Annual UP Writers Night on December 8

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

The event starts off at 5:30 pm with the awarding ceremony of the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award at the Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan, Bulwagang Rizal, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, U.P. Diliman, Quzon City. The award was established in February 2001 through the initiative and generosity of the Madrigal-Gonzalez family. It encourages writers who have published a first work in English and Filipino to continue in the pursuit of excellence in the literary arts. The award is yearly and alternates between works in English and Filipino. The 2006 winner was Kristian Cordero's Tulang Tulala which consisted of poems in English, Filipino and Bikol Rinconada.

The board of judges—composed of J. Neil Garcia, Jaime An Lim, and Vincent G. Groyon III—are delighted to read the interestingly new and relevant subjects of the well-written English first books of 2007. Among the sterling nominees are Dean Francis Alfar's Salamanca (novel); Barbara-Ann Gamboa Lewis's Barefoot in Fire (creative non-fiction); Maria Isabel Garcia's Science Solitaire (essays); Rica Bolipata-Santos's Love, Desire, Children, Etc (essay); Helen Yap's From Inside the Berlin Wall (essay); and Katrin De Guia's Kapwa; The Self In The Other (essay).

Also during the award, the Likhaan 2007: The Journal of Contemporary Philippine Literature, edited by Jose Y. Dalisay, J. Neil Garcia, and Lilia Quindoza Santiago will be launched. U.P. Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao, staunch supporter of the literary arts, will be the guest of honor.

After the book awards and launch, the party will take place in the same venue. Everyone can enjoy the performances by invited guests Cesare Syjuco, Heber Bartolome, DJ Alvaro, dancer/choreographer Myra Beltran, zitar player Joey Valenciano, ventriloquist Ony Carcamo, experimental artist Yanna Acosta, Romancing Venus, and poets Marne Kilates and Teo Antonio.

Then, everyone will be in for a surprise as daring writers joins a mock fashion show staged by campus groups UP Quill, UP Speca, UP Ugat and UP Writers Club. All in the spirit of carnivalesque play.

Friends and guests of writers, as well as readers and fans are welcome to attend the 2007 Writers Night. For details, call Ms. Eva Cadiz at U.P. ICW, 9221830.

UP ICW and Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Awards announces 2007 shortlist

By Arvin Abejo Mangohig

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

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

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