writers at Work, 1958

paperbooks 4ever: a sort of prologue

2007-05-29T15:07:00.000+08:00

maybe i was just being stubbornly, uhm, romantic when i said that i was going to buy the best slr out there and patiently teach myself the art of black-and-white photography––until it dawned on me that when people say "camera" these days, they refer to only one kind: digital, and not the kind you stick a roll of film in. the latter kind, that had its best times until recently––when even the most revered of photographers have refurbished their studios and packs with everything high-tech, and shops have rid of the rolls of film on their shelves––has already reluctantly tattooed an unfortunately simple name in history: "film camera". shudder.

so what to do with my ansel adams aspirations? bury 'em for now, i guess. resign to the requirements of the changing world. or buy tons of books.

i’m just glad that books have not yet gotten to that stage in its (eventual) evolution. books printed on paper, books you can carry wherever. books you can whip out of your bag during a long train ride or a ho-hum date (yes, it happens). books that take on that unique smell of aging paper and ink after a few years. books, so light, so affable that you can sleep with them tucked under your pillow in the hopes that stories from them will somehow seep into your dreams.

i’m proud to say that my most memorable childhood companions were books. i had more of them than toys. i knew early on that i was not the pretty-ponies-and-tiny-teacups kind of kid––by necessity and by taste––and that the only thing that will calm me down after a tantrum or a bout of the sniffles is a book (and a plastic, not-exactly-pretty doll called “kissy pet”).

i hate to even imagine books going the way of the camera. while the electronic book is already a known commodity in this high-tech era (even if the earlier mutation, the audio book, didn’t really take off as expected), i have utmost faith that the book––the kind that’s printed on paper––isn’t going down the scrap bin anytime soon. it’s one of the best inventions ever made, so why change it? you can’t fix something that ain’t broken, right?

sentimental? not really. just a little afraid. they had to chuck stone tablets in favor of papyrus, right? i know i have to be brave about its mutation and to learn not to strangle myself to death every time i’ll have to identify the kind of book i prefer as “paperbook”, over the “e-book” or whatever fancy/boring name they’ll invent for its future form. but as they say, the medium is not the message. after everything, it’s still the story that truly counts.

still, i’m naming this little corner of the world wide web after the book form i like best of all, the one whose form i will forever know and keep, so that maybe, just maybe, people in the future (androids are welcome, too) can pick up from it an old, interesting thing or two.