Category: books

psf7 now on amazon + alternative alamat on sale + vote for your favorite books!

Philippine Speculative Fiction 7 is now available for online purchase on Amazon, and it is now slowly climbing up the rankings.

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2012

A heartbroken youth discovers the first woman, Maganda, in a garden. The youngest, most beautiful of ten siblings gets sold as a bride to a Tiq’Barang. A segment of the Filipino population suddenly transform to look like American celebrities. The Philippine Speculative Fiction series are anthologies that showcase the rich variety of Philippine literature: between these covers you will find magic realism next to science fiction, traditional fantasy beside slipstream, and imaginary worlds rubbing shoulders with alternate Philippine history—demonstrating that the literature of the fantastic is alive and well in the Philippines.

Stories from this series have been included in the Honorable Mentions list from The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Ellen Datlow and Kelly Link & Gavin Grant.

This volume includes:

All the Best of Dark and Bright by Victoria Isabel Yap

The Scrap Collectors by Arlynn Despi

East of the Sun by Dean Alfar

The Changes by Benito Vergara

Never Land by Mo Francisco

Chasers by Chris Mariano

The Call of the Chained God by Dariel Quiogue

Oblation by Paolo Chikiamco

The Love Spell by Edmond Julian dela Cerna

Sarsarita Time by Melissa Sipin

The Dragon’s Orb by Vincent Simbulan

All That We May See by Kenneth Yu

Faith in Fiction by James Constantino Bautista

The Day Nostalgia Swept Over a Town by F. Jordan Carnice

What You See by Ian Casocot

Pet by Kristine Ong Muslim

The Little Things the Datu Did by Andrew Drilon

The Commute to Paradiso by Charles Tan

What the Body Remembers by Tin Lao

username: tanglaw by Eliza Victoria

The Likeness of God by Crystal Koo

The Nature of Apocalypse by Joseph Montecillo

Bastard Sword by Nikki Alfar

Mother of Monsters by Philip Corpuz

See you at the launch on Saturday at CBTL in Shangri-La! (This coincides with the National Children’s Book Awards in Taguig, but I’m going to Shang on July 28.)

Paolo Chikiamko and Hanna Buena’s High Society and Rocket Kapre’s Alternative Alamat are on sale right now for only 99 cents. This is in celebration of the two books being included in the list of nominees for the 2012 Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards. Click on the link to vote! (I already did.)

Here are the final list of nominees for the first Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards as of July 23, 2012. To vote for your favorite books, just head over to the online ballot and pick one book per category. Voting ends July 31, 2012.

For questions, send an email to filipinoreaderschoice(at)gmail.com .

Children’s Picture Book

  • The Great Duck and Crocodile Race by Robert Magnuson (2011, Hiyas/OMF Lit)
  • Bee Safe by Joyce Piap-Go (2011, Hiyas/OMF Lit)
  • Si Rosa Albina  by Virgilio S. Almario (2011, Adarna House)
  • Oh Mateo 13: Tree for all by Grace Chong (2011, Hiyas/OMF Lit)
  • The Luckiest Girl in the World by May Tobias-Papa (2010, Insular)
  • Ang Ambisyosong Istetoskop by Dr. Luis Gatmaitan (2011, Adarna House)
  • But That Won’t Wake Me Up by Annie and Anelka Lumbao (2010, Adarna House)
  • Ay Naku! by Reni Roxas (2010, Tahanan Books)
  • A for Adobo by Nelson Agustin (2010, Tahanan Books)
  • Mga Kuwento ni Tito Dok 16: Aha! May Allergy Ka Pala! by Luis P. Gatmaitan (2011, Hiyas/OMF Lit)
  • Ang Tuta ni Noe by Virgilio S. Almario (2010, Adarna)
  • How Long Til September by Tanya Sevilla-Simon (2010, Adarna)
  •  Mahabang Mahabang Mahaba by Genaro Gojo Cruz (2010, Adarna)
  • When Color Came To Town by Susan dela Rosa Aragon (2010, Adarna)
  • Whuush! by Glenda Oris (2011, Adarna)
  • Dalawang Dagang Bulag by Rodolfo Desuasido (2011, Adarna)
  • Si Hinlalaki by Virgilio S. Almario (2011, Adarna)

Chick lit

  • Fairy Tale Fail by Mina V. Esguerra (2010, Self-published)
  • Table for Two by Marla Miniano (2010, Summit Books)
  • Love Your Frenemies by Mina V. Esguerra (2011, Self-published)
  • Fan Girl by Marla Miniano (2010, Summit Books)
  • Popped by Chinggay Labrador (2011, Summit Books)
  • One Crazy Summer by Ines Bautista-Yao (2011, Summit Books)

Novel in English

  • News of the Shaman by Karl R. De Mesa (2010, Visprint)
  • Super Panalo Sounds! by Lourd de Veyra (2011, UST Publishing House)
  •  Naermyth by Karen Francisco (2010, Visprint)
  •  Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (2010, Anvil)
  • Tall Story by Candy Gourlay (2010, Cacho House)

