Category: writing

just passing by

My short story for children, “Jeremy’s Magic Well”, now a book published by the Gig and the Amazing Sampaguita Foundation, Inc. (GASFI), is not available in the bookstores. Ms Beaulah writes:

For those who are interested in getting copies, please ask GASFI by emailing gigfoundation@gmail.com.

More info from here:

ABOUT THE BOOKS AND THE PUBLISHER

These books are part of the Gig Seafarer Children’s Stories series. They are published by Gig and the Amazing Sampaguita Foundation, Inc. (GASFI), a nonprofit organization founded and headed by Marissa Oca Robles.

GASFI is driven by Marissa’s three passions: honoring the memory and youthful spirit of her son Gig, promoting the reading habit among children and their parents, and serving the needs of Filipino seamen’s families.

The first has to do with turning the loss of a loved one into life-affirming action. When her son died in an accident, Marissa founded GASFI to celebrate his love for books, his tender affection for sampaguita flowers, and his frequent use of the word “amazing” to describe his life and almost everything in it.

The second is about kindling and sustaining a life-long love for reading among children and their families. “Twenty Minutes At Bedtime” is not only GASFI’s slogan, it is also the minimum amount of time, Marissa believes, that parents should set aside everyday to read with their children.

The third is Marissa’s special contribution to her family’s cause: the welfare of Filipino seamen. Her father Captain Gregorio S. Oca laid the cornerstone when he founded the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (Amosup). Marissa builds upon it by running seamen’s villages, hospitals, schools and libraries throughout the country.

When you read and share one of these books, you join an ever-expanding circle that gathers round people and things that warm the cockles of our hearts: our children, books and reading, and the strength and resilience of families – especially where the father is mostly away at sea.

MORE ABOUT THE BOOKS

Each book is based on a prize-winning story, one of ten winners of the Gig Book Storywriting Contest conducted by GASFI in 2009. Close to 150 stories were submitted for the contest. The ten best stories were selected and edited for publication by publisher and children’s author Karina Africa Bolasco, book reviewer and children’s author Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, and Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo. Book design, art direction, and pre-press production by Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo, color separations by iColours, printing by Raintree Trading & Publishing, Inc.

Page size: 18.5 x 11 inches
Number of pages: 24
Binding: Softcover, Saddle-stitched
Cover: Full color, Foldcote Cal. 15 with plastic lamination
Inside: Full color, Matte 120 lbs.

CONTACT US

Marissa Oca Robles, President
Gig and the Amazing Sampaguita Foundation, Inc. (GASFI)
Suite 600 The Gregorian, 2178 Taft Avenue
Malate, Manila 1004 Philippines
Tel. Manila (632) 400-4933 or (632)353-1267 local 826,
Cavite (6346)9730370, Mobile (63915) 346 6251
E-mail: gigfoundation@gmail.com
Website: http://www.gasfi.com

Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo
Executive Editor & Book Designer
Gig Seafarer Children’s Stories
E-mail: taguiwalo8888@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0917-787-4956

So send them an email, if you are so inclined. :)

story quarterly update

I got the acceptance e-mail back in February, and this morning I received an email from Story Quarterly Managing Editor Zac Roesch. They’re looking at a possible October publication, and:

We’re very excited to have your story for our forthcoming issue, and you might be pleased to know we’re submitting the journal to McSweeney’s Best American Nonrequired Reading 2010 once it’s off the press, among other Best Of’s for the year.

Very exciting news. Now, I’m just waiting for the edits to come in so I can approve them (or fight the editors, heh; no, I’m kidding I don’t usually do that) and the contract so I can sign it and send it back.

*Confetti*

* * *

Now, what am I up to? I have a story idea in mind and I’m itching to see how it will shape up, but right now I’m enjoying having other people’s words fill up my head. Huzzah!

The Mighty Reading List!

Hunger Games

The Unnamed

Now: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Next: We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg

The Year of Fog

The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint

Notes on Extinction

Wild Mind

The Spooky Art

on the side: Twisted 8 1/2, Storm of Swords, Scott Pilgrim, PSF V (last few stories!)

linked!

I’ve been doing this over at my (locked) Twitter account, so I decided to share it here as a big THANK YOU to those who gave kind words about my work and for spreading the word. :)

I’m included in this linkage post by Charles Tan as he guest-blogs on Ecstatic Days.

Dennis Ginoza links a poem of mine here.

Malon Edwards: Also, if you have time, poke around Expanded Horizons a bit. Dash is amassing a diverse collection of stories from a diverse collection of writers within those virtual pages that I truly don’t think you can find anywhere else. One of those stories, Night Out by Eliza Victoria, really stayed with me after reading it. Good stuff there. (Source.)

Neoli Marcos, on “Earthset”: One of the few short stories that made me cry.  Read this last year in an obscure bookstore somewhere in Retiro, standing the whole time, not realizing I was already crying by the time I finished it. (Source.)

As of right now, I’m waiting word on several pending pieces, and one has been accepted for publication (can’t tell where yet, I think, it’s a surprise). That accepted piece will be accompanied by artwork! Excited.

pedestal 59

I have updated my Publications page as soon as the issue came out, but I must have forgotten to announce it here. Oops.

But Issue 59 of Pedestal Magazine is still up (and will remain live until October), so do visit the site. It includes my poem, “Maps”.

one for pedestal magazine

I am happy and proud to share that Arlene Ang, Pedestal Magazine‘s poetry editor, sent me an e-mail saying that the magazine would like to use my poem, “Maps”, in an upcoming issue. This news made me so happy because I’m a fan of both Ms Ang and Pedestal Magazine. Watch this space. :)

(Also: I realize that I don’t have a “writerly” picture. You know, chair, or window, or desk, black and white, shadows, somber expression on the face, as though I carry the world on my shoulders. I’ll probably end up sending them a photo where I’m smiling so wide they can see all my teeth, haha.)

‘variations’ now live on elimae

My poem, “Variations on the Expulsion from Eden”, is now up on the elimae website (August issue). Click here, if you are so inclined.

aftermath, and new poem

I’m hearing news that Meralco has so far energized more than 90 percent of the Metro, but as of last night the stat was as low as 20 percent and Makati looked like the site of apocalypse. Cables hanging dangerously low, dark streets, dead traffic lights, candles sitting on windowsills. Our condo building has a generator, but at 9 p.m. last night our unit’s still gloomy and humid. Apparently the utility men couldn’t connect the unit to the generator. What infuriated me was that there was a goddamn party near the pool area. With ear-blasting music. And huge speakers. I should have pushed the lot of them into the pool so we could use the leftover power to heat our water.

Anyway. I was thankful to Jake and his family for inviting me to stay over. They were at the Marriott while waiting for power to come back to their home. There were only two beds in the room, so Jake pushed two sofas together. Initially he wanted to sleep there, or sleep on the floor, but I fit on the sofas anyway. Nice and cozy. Had a good night’s sleep. :) I texted my mother, and she said we have electricity back home, so I’m traveling to Bulacan with two short story collections (borrowed from Andrea) that I’m planning to finish over the weekend.

* * *

I just received the good news that my poem, “Variations on the Expulsion from Eden”, will appear in the August issue of elimae. A year ago elimae published “Storytellers“. Click the link to read, and watch this space. ;)