the 2nd filipino readers’ convention

I pre-registered J and I to the Filipino Readercon but when the day came we almost didn’t go. We woke up late and J has this big exam on Monday (UP decided to go ahead with their exam because it’s UP) so he needs to study a lot and there might not be enough parking and traffic might be bad etc etc. In the end, we decided to go, even just to catch the afternoon panels.

I am so glad we went. The Filipinas Heritage Library was filled yesterday with people who genuinely loved to read (and write) so much that they would punch each other to get a free copy of a sponsor’s book. Haha! It was a glorious thing to witness, and I would most definitely go again next year. And the years after that.

On to some photos and stories.

I would have gone to the 1st Readercon, except that I didn’t even know it actually happened. Oops. This year though, the organizers, headed by Flipside VP Honey de Peralta, upped the ante with regards to marketing the event, and it paid off. I don’t have the exact number of attendees, but I bet it easily numbers past 200 participants.

J and I signed up a few minutes before 1 pm to catch “Authors as Readers”. It has two panels happening simultaneously, and we decided to sign up for the panel with Dean Francis Alfar, Budjette Tan, and Bebang Siy, moderated by Carljoe Javier.

Quick note on registration: PhP150 reg fee inclusive of AM and PM snacks, a cute magnetic bookmark from OMF, and a raffle entry.

The panel under Carljoe met up in the basement Library, a cozy venue.

Dean (Philippine Speculative Fiction), Budjette (Trese), and Bebang (It’s a Mens World), talked about their favorite books, and how reading them led them to writing their own creations.

While Budjette was setting up his presentation, Dean took out his copy of Storm Clouds and took this photo. Woohoo!

Next: book discussion panels. We signed up for Pacific Rims, but had to step out to eat lunch.

When we came back, it was time for the second book discussion we signed up for: Antoine Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince, moderated by the Filipino Goodreads group.

I got me a cute button for sharing my thoughts. But oh dear, I read this book probably over a decade ago haha!

Then it’s time for the much-awaited 1st Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards. A big congrats to Alternative Alamat!

The winners of the 1st Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards are:

Children’s picture book category: But That Won’t Wake Me Up! by Annie and Anelka Lumbao and Liza Flores (Adarna House)  – The organizers had three judges per category, but for Children’s book, they had children as judges. It was a nice touch.

Chick lit category: Fairy Tale Fail by Mina V. Esguerra

Novel in English category: Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (Anvil)

Novel in Filipino category: Ang Huling Dalagang Bukid at ang Authobiography na Mali by Jun Cruz-Reyes (Anvil)