Novel in Filipino

  •  Lumbay ng Dila by Genevieve L. Asenjo (2010, C&E Publishing)
  • Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan by Bob Ong (2010, Visprint)
  • Lumayo Ka Nga Sa Akin by Bob Ong (2011, Visprint)
  • Sa Templo ni Tamilah by Mayette Mayuga (2011, Tapat Journal)
  • Always Have, Always Will by Belle Feliz (2011, Precious Hearts)
  • Ang Huling Dalagang Bukid at ang Authobiography na Mali by Jun Cruz-Reyes (2011, Anvil)

Comics / Graphic novels

  • Angel Crush by Ace Vitangcol (2011, Alturia Hill)
  • Skyworld #3: Prodigal by Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta. Maria (2011, Alamat)
  • Trese # 4: Last Seen After Midnight by Budjette Tan and KaJo Baldisimo (2011, Visprint)
  • High Society by Hannah Buena and Paolo Chikiamco (2011, Rocket Kapre and Flipside)
  • Love is in the Bag Volume 5 by Ace Vitangcol (2011, Alturia Hill)
  • Elmer by Gerry Alanguilan (2010/2011, SLG Publishing/National Bookstore)
  • Foldabots Chronicles Volume 1 by  Jomike Tejido and Jill Arwen Posadas (2011, Jomike Tejido)
  •  KikoMachine Komiks Blg6  by Manix Abera (2010, Visprint)
  • Weather-Weather Lang by Norby Ela (2010, NMN Creative)

Short story anthology

  •  Philippine Speculative Fiction 6 edited by Nikki Alfar and Kate Aton Osias (2011, Kestrel DDM)
  •  Alternative Alamat edited by Paolo Chikiamco (2011, Rocket Kapre and Flipside)
  • The Digest of Philippine Genre Stories: The Crime Issue by F.H. Batacan (2011, Kenneth Yu/Philippine Genre Stories)
  • The Secret of the Cave and Other Stories for Young Readers by Ed Maranan (2011, Anvil)

Essay anthology

  • Astigirl by Tweet Sering (2011, Astigirl Publishing)
  • Chulalongkorn’s Elephants by Ambeth Ocampo (2011, Anvil)
  • Showbiz Lengua by Jose Lacaba (2011, Anvil)
  • After the Storm by Elbert OR (2010, Anvil)
  •  It’s A Mens World by Bebang Siy (2011, Anvil)

Poetry

  •  Under the Storm: An Anthology of Contemporary Philippine Poetry by Khavn de la Cruz and Joel M. Toledo (2011, Antithesis Collective)
  • The El Bimbo Variations (3rd ed) by Adam David (2010, The Youth and Beauty Brigade)*
  • May Tiyanak sa Loob ng Aking Bag by Eugene Evasco (2011, Anvil)
  • Baha-Bahagdang Karupukan by Jim Pascual Agustin (2011, UST)
  • Alien to Any Skin by Jim Pascual Agustin (2011, UST)
  • Off the Beaten Track: Tulaan sa Tren 2 (2010, Vibal)

listening to ‘immersion’ + se7en + psf7 prototype + my very own copy of moc!

First off: I now have my copy of Moment of Change. Hooray!

And it is gorgeous! Thank you Rose! I have a poem here called “Prayer”. Glossy cover, thick paper, beautiful words and art. Go visit Aqueduct Press if you want to order a copy or download the ebook.

(Unfortunately, instead of receiving the copy at my own door, I had to trudge to the Makati Central Post Office because the parcel was held up by Customs. A book! And I had to pay P40. This is the second time.)

Listening to Aliette de Bodard’s “Immersion”

“Immersion” is a science fiction story by Aliette de Bodard published in Clarkesworld. I haven’t read the story in text form, but I was able to listen to the audio download while jogging yesterday. It was such a compelling story, and such a beautiful audio adaptation by Kate Baker, that I didn’t notice the time passing by.

In “Immersion”, locals use immersers to assume the appearance, language and body cues of Galactic, a former colonizer. At the end of the reading, Kate talked a bit about the story, and I found it strange that she would read it simply as a story about addiction, that she would identify with Quy as a young woman who wants to help a junkie break a habit. It is not just about addiction. It is about being ensnared by the power of a (former) colonial master even in the age of (supposed) freedom. It is about being jailed in a mindset that there is a superior race, and you do not belong to it because your language is wrong, your skin color is wrong, your faith is wrong, you are wrong. It is about giving up your identity to join the majority, to avoid the hate, and how there is a price, and sometimes the price is too high.

I live in a country with a colonial past: 300 years under Spain, 50 years under the US, and there was a time when the Japanese took over and raped our women. Aliette is of French-Vietnamese descent (and she dedicated this story to Rochita Loenen-Ruiz), and you can see her understanding of the horrible effects of being a colony in this story. A colonizer’s hold doesn’t end with the declaration of a colony’s independence.

I’m so glad you wrote this story, Aliette. I could have cried.

Se7en

Finally! I think I am a decade too late. I knew how the film would end (the Internet is rife with spoilers) but David Fincher’s masterpiece remains as powerful and as disturbing as ever. Watch it, if you haven’t already.

PSF7 Prototype

Adam David posted these on Facebook. Can’t wait for the launch!

‘a bottle of storm clouds’ cover, details – revealed!

Feast your eyes on this gorgeousness! The cover art is here and my first short story collection – A Bottle of Storm Clouds – is coming to bookstores real soon, courtesy of Visprint.

Cover art and design by Karen Francisco, author of Naermyth.

Award-winning author Eliza Victoria mixes magic with the mundane in this special concoction of 16 short stories. A girl meets a young man with the legs of a chicken. A boy is employed by a goddess running a pawnshop. A group of teenagers are trapped in an enchanted forest for 900 days. A man finds himself in an MRT station beyond Taft, a station that was not supposed to exist. A student claims to have seen the last few digits of pi. Someone’s sister gets abducted by mermaids.

Includes stories that have appeared in the critically acclaimed anthologies Philippine Speculative Fiction and Alternative Alamat, and stories that have won prizes in the Philippines Free Press Literary Awards and the Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio Literary Contest.

Published by Visprint.

209 pages, 6″ x 9″

SRP PhP220

More details to follow. Stay tuned.

For now, feel free to spread the word. :)

philippine speculative fiction 7 cover revealed

Isn’t it a beauty?

Cover art by Les Banzuelo, color and art direction by Adam David. This volume contains my story, “username: tanglaw”.

Launch is on  28 July at the 2nd floor of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Shangri-la Plaza Mall.

See you there!

weekend news + recommendations

Came home this weekend for my father’s birthday.

I can’t do any writing when I’m at home (too lazy? too comfy?), so I just spend the time on my back watching whatever show’s available, or reading. I recommend:

21 Jump Street

(Shot of goths.)

“These are the goths”

(Shot of nerds.)

“These are nerds.”

(Shot of hipsters.)

“I don’t know what these are.”

The smart nerd and the cool jock from high school end up in the police academy and become best friends. After an arrest gone wrong, they are transferred to 21 Jump Street, where they are assigned to do undercover work as high school students. Based on the series starring Johnny Depp. I don’t know how this film adaptation compares to the series, but this wins plus points for me for all the action film meta-jokes and the film’s acute awareness that the high school of ten years ago is very much different from the high school of today.

Take Shelter

Curtis lives with his wife and hearing impaired daughter in the Ohio countryside frequented by storms and tornadoes. He starts having nightmares about rain that looks like motor oil, birds flying in strange formations, and his dog and neighbors attacking him and his child. The nightmares start bleeding into his days. He has a history of mental illness, so fearing he is developing schizophrenia, he reads books, sees his mother, and talks to a counselor at the free clinic. But he also takes out a risky loan and starts repairing their tornado shelter, to the anguish of his wife. Is Curtis insane, or a prophet of dire days to come? This film is highly recommended. (And Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain should have received Oscar nominations for this! What the hell?)

Shawshank Redemption

This is a rewatch. If you haven’t seen it – what is the matter with you? This is one beautiful story that stands the test of time. It’s still as good as ever.

Different Seasons by Stephen King

Contains four short novels, three of which were adapted into films (Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, Stand by Me). All four stories are absorbing reads.

ALL OF THE BATMAN

I am particularly interested in the Dick Grayson storyline within the Batman universe. My only exposure to the first Robin is through the films (all meh) and the brilliant animated shows Batman: The Animated Series and The New Adventures of Batman and Robin. Recos? I already have Robin: Year One, but I have read Long Halloween, Dark Victory, The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller! Brilliant!), and a bit of the All-Star Batman and Robin series. (Frank Miller! What the fuck is this shit?)

Went back to the metro on Sunday and played with J’s cute nephew.

Well? What have you been up to? :)

nominate your bets for the 1st ever Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards

Source: Rocket Kapre

It’s common in most fields of entertainment to have, on the one hand, critics awards – think the Oscars – where winners are decided by a panel of judges or committee of experts, and on the other hand, popular awards – think the MTV Movie Awards (once nominees are decided) – where the winners are determined by fan vote. In the Philippines, published literature has always been the province of the National Book Awards, but there has never really been an equivalent popular awards for literature.

Until now!

As part of the upcoming 2nd Filipino Reader Con, the Filipino Book Bloggers will be holding the 1st ever Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards:

The Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards seeks to engage the Filipino reading public in honoring their favorite Philippine-published titles. An initiative of the Filipino Book Bloggers Group, the Filipino RCA was established to develop awareness and appreciation of Philippine literature; recognize the reader’s role in creating the meaning and experience of a literary work; and give the readers a voice in the Philippine book industry.

Nominations are open from July 9 to 22. To nominate a book, just fill out the online nomination form. The nomination form gets sent to the Filipino RCA committee.

Nominations will be posted on the Filipino ReaderCon website on a weekly basis. Links to reviews of nominated titles will also be posted on the site.

The awards are open to titles published in the Philippines from January 2010 to December 2011, in the following categories:

  • Children’s picture book
  • Chick lit
  • Novel in English
  • Novel in Filipino
  • Comics / Graphic novels
  • Short story anthology
  • Essay anthology
  • Poetry

Get to it! :